Why did Hungary declare war on the Soviet Union June 27, 1941?

themonarch

The Košice attack was the June 26, 1941 aerial bombing of the city of Košice, then a part of Hungary. This attack became the welcomed pretext for the government of Hungary to declare war on the Soviet Union, on 27 June 1941. On June 26, 1941, four days after Germany attacked the Soviet Union in violation of the Molotov-Ribbentrop non-aggression treaty, three unidentified planes of apparently Soviet origin bombed the city, killing and wounding over a dozen people and causing minor material damage. The true identity of the attacking nation has never been established. The official explanation preferred by Soviet historians was the idea of a feigned attack by Germany to provoke Hungary into attacking the Soviet Union, employing Soviet planes captured on conquered airfields. Another possibility is that the Soviet bombers mistook Košice for a nearby city in the WWII Slovak Republic, which was already at war with the Soviet Union. After the incident Hungary declared itself at war with the Soviet Union. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko%C5%A1ice_attack Jan 13 08, 4:07 PM

rxbigdawg

June 26, 1941 also became a day of historical importance because of the (supposedly Soviet) aerial bombardment of the city of Kassa. Damage and loss in human life was not really great, so the incident could have been handled through diplomatic channels. But hysterical reaction from the press, as well as aggressive demands for retaliation on the part of the military prevented the government from investigating details and arriving at an objective decision. Instead, on the basis of insufficient information, the Hungarian government decided to retaliate at once by bombing Stanislaw, and the same day, June 27, 1941declared war on the Soviet Union. The bombardment of Kassa was only an excuse, - a poor excuse - for those who feared neutrality would handicap Hungary on the advent of the "new European order." But while condemning the militaristic politicians and generals, we should not fall into the trap of generalization. Many Hungarian leaders faithfully served Hungarian interests, many generals opposed the declaration of war and later did their utmost to preserve Hungarian blood in a war that was somewhat less than popular with the Hungarian population. Historians who today condemn Hungary for her participation in the war against the Soviet Union regard the Hungarian declaration of war solely from the Allied point of view. They cite the events described above and find Hungary guilty of being too eager, too anxious to faithfully serve German interests. In order to place these condemnations in broader perspective it is necessary to recall European conditions at the time of Hungary's decision. http://www.hungarian-history.hu/lib/thou/thou14.htm Jan 13 08, 4:15 PM