The Summer of Human Smugglers. Fugitives, Profiteers and Highwaymen on the Romanian-Hungarian Border in 1944

The German occupation of Hungary in 1944 was a tragic turning point for those persecuted by the Nazi regime. This study contributes to the history of Jews and Poles who tried to leave Hungary for Romania with the help of human smugglers. Along the Hungarian–Romanian border several smuggling networks were operating at this time. One group, which was controlled from Szeged, was apprehended on 3 July 1944. The incident became a public sensation because the main organizers were well-known citizens of the town. The operation of the other smuggling networks was further investigated by the authorities after the Second World War. During these inquiries, it was revealed that in the vicinity of Csanádpalota, Kiszombor, and Apátfalva, some Hungarian state officials cooperating with the German occupiers laid traps for the fugitives and robbed themfugitive. However, some of the organizers and operators of human smuggling, and also some of the officials robbing fugitives can be named owing to archive records, and their activities can more or less be traced as well.