By Will Miner, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch
In the waning months of the Second World War, the city of Budapest was placed under siege for 108 days. Krisztian Ungvary utilizes previously unavailable records and interviews to illustrate, from military and civilian perspectives, the misery and drama that ultimately cost 180,000 soldiers and civilians their lives.
Great detail has gone into a sparsely documented chapter of the war. Ungvary quickly describes the events leading up to the siege, followed by a detailed account of the battles throughout the city, the politics and intrigue of the German and Hungarian defenders, their Soviet and Romanian opponents, and the city’s populace caught in the middle. He remains remarkably objective throughout and documents the atrocities committed by the Nazis, Hungarian fascists, and Soviets in equal detail and remains focused on describing the drama of events.
Ungvary’s work is not without criticism, however. The detail becomes dense at times; particularly when describing the battles that rage through various neighborhoods of the city. This may have been helped by the use of maps but the maps provided are small and often unreadable. Also, the story is told primarily from the Hungarian perspective and it would have been better balanced with accounts from the Soviet side.
In the end, this is an excellent story that describes the bitter disrespect war has for the human condition. It captures the suffering and ultimate survival of the people of Budapest masterfully and illustrates how the strength of a people’s spirit can overcome the horrors and challenges of war.
