Emil Hamza - Lajos Négyesi PhD - Zoltán Sőregi

Remains of a Hungarian raid in a Soviet position

When we checked a WWII. Soviet position with metal detectors, we found some Hungarian Mannlicher cartridge cases. After systematic surveying we could localize the area of a raid. The artifacts and their localization talked about the combat.
In the center of the map you can see the parting of the trench. Next to this point we found some Soviet pistol cartridges and coins (German 2 Mark, 50 pf, Serb 2, 1 Dinar). It seems that that place was a watchpost of the trenches and close-combat occured between a Soviet sentinel and Hungarian raiders there.
In the center-bottom of the map you can see the blue point whith inscription "ELCSETTENT". We found there a Mannlicher cartridge with a very shallow firing pin impression on the primer cup. The cartridge has been examined by a firearms expert. His opinion is that the impression on the primer is not the result of a full-power firing pin hit, but rather a light hit which occured, when a soldier "decocked" the firing mechanism of the his rifle over a chambered round and the cocking piece of the firing pin slided out of his thumb. The firing pin had no enough force to ignite the primer composition.
Probably the Hungarian soldier loaded his rifle and chambered a round before the raid. It was cold winter, his fingers were frosty and he could not keep the cocking piece during decocking. During the raid he was left as a sentinel in front of the trench. When the firefight started he cycled the action of his rifle automatically and the cartridge with the shallow firing pin impression was ejected. The location of the artifact showed the possible position of the sentinel.
In the righ-bottom of map you can see a lot of red dots. There we found Soviet submachine-gun (PPSh) cartridge cases. The firearms expert examined them with a comparision microscope and separated them into two groups (two guns). Probably the Soviet protective patrol detected the raid group and opened fire of them.
The location of the Mannlicher cartridge cases showed the target of raid. It was a big shelter behind the trench.
We excavated the trench, but only a few cartridge cases laid on the bottom of it. Probably the raid group had not occupied the trench.

The map of research site

   

The search group

   
MG position   Excavation   Ammunition
   
Hand grenade   The shallow firing pin impression   Hand grenade Vécsey
   
Excavation of a Soviet MG position