József Heszlényi

József Vitéz Heszlényi (Heyszl; 24 July 1890, Igló, Szepes (county) – 2 June 1945) was a Hungarian General during World War II and commander of the 3rd Hungarian Army.

On May 8, 1945 Heszlényi, along with his son József Heszlényi Jr., who served on the staff of his father, were captured by American troops. Heszlényi was then sent to a POW camp in the Soviet Union where he cut his wrists with a razor blade on June 2, 1945. On June 19, 1945 a military tribunal posthumously demoted and dishonorably discharged Heszlényi from the Hungarian Army.

Military career

 * Commanding Officer 23rd Infantry Brigade, November 1938 - 1 March 1940
 * Commanding Officer 2nd Motorized Brigade, 1 March 1940 - 1 November 1940
 * Deputy Chief of Supply Bureau, Ministry of Defense, 1 November 1940 - 1 May 1941
 * Chief of Supply Bureau, Ministry of Defense (HM/III), 1 May 1941 - 1 May 1942
 * Chief of Main Supply Bureau, Ministry of Defense, 1 May 1942 - December 1942
 * G.O.C. IV. Army Corps, December 1942 - September 1944
 * Acting Commander-in-Chief, 3rd Army

Awards

 * Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (28 October 1944)