Short-Lived Offensive

At dawn on 23 March, the Hungarians attacked Slovakia without any declaration of war – catching the Slovakian army unaware – in an effort to grab land prior to the Slovakians signing a protection agreement with Hungary’s ally, Germany. They drove west quickly, getting as far as Závadka with …

1939-03-24

O11

At dawn on 23 March, the Hungarians attacked Slovakia without any declaration of war – catching the Slovakian army unaware – in an effort to grab land prior to the Slovakians signing a protection agreement with Hungary’s ally, Germany. They drove west quickly, getting as far as Závadka with little more than unsupported infantry units. Despite the confusion and with a real lack of leaders, the Slovakians were able to piece together some ad-hoc units and also managed to quickly repair several OA vz.30 armored cars which would lead their counterattack.

Závadka, Slovakia

At dawn on 23 March 1939, Hungary suddenly attacked Slovakia from Carpatho-Ukraine, with instructions being to "proceed as far to the west as possible". Hungary attacked Slovakia without any declaration of war, catching the Slovak army unprepared because many Slovak soldiers were in transit from the Czech region and had not yet reached their Slovak units. Czech soldiers were leaving the new Slovakia, but many of them decided to remain with their former units in Slovakia after the Hungarian attack. In the north, opposite Stakčín, Major Matějka assembled an infantry battalion and two artillery batteries. In the south, around Michalovce, Štefan Haššík, a reserve officer and a local Slovak People's Party secretary, gathered a group of about four infantry battalions and several artillery batteries. Further west, opposite the passive.but threatening Košice-Prešov front in which Hungary maintained an infantry brigade, Major Šivica assembled a third Slovak concentration. To the rear, a cavalry group and some tanks were thrown together at Martin, and artillery detachments readied at Banská Bystrica, Trenčin and Bratislava. However, German interference disrupted or paralysed their movement, especially in the V Corps. The Slovak defence was tied down, as the Hungarian annexations the previous autumn had transferred the only railway line to Michalovce and Humenné to Hungary, thereby delaying all Slovak reinforcements.

Slovakian

Hungarian

Scenario Type = Standard