Concentration Camp and Death
The German occupation of Hungary during the last year of World War II in 1944 resulted in the deportation of most Jews to concentration camps. Before that, under Hungarian rule allied with Nazi Germany, Jews were subject to anti Jewish laws. But Petschauer’s reputation as a celebrated sportsman accorded him a special “document of exemption”. Nonetheless, during a routine check of identification by the Hungarian police while he was out walking, Petschauer found he had left some of his “papers” at home – an unacceptable explanation to his Hungarian inquisitor.
Shortly thereafter, he was deported to the Davidovka concentration camp in the Ukrainian town of Davidovka in 1943. During a line-up of prisoners, Petschauer was recognized by a military officer and commandor of the camp, Lieutenant Colonel Kálmán Cseh von Szent-Katolna, who had been an equestrian competitor for Hungary in the 1928 Olympics. The two had once been friends, but Cseh exhorted camp guards to taunt his onetime comrade and "Make things hot for the Jew". Petschauer's death was brutal. Olympic champion wrestler Karoly Karpati was a fellow inmate, and witnessed Petschauer's death. He recalled: “The guards shouted: ‘You, Olympic fencing medal winner . . . let’s see how you can climb trees.’ It was midwinter and bitter cold, but they ordered him to undress, then climb a tree. The amused guards ordered him to crow like a rooster, and sprayed him with water. Frozen from the water, he died shortly after.”
Read more about this topic: Attila Petschauer
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