Egy tábornok Szegedről: Vitéz Dr. Shvoy Kálmán altábornag

One of the well-known Hungarian military leaders of the Interwar Era, Lieutenant General Vitéz Dr. Kálmán Shvoy (1881–1971) spent most of his life in Szeged and eventually became one of the recognized residents of the city. His “secret diary and memoir” – which partly evokes his military career – made a huge splash in the 1980s and is still heavily referenced today. But who was Kálmán Shvoy actually? How did his military career evolve? What did he accomplish as a soldier that justified his inclusion among the top military leadership of the era? To what extent did his 1919 “Szeged endeavors” and departure – as an officer in the National Army and later as chief of the general staff of higher commands – propel or hinder his advancement? What was his life like after retirement? How did his military – and in part political – career come to an end? Why was he accused of writing anonymous, libellous and defamatory letters, against which he had to defend himself in court? Why was he acquitted of the charges after 1945, at a time when the men of the “criminal justice system” believed that anyone who had “clashed” with the prominent members of the earlier system had ultimately behaved righteously and thus deserved to be praised?