Carpatho-Ukraine or Carpathian Ukraine was an autonomous region within the Second Czechoslovak Republic and short-l…
Carpatho-Ukraine or Carpathian Ukraine was an autonomous region within the Second Czechoslovak Republic and short-lived state: Proclaimed as Carpathian Ukraine 30 December 1938, Proclamation of Independene on 15 March 1939, abolished same day – on 15 March 1939.
It was created in December 1938 and renamed from Subcarpathian Rus’, whose full administrative and political autonomy had been confirmed by constitutional law of 22 November 1938.
20 years earlier, by the 1920 Treaty of Trianon, the region, which had historically belonged to Hungary, had been detached from the Kingdom of Hungary and attached to newly created Czechoslovakia. Subsequently Hungary had sought revision of the Treaty of Trianon and the restoration of her historical borders.
On 2 November 1938 the First Vienna Award separated territories from Czechoslovakia, including southern Carpathian Rus’, that were mostly Hungarian-populated and returned them to Hungary.
After the breakup of the Second Czechoslovak Republic, Carpatho-Ukraine on 15 March 1939 proclaimed itself an independent republic, headed by President Avgustyn Voloshyn. However, Nazi Germany sided with Hungary against Ukrainian independence, and the short-lived state was invaded by the Kingdom of Hungary.
Proclamation of Independence
Slovak and Ukrainian nationalism grew more intense. On 10 March, the Hlinka Guard and Volksdeutsche demonstrated, demanding independence from Czecho-Slovakia. In the evening of 13 March, Slovak leader Jozef Tiso and Ďurčanský met Adolf Hitler, Joachim von Ribbentrop, and Generals Walther von Brauchitsch and Wilhelm Keitel in Berlin.
Hitler made it absolutely clear: Slovakia could either declare independence immediately and associate itself with the Reich, or he would allow the Hungarians to take over the country – whom Ribbentrop reported were massing at the border. During the afternoon and night of 14 March, the Slovak parliament proclaimed independence from Czecho-Slovakia, and at 05:00 on 15 March 1939, Hitler declared the unrest in Czecho-Slovakia to be a threat to German national security. He sent his troops into Bohemia and Moravia, meeting virtually no resistance.
Following the Slovak proclamation of independence on March 14 and the Nazis’ seizure of Czech lands on 15 March, Carpatho-Ukraine declared its independence as the Republic of Carpatho-Ukraine, with the Reverend Avgustyn Voloshyn as head of state. Voloshin was now supported by the population of Subcarpathia. The First Constitutional Law of Carpatho-Ukraine of 15 March 1939 defined the new country as follows:
Carpatho-Ukraine is an independent state
The name of the state is: Carpatho-Ukraine
Carpatho-Ukraine is a republic, headed by a president elected by the Soim of Carpatho-Ukraine
The state language of Carpatho-Ukraine is the Ukrainian language
The colors of the national flag of the Carpatho-Ukraine are blue and yellow, blue on top and yellow on the bottom
The state emblem of Carpatho-Ukraine is as follows: a bear on a red field on the sinister side, four blue and three yellow stripes on the dexter side, as well as the trident of Saint Volodymyr the Great
The national anthem of Carpatho-Ukraine is “Ukraine has not perished”
This act comes valid immediately after its promulgation
The proclaimed Carpatho-Ukrainian government was headed by President Avgustyn Voloshyn, Prime Minister Julian Révaý, Minister of Defence Stepan Klochurak, and Minister of Internal Affairs Yuriy Perevuznyk. The head of the Soim was Avhustyn Shtephan, his deputies were Fedir Révaý and Stepan Rosokha. The Slovak declaration of independence caused law and order to break down immediately. The Hungarians had learned that the Germans would not object to a Hungarian takeover of Carpatho-Ukraine on the same day.
Hungarian invasion
The Chief of General Staff of Hungary Henrik Werth asked for at least a week to prepare for the invasion, but the Royal Council gave him only 12 hours to occupy Carpathian Ruthenia before the declaration of Slovak independence. Responsible for preparation to the assault was appointed chief of Munkacs garrison Lajos Béldi who commanded 1st Mountain Brigade, while Lieutenant General Ferenc Szombathelyi (commander of the 8th Corps in Kassa) was placed in charge of the Carpathian Group as an expeditionary force.
The available Hungarian forces consisted of an infantry regiment, two cavalry regiments, three infantry battalions on bicycles, one motorized battalion, two border guard battalions, one artillery battalion and two armored trains. These forces were counting for more than two World War II divisions. They were supported by Fiat CR.32 fighter aircraft amounting to one squadron. In addition to regular units, Hungarians were also aided by several irregular formations such as the Rongyos Gárda and black-shirt guards of István Fenczik, who has been accused earlier as a Magyaron by the Voloshyn Cabinet.
The Hungarian Border Guard units stationed around Munkács, after throwing back the attacking Czecho-Slovak units on 14 March 1939, pressed forward in turn, and took the town of Őrhegyalja (today Pidhoriany as part of Mukachevo).
On 15 March 1939, the Hungarian Army regular troops invaded Carpatho-Ukraine and by nightfall reached Szolyva. The Carpatho-Ukrainian irregular troops, the Carpathian Sich, without additional support, were quickly routed. The greatest battle between the Hungarian army and several hundred Ukrainian soldiers (armed with light machine guns, rifles, hand grenades and pistols) took place near Khust. About 230 Ukrainians died in the battle.
Czecho-Slovak resistance in Carpatho-Ukraine was negligible, and the advancing Hungarian troops did not have to face a well-organized and centralized resistance. The Hungarian Army also had the advantage of the First Vienna Award, which made it possible for the Hungarians to take possession of the area where the Czechs had built permanent fortifications to defend against Hungary.
On 16 March 1939, Hungary formally annexed the territory. Prime Minister Yulian Révaý had resisted the Hungarians until then. In the night to 17 March, the last Czecho-Slovak troops left Khust and retreated to Romanian borders. They and the one-day president of Carpatho-Ukraine, Voloshyn, fled to Romania.
The Royal Hungarian Army continued its advance and reached the Polish border on 17 March. Members of the Carpathian Sich from Galicia who were Polish citizens were captured by Hungarian forces and transported to Polish authorities for illegally crossing the border. Simultaneously, units of Border Protection Corps (KOP) of Poland were instructed by Marshal Edward Rydz-Śmigły to prevent any other armed Carpathian Sich members from entering Poland by shooting them or, upon surrender, disarming them and push them back to the Hungarian side. The last organized resistance in the Carpathian Mountains ended on 18 March.
Contemporary historical research indicate that some of the captured members of the Sicz were killed by Polish soldiers. The number of victims remains disputed. Although figures of 500 to 600 casualties are present in Ukrainian historiography, archival studies indicate these estimates rely on unverified testimonies rather than primary sources. However, a study by historian Oleksandr Pahiria based mainly on Polish, Hungarian and Ukrainian archival materials points to documentary evidence confirming at least 43 victims in one of the Polish reports concerning the executions at the Veretskyi Pass. At the same time, the report itself is probably not an authentic document from that period, and the actual number of victims may have been higher. Archaeological excavations conducted by the “Dolia” memorial society between 2008 and 2011, recovered the remains of 17 individuals at sites near Verbiazh and Zhupany associated with the executions, but did not confirmed estimates of 500–600 victims.
The invasion campaign was a success, but it also proved that the Hungarian Army was not yet ready for full war. The handicaps imposed by the Trianon Treaty were clearly visible, but the morale and nationalist spirit of the soldiers and the civilian populations were high, which was also important in building a strong national army.
Illustration: Map of the Subcarpathian Rus (1919–1938), an autonomous region of the first Czechoslovak Republic; later Carpathian Ukraine (1938–1939), an autonomous region of the second Czechoslovak Republic, briefly an independent state, in March 1939. Remark: The map shows the border between the autonomous regions of the First Czechoslovak Republic Slovakia and Subcarpathian Rus (1920/1921) along the Uzh River. The border between the Second Czechoslovak Republic and the Soviet Union from 1945 onwards is marked with red dots. The border between Hungary and Czechoslovakia between 1939 and 1945 is not shown.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
