Döme Sztójay: Hungary's Prime Minister Who Deported 440,000 Jews to Nazi Camps

Döme Sztójay was the pro-Nazi Hungarian prime minister whose government helped deport more than 440,000 Jews to Auschwitz in just a few months during the Holocaust. Born Dimitrije Stojaković in 1883, he rose through the ranks of the Austro-Hungarian military and later served as Hungary’s ambassador to Nazi Germany, where he built deep ties with the Third Reich. By the early 1940s, Sztójay was one of Berlin’s most reliable allies in Budapest.When German forces occupied Hungary on 19 March 1944 under Operation Margarethe, Adolf Hitler demanded that Regent Miklós Horthy appoint a prime minister who would fully align Hungary with Nazi policies. Sztójay eagerly accepted the role. Within days, he legalized the Arrow Cross movement, intensified political repression, and committed Hungary completely to the Nazi war effort.Most devastating of all was his role in the persecution of Hungary’s Jews. Under Sztójay’s government, more than 440,000 Jews were rounded up by Hungarian gendarmes and deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau between May and July 1944—one of the fastest and deadliest deportation actions of the Holocaust. Approximately three-quarters were murdered upon arrival. Despite pleas from world leaders and pressure from Regent Horthy, Sztójay accelerated the deportations and aligned fully with SS plans.After the war, Sztójay was captured, extradited to Hungary, and convicted of war crimes. On 22 August 1946, he was executed by firing squad in Budapest—a grim end for the man whose decisions contributed to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Hungarian citizens.This episode is part of the series High Ranking Fascist Collaborators: Politicians.Watch the full documentary and explore hundreds of historical films at:WorldHistory.tv