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Laszlo
Monostory's Story of His Escape From Hungary with People and
Horses
Laszlo Monostory and Egon Kamarsay June 1999, Cooksley Ranch
Laszlo Monostory resides in Bellevue, Washington with his wife, he will be 90 years old this year. He was appointed the CO in 1942 of the stud farm Alsozsuk, by General Tibor de Pettko-Szandtner. In 1944 the Russians advanced. I had the good fortune to be able to visit with Mr. Monostory in November of 1998. I found him very charming. He has a wealth of knowledge and a sharp memory for pedigrees and the events that happened during the below times.
Leah McGregor 1/28/99
The below story is taken from the Hungarian Horse Association archives and written by Wanda Cooksley
Captain Monostory was brought to the Hungarian military by the horses of his childhood village of Pelomonostar. "Without horses we could not live," he says, explaining the traditional Magyar love of horses. "In Hungary, centuries of war and invasions dictated a need for fine army and agricultural horses. My father had vineyards and used Lipizzaners, my mother had a great eye for horses and I was from my childhood horse crazy. Before I went to school I knew all the breeding of the horses in our village like I knew all the people."
Laszlo had his master's degree in animal husbandry and was working on the state stud farms. He told me he had planned to write his doctoral thesis on the breeding program at Kisber. His knowledge of pedigrees is phenomenal. At the time of World War II he was the commanding Officer at the Alsozsuk Stud Farm in eastern Hungary. As the Russian army approached, he began the trek westward to Kisber with the people from the farm and their families, the work horses pulling wagons, the Anglo Arabian horses, Tarpon ponies, sheep, cows and water buffalo. It took approximately a month to reach Kisber. There, he said, the horses were divided into three groups, some to be placed with local farmers, some to travel in the train provided by the Germans to Germany, and some he was again to bring on foot to Germany. Miraculously, the trainload arrived safely in Germany in spite of very heavy bombing and strafing raids.
In March, 1945, Monostory led his band of 30 horsedrawn wagons, 80 soldiers and their families, a herd of 80 horses and as many more water buffalo, sheep and cows. His story continues- "We fought against the Russians, but we did not ever fight against the Allies of the West." The Russian armies were close behind them, the SS troops at strategic points ahead of them. They were crossing unknown mountain passes in the cold on their29-day 300 mile trip. The Monostory's were traveling with three very young children, as were many of the other families. They covered the wagons with rugs to protect the children. They had a mess wagon and army cook, veterinarian, blacksmith, extra parts, tools and concealed weapons.
They escaped a strafing one sunlit day. "It was unusually fine for early spring. The traffic stopped. Clara and I spread a rug on a wet grass bank to catch the sunlight. But I couldn't rest. It was like a hand pushing me. My orderly saddled my horse. We rode ahead and found two German trucks turned over and blocking the road. Our horses pulled them out of the way and we started up. Just in time. The last wagon came into woods cover just as planes strafed the road.
They came to the summit of the Semmerling Pass, were turned back by SS and had to find another safe route as they backed horses and wagons down steep slopes. Near Katriene-Hoff they just missed Russians troops in Austria and were told the only way out was through a perilous pass known as the Hollen-Thal or Valley of Hell. Beyond the village they met more SS who demanded they surrender their weapons. The troops were supposed to rescue German orphans there.
After a little skirmish, a deal was made. The SS would lead the caravan on foot through the treacherous valley and Monostory would pick up the German orphans. At seven in the evening, they began their trek. Very soon, the SS vanished. "I was now to lead with my wife and children. If the horses miss a step we all go over the cliff and die first. If I did not lead, my men would not want to follow me." They met tanks. They saw they were not Russians so they stopped at a turn around to let the caravan pass. "The Germans became impatient,, instead of waiting for the horses at the end of the wagon train, the tanks started down the road and pushed 40 horses off a cliff."
The Germans ordered him to give them cows to eat. He persuaded them the cows were too small and that larger water buffalo would much better serve their needs. "They take them and I am pleased. I know that they have very hard meat."
Finally they reached Branau, Hitler's birthplace on the Inn River near Bavaria. The SS told them they could not pass without papers. One of Monostory's veterinarians had brought along five bottles of whiskey for an emergency. One cooperative German thought whiskey at this point in the war far more useful than papers. By morning, the caravan, horses, sheep and cows entered Germany. Twenty miles later they found a Hungarian Colonel who directed them to a farm in Arnsdorf where the horses could be kept. Monostory was given a pass to search out rations for the horses. Under the disorganized conditions this simple pass signed by a General allowed him to travel quite freely.
On May 4, 1945 he went to Bergstetten, Germany when General Tibor de Pettko-Szandtner paraded more than 1200 Hungarian horses before General Patton. General Pettko-Szandtner was reputed to be the one of the greatest horsemen of 20th century Europe, General Patton who rescued the Lipizzaners in Czechoslovakia and Captain Monostory, who had brought horses from eastern to western Hungary and to Germany, met on that historic day. As long as General Patton was in command they were well treated. After his removal, things were very different.
After the war, 280 horses from Bergstetten were returned to Hungary. Most of the rest were dispersed in Europe or sent to the serum factory. Others came to America under the auspices of the US Remount service and a few of them were the foundation horses of our Hungarian Horse Association.
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