Last modified: 2000-01-07 by antonio martins
Keywords: hungary | politics | nyilaskeresztespart | cross: arrow cross | h |
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The Arrow Cross was the symbol of the fascist
Arrow Cross Party (NyilaskeresztesPart) who
came to power in (then german occupied) Hungary
on October 15 1944 after Admiral Horthy tried to
negotiate with the allies. Acording to
Symbols.com,
the Arrow cross has been used by Magyarian tribes
about the time that they arrived in the region now
called Hungary, around the year 1000 A.D. The most
well known version of the flag was identical to the
hakenkreuzfahne
apart from the symbol in the center of the flag.
Marcus Wendel, 07 Aug 1999 and 09 Aug 1999
This flag, but with a black fimbriation on the
disc is suggested in the
"Nazism
Exposed" website as used by modern
hungarian neonazi / skinheads.
António Martins, 10 Aug 1999
The arrow cross in green, charged with a white capital "H",
on a white disc on a red background, as shown on a photo on the
book A magyarok krónikája (The Hungarians’ Chronicle),
by Glatz Ferenc (Mohndruck GmbH: Gütersloh, 1996: 628).
António Martins, 10 Aug 1999
The arrow cross in black, placed on a 90 deg. lozange
on a red background.
António Martins, 10 Aug 1999
The arrow cross in green, charged with a white capital "H",
placed on a 90 deg. lozange, on the red hoist half of a flag
with the fly hoist with nine stripes alternating red and white.
This is shown flying in a hungarian
war propaganda poster
(along with the hungarian tricolor
and the contemporary german flag)
reproduced on the book A magyarok krónikája
(The Hungarians’ Chronicle),
by Glatz Ferenc (Mohndruck GmbH: Gütersloh, 1996: 628).
António Martins, 10 Aug 1999
The arrow cross in green, charged with a white capital "H",
placed on a 90 deg. lozange, over all on a stripped background.
This pattern was used as armband, and I have no evidence that
it was used as a flag.
António Martins, 10 Aug 1999
This [but with disc instead of lozenge and with a black,
"H"-less cross] is the flag of the Hungarian version of the
Nazi party and was used in the time that Szálasi was in power
(1943?-1945).
Ferenc Valoczy, 27 Sep 1999
A question about that "H"... It stands for "Hungary",
sure, but in which language? All logical possiblities are
ruled out: Latin is "Panonia", german is "Ungarn"
and hungarian is "Magyarország". Even less probable
possiblities, like italian ("Ungheria") or russian
("Vengrâ") dont fit. The only logical possiblities
are english and french ("Hongrie"), but what would
be the idea of using the enemy's language in a nazi symbol?...
António Martins, 10 Aug 1999
Latin for Hungary is Hungaria, not Panonia
— Panonia is a geographic name of the wide plain
around the Danube (and covers more area then current Hungary).
Truely, Panonia was the name of Roman province(s), but in
our case, this is quite irrelevant. So, I guess that there
is H for "Hungaria", athough I would not cut out the
possibility that it stands for "Horthy". However, it might
stand for something entirely different word in Magyar
language (say, H as "Honved" — defense, if I recall
correctely).
Zeljko Heimer, 16 Aug 1999
However Horthy was an opponent of the Arrow Cross and suppressed their
leaders. Furthermore the Nazis would almost certainly not have allowed a
symbol intended to honor Horthy after they overthrew and arrested him for
attempting to negotiate with the Allies.
Ned Smith, 14 Aug 1999
Horthy was a traditionalist dictator whose war aims extended no further than the recovery of territory that Hungary had lost in 1918. For much of the war he was attacked as a reactionary by the “radical right” of the Arrow Cross — a situation that might be compared with the attitude taken by Déat, Doriot and other French fascists towards Pétain.
But in March 1944 German forces occupied Hungary and Horthy was obliged to dismiss his prime minister and to appoint a German nominee, General Sztójay, who proceded to administer the country according to orders received from the German ambassador in Budapest. This was not yet an Arrow Cross government, but they would certainly have approved of the policies that were adopted after March 1944. Then, in late August 1944 Horthy reasserted his authority, dismissed the government of Sztójay and appointed a new prime minister with the intention of taking Hungary out of the war. On 15 October he announced a cease-fire with the Soviet Union but was immediately arrested and deported to Germany. A puppet government headed by the Arrow Cross leader Szálasi was then installed in Budapest.
I think it quite possible that the Arrow Cross might have added the initial of the head of state to their flags during the March-August 1944 period (these flags date from 1944 and they include versions with and without the 'H'). I would stress that this is only a theory, but it seems much more likely than the only other suggestion that has been made.
Vincent Morley, 15 Aug 1999
