Vitazstvo

  Víťazstvo    On March 18, 1939, a delegation from the in  negotiating on a treaty of protection with. Recent annexation of territories from former by the  worried the Slovaks, who did not want to lose more land to them. However, the Germans gave the Hungarians the green light to invade the newly-formed Slovak State and size more territories. Germany refused to help Slovakia, in violation of the treaty of protection that they signed. When the Hungarians first attacked March 23, the Slovak Army was disorganized and withdrawing from the area that was given to Hungary earlier. The Hungarians caught the Slovaks off-guard and completely defeated them, forcing Slovakia to cede even more territory to Hungary in a treaty they later signed in April 1939.

But what if, perhaps, the nationalistic Slovak commander, Lieutenant General Augustín Malár, refused to withdraw? What if he instead gave orders for the Slovak Army to prepare to defend the rather than leave it to the Hungarians? With a well-prepared army, the officer who was known to be among the few successful Slovaks in the pre-war Czechoslovak military due to his strategic brilliance would most likely have no trouble fending off the Hungarians. And more importantly, what effects would a vitazstvo, a victory, for Slovakia in the Slovak–Hungarian War have on Europe?

Highlights
This is a quick overview of some of the main events in the scenario, not the entire timeline.
 * 2 November 1938 – The Kingdom of Hungary regains territories it lost after the disintegration of with the signing of the, a treaty engineered by Germany and  to weaken Czechoslovakia. Much of southern Slovakia is given to Hungary.
 * 13 March 1939 – Josef Tiso and Ferdinand Ďurčanský, the most prominent Slovak nationalist leaders, met with, and  in . They make it clear to the Slovaks that unless Slovakia declares independence, they will allow Hungary to take full control of Slovakia.
 * 14 March 1939 – The independence of Slovakia is declared, the First Slovak Republic is formed.
 * 18 March 1939 – All Slovak forces in the southern Košice Region, near, are ordered to withdraw. Lieutenant General Augustín Malár pretends to accept, but gives a secret order for the Slovak Army to prepare to fight the Hungarians.
 * 24 March 1939 – After allowing Hungarian forces to build up at Závadka, Slovak troops attacked from all sides with infantry and armored cars, cutting the Hungarians off. The surprised Hungarians, expecting to find little or no resistance, were overwhelmed.
 * 25 March 1939 – The Závadka pocket surrenders, with a total of 42 Hungarian soldiers killed and 78 captured, eliminating an entire Hungarian battalion. The main Hungarian force begins to advance, and Malár orders a strategic withdrawal.
 * 26 March 1939 – Slovak and Hungarian troops clash at, with the Hungarians becoming encircled in the outskirts of the city. Malár's forces stopped several attempts to break out but at a cost of more than 50 casualties. The Hungarian units surrendered and signed a truce late that evening.
 * 28 March 1939 – With the main Hungarian expeditionary group in Slovakia defeated, the Hungarian government of was outraged. The Hungarian ambassador in Berlin demanded to Hitler that they allow Hungary to completely invade Slovakia.

Note
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