Hugó Sónyi (Munich Goes Sour)

Hugó Sónyi (born March 2, 1883) was a Hungarian general and was the Commander-in-Chief of the Hungarian Army during the Munich Crisis.

Biography
He was born in the Austrian town of Wölkersdorf on March 2, 1883, the son of a Hungarian state railways inspector. The family name at that time was Solarcz, and it was not until after the First World War that the future General changes his name to Sónyi. After four years of training in Budapest, Sónyi began his military career in the Austro-Hungarian Army in 1901, reaching the rank of Captain by the outbreak of the First World War.

The end of the conflict saw him with the rank of Major, and not wishing to end his career in the Army, Sónyi accepted an appointment in the Hungarian Red Army, as commander of 29th Infantry Brigade. This service did not prevent his acceptance into the National Army that was formed following the fall of the Communist regime, and promotions came quickly: Lieutenant-Colonel in 1920, Colonel in 1921 and Major-General in 1927. Most of this period was spent in various administrative appointments in the Ministry of Defence. In 1929, Sónyi was appointed commander of an Infantry Brigade of the 1st Mixed Brigade, and he took temporary command of the Mixed Brigade itself in 1933. The following year saw his appointment to command the 7th Mixed Brigade and a promotion to Lieutenant-Field Marshal (Altábornagy, equal to Lieutenant-General).

On September 5, 1936, Hugó Sónyiwas elevated to the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Army, accompanied by a promotion to General of Infantry (Gyalogsági tábornok, equal to three-star general), a position he retained also during the Munich Crisis.