The Escape

By Beverly A. Mile

The Escape provides a true account of a young Hungarian college student's escape from Hungary following the suppression of the country's 1956 October revolution. The author describes how, after the end of the war in 1946, the Communists systematically took control of the country by 1949, with the help of the Soviet Red Army and how under the Stalinist influence, the intimidation, property confiscations, unjust incarcerations, and often physical eliminations took root.By the early 1950s, the resistance against the Communist parties of Eastern Europe started to erupt: East Berlin, 1953; Warsaw, 1956; and in October 1956, Budapest. The demonstrations and demands in Hungary were spearheaded by students and the workers (the very workers whom the party considered to be the mainstay of Communism). The protagonist of the story himself is a university student with many friends and schoolmates. He is a self-reliant, take-charge type, who does not easily submit to others. Once he makes up his mind, he carries through. His love for his girlfriend and his determination that his future and life is not to be controlled by a totalitarian system is the driving force behind his actions. Following the suppression of the revolution by the Communists with the help of the Red Army, he realizes that there is no future for him in the country and decides to leave. His original plan is to take his girlfriend, whom he loves very much, with him. However, due to the danger she would be facing, her parents are against her leaving. He reluctantly agrees with the caveat that when he establishes himself wherever he settles down, she will follow him.Not to be alone on his dangerous quest, he recruits his close friend, who sees his future just as bleak under the Communist system. After some careful planning, the two men, with some unexpected luck and many tense hours later, successfully cross into Austria. Being in a refugee camp awaiting to be issued travel documents, then transported to the country of your destination, gave him plenty of time for deep reflection about his future. When Christmas arrived, he realized that if he does not take his girlfriend with him now, he will probably never see her again. At that moment, he decides to go back for her.The final chapters of the book describe his perilous journey back to his hometown and the even more dangerous journey out of the country again, with his girlfriend and some friends in tow, involving crossing the Iron Curtain for the third time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098059224

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The Escape

Beverly A. Mile

Copyright © 2020 by Beverly A. Mile

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

I:    Prologue, August 1991

II:  Debrecen, Hungary, October 23, 1956

III: October 24 to November 2, 1956

IV: Sunday, November 4, 1956

V:  November 5, 1956, and Beyond

VI

VII

VIII

IX

X

XI

XII

XIII

To the reader: For ease of reading, I have eliminated the use of the Hungarian language in this book. Due to the fact that the language is relatively difficult to read and speak, I have only used certain words that are necessary to depict a certain mood, enhance dialogue, or the theme of the novel. It is important to remember that all of the characters in the book are speaking Hungarian.

Introduction

On October 23, 1989, one hundred thousand cheering and tearful Hungarians gathered in the square of the parliament building in Budapest to hear their country proclaimed the Hungarian Republic—a republic with a democratic system of government. It was in this same square and same town, exactly thirty-three years ago, when a group of Hungarians—comprised mostly of students and workers—gathered, demonstrated, was fired upon, and lost against the Communists and the repressive Soviet-styled government, which permeated the country until 1989.

This is a true story of one student caught up in the events surrounding the Hungarian Revolution and his subsequent successful escape from his homeland—not only once, but twice.

Preface

A Brief History of Hungary

The history of Hungary—or Magyarorszag, its official Hungarian name—is rather interesting, colorful, and violent—from the mixed Romanized population who lived at Aquincum (which, today, is located on the Buda side of Budapest—Buda being separated from the Pest side by the Danube) in the second and third centuries, to the invasion of the Huns somewhere around 409; the migration of and subsequent takeover by the Magyars around the year 900; the Mongol invasion of 1241; Turkish rule for 145 years until the defeat of the Turks in 1686—combined with the House of Habsburg who provided the kings of Hungary from 1526 to 1918 as part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and those years hence to the downfall of Communism in Eastern Germany and Eastern Europe in 1989.

For purposes of this story, a brief objective description of the time leading up to the Hungarian Revolution is described below, providing a historical background for the story, which follows recounting those times during and after the October 23, 1956, Hungarian Revolution.

Prior to the onset of World War II in Europe and after the 1919 Communist and Social Democratic takeover of the country and their subsequent defeat shortly thereafter, Hungary experienced a rather peaceful existence until 1938. In 1938, when Hungary began to cultivate relations with Italy and the Third Reich, it was hoped that the Peace Treaty of Trianon of 1920, in which the country lost much of its territory, might be reversed. The Third Reich invested heavily in the country, and with the outbreak of World War II, Hungary was drawn deeper and deeper into the fracas. German troops occupied Budapest, which was heavily bombed during the last months of the war. Even though the Germans fought bitterly against the advancing Red Army, in December of 1944, the Red Army assailed Budapest; and in April of 1945, the last German troops left the territory of Hungary. Thus, following the pattern of other eastern European socialist countries, Hungary became entangled in the influence of the Soviet Union.

After the occupation of the Soviet Red Army troops in 1944/45, the military government supported formation of a national government, which was influenced by the Hungarian Communist Party (under control of the Allies in the beginning). In the November elections which followed, 17 percent of the vote was obtained by the Communists; the social Democrats secured 17.4 percent of the vote. In February of 1946, the monarchy was abolished and a republic was proclaimed under the control of the Smallholders’ Party. Even though the Communists failed at the ballots, they had complete support of the occupying forces and of the Red Army. Under the guise of a republic, control was slowly gained by the Communists and the resistance of the Hungarian population was weakened. A new police group was formed, the AVO (Allam Vedelmi Osztaly) or State Security Department. By 1949, the Communists were in full power in the country. In 1950, the AVO was reorganized into the AVH (Allam Vedelmi Hatosag), State Security Authority, which broadened the action of the security police—similar to the USSR’s KGB. Hungary was now under Stalinist influence and prisons were full of those citizens who resisted. Mostly, it was the educated middle class who suffered. They were persecuted, intimidated, denied rights, incarcerated in labor camps, had their property confiscated, and often were physically eliminated—the usual Communistic tactics. The Party wanted the children of the workers and the peasants to carry on the traditions of true Stalinism and Marxism. It was really not the idealistic government of the farmers and the workers as the government had perceived. People were tired of being forced to work on collective farms and disenchanted with the ideological ideas impressed upon them by the Party. It was time that certain changes took place in the country. Although many were satisfied with the present form of government, others—particularly those feeling the persecution, repression, and general injustices imparted upon them by the Party—felt that it was time for a change. When Stalin died in 1953, personal criticism of him and the injustices suffered by the Hungarian people had little or no effect on the Communist Hungarian Party. The status quo remained, although dissatisfaction with the government existed.

Now, in the early 1950s, dissatisfaction with the Communist Party and repressive governments in Easter Europe started to erupt: East Berlin, 1953; Warsaw, 1956. Citizens of so many Eastern countries were disgusted with the repression, hostility, and isolation of human rights, which permeated their lands. As a result of this treatment, the world watched when on October 23, 1956, the Hungarians—comprised mostly of students and workers—after years of being under Soviet rule, incited a demonstration while gathering in front of the radio station in Budapest demanding reforms. The government forcibly quashed the demonstration; although two days later, the people rose again against the regime, gathering in front of the Parliament building in Budapest, as well as other places. They destroyed the insignias of the Communists, ripping out red stars in the Hungarian flags, dragging Stalin’s statue through the streets of the capital, and lynching many members of the AVH. Political prisoners were released while new splinter parties surfaced. However, amidst all of this chaos, it didn’t take the Soviet Union long to intervene. Within a few days, the revolution was suppressed amidst violence and bloodshed and was over. Hungary—once again—was under Soviet rule.

I

Prologue

August 1991

The sun was beginning to set as the green Mercedes rolled toward the Austrian frontier. The road in this part of Hungary was good and well cared for. The homes were charming and well-kept and were more in tune with Western fashion than the rest of the country—this fact being due to the close proximity of the Austrian border. Still, an experienced traveler would know that he was in Eastern Europe, as opposed to the Western part of the continent. Remnants of forty years of Communism, repression, and neglect still lingered in the air like stale cigar smoke. But it was the nineties and times were changing. It wasn’t too long ago that the Berlin Wall fell and the long arm of democracy began slowly creeping into Hungary, Poland, and Czechoslovakia, as well as other areas. But…it would take time, as most changes often do.

Peter Egressy, a tall, handsome man of middle age—glanc­ing at his wife Chris, who was busy absorbing the scenery during the last remnants of daylight—slowed the car and pulled to the side of the road.

What’s the matter? Chris asked, puzzled. Why are you stopping? Smiling, Peter turned the ignition off, leaned over, and pecked his wife on the cheek. Chris Egressy was ten years younger than her husband, blonde, blue-eyed, and fair-skinned. She reminded Peter of the French actress Catherine Deneuve. He had met Chris in Washington DC during a business trip twelve years ago, dated her for three months, and married her a month after that. Peter and Chris had a prosperous, happy existence while living in Washington DC—Peter with his engineering career and Chris with her hobby of writing fiction. Ten years prior, the couple decided to move to California where Peter obtained an engineering position with a communications firm, and Chris content­edly pursued her passion for writing while taking care of the couple’s dog and four parrots.

During the course of their marriage, they had vacationed in many exciting places—travel, being one of Peter’s passions. Now, they were visiting the place of Peter’s birth, Hungary. It had been a wonderful trip, as usual. Chris always enjoyed visiting Peter’s mother and sister in Hungary. They loved her dearly and fed her like royalty. Chris was a fan of the wonder­ful Hungarian cuisine and complained that she couldn’t duplicate its excellence in the USA. The couple also enjoyed sampling the many restau­rants and cafés that Hungary of­fered, not only for the excel­lent cuisine but also to savor the romantic violin strings of the gypsy bands that entertained the diners during the meals.

Chris smiled at her husband and stretched. They had been driving for two hours since leaving Peter’s mother’s home.

I was thinking, Peter began, as he unfolded the road map, to go across the border at Szombathely, instead of Sopron. That way, we’ll enter Austria farther south in Burgenland and we can drive through some scenic parts—maybe the Enns River Valley—until we arrive at St. Wolfgang in the Salzkammergut. That’s where you want to go, isn’t it?

Peter and Chris had planned on visiting Austria for a few days before returning to their home in California. They had come to Hungary to visit Peter’s mother who lived in Debrecen—Hungary’s largest eastern city, some one hundred kilometers from the Ukraine border (previously the Soviet Union). It was their fifth visit to Hungary together since their marriage. Peter had traveled to many countries and to many places during the course of his work but had not re­turned to Hungary until the early 1980s. Now, with American citizenship and a pardon from the Hungarian govern­ment, it had been easy to enter and exit the country. However, prior to the early nineties, all refugees who fled the country in 1956 were given amnesty from any wrongdoing whatsoever. As if seeking freedom were wrong! Now, with the collapse of Communism and the Berlin Wall, the border crossing was easier than ever.

Isn’t Szombathely the town where you crossed? Chris asked.

Yes, honey, I want you to see it, Peter replied. Chris had heard this story so many times since their marriage and smiled at her husband. She was excited about the pros­pect of actually seeing the town where Peter had fled the coun­try.

Yes, I want to! Chris answered and gently touched her husband’s arm.

After looking at the map for a few minutes, Peter decided upon his route and turned the car around toward the road to Szombathely. It would be good to see it again. So many memo­ries, so many faces. Who knows, he thought, I may never see it again. I may never come to Hungary again. Thirty-five years has been a long time. A new country, travel, new people, friends, deaths, births, job assignments, and a new wife. It was all so long ago, but so clear.

"We should be there in about an hour or so. We’ll look around a little then cross into Austria. I’ll change money on the other side,