American authorities benevolently allowed or perhaps even facilitated a POW visit to a North Atlantic beach located most likely in Germany. For these men from land-locked Hungary, the trip must have been a happy occasion, and for many of them it might have been a first sight at the sea. 

Many thanks are due to the Irinyi Altalanos Iskola of Hajdubagos, Hungary, for posting this and the following original historical photos on their website.


Hungarian POW's Visit North Atlantic Beach

Karoly TAKACS (Taa-kaach) was born at Budapest and joined the Hungarian army during the 1930’s, rising to the rank of sergeant.  Soon an expert pistol shooter, he anticipated participation in the 1936 Olympics at Berlin, but current upper-crust inspired Hungarian regulations excluded non-commissioned officers from the team. During 1938, a malfunctioning grenade exploded in his right hand and he lost the use of his shooting right arm.

Determined and persistent, Sergeant Takacs went on to relearn handling a pistol with his left hand and arm, surprising everyone by soon winning additional national pistol shooting championships. In fact, at the 1948 London Olympics, he won a gold medal in the 25 meter rapid fire pistol competition, repeating the same accomplishment at Helsinki in 1952.

Serving as a national inspiration during the gloomy postwar years, Takacs died in 1976 with the rank of lieutenant colonel.


The Story of Hungarian Soldier Takacs

Hajdu POW's took care of the cooking, while the American staff must have supplied most of the needed foodstuffs.  Given the circumstances, a wandering local chicken does not seem to be concerned about ending up in a Magyar cooking pot.