Hawk1981
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- Apr 1, 2020
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On October 23, 1956, a student demonstration in Budapest, Hungary escalated to become a major confrontation with the ruling communist party and the state security police. Within days a nationwide uprising of impromptu militias had taken control of several cities and forced the national government from power. The new government disbanded the state security police and announced its intention to leave the Warsaw Pact, hold free elections and ask the Soviet Union to withdraw their troops from Hungary.
After initially agreeing to negotiate the withdrawal of troops, the Soviet Union launched an invasion of Hungary in early November to crush the uprising.
Erika Kornelia Szeles had turned 15 the previous January and was training as a cook at a Budapest hotel. When the uprising broke out, she and her boyfriend joined a militia in Budapest and participated in several skirmishes. Around November 1st her picture was taken by a Danish photojournalist, Vagn Hansen. Published in several magazines in Western Europe, Erika's photograph holding the machine-gun became one of the iconic symbols of the Uprising.
Fearing for her safety after the Soviet army invaded, Erika's friends convinced her to work as a Red Cross medic rather than as an armed militia member. While tending to a wounded friend, she was killed on November 7, 1956, during a firefight between Hungarian militia and Soviet soldiers.
After initially agreeing to negotiate the withdrawal of troops, the Soviet Union launched an invasion of Hungary in early November to crush the uprising.
Erika Kornelia Szeles had turned 15 the previous January and was training as a cook at a Budapest hotel. When the uprising broke out, she and her boyfriend joined a militia in Budapest and participated in several skirmishes. Around November 1st her picture was taken by a Danish photojournalist, Vagn Hansen. Published in several magazines in Western Europe, Erika's photograph holding the machine-gun became one of the iconic symbols of the Uprising.
Fearing for her safety after the Soviet army invaded, Erika's friends convinced her to work as a Red Cross medic rather than as an armed militia member. While tending to a wounded friend, she was killed on November 7, 1956, during a firefight between Hungarian militia and Soviet soldiers.