A black leather trench coat became a symbol of defiance in 1944 Budapest when Károly Szabó wore it to navigate the city under siege. As a mechanic for the Swedish Embassy, he leveraged his unique access and a childhood friendship with a police official to protect Hungarian Jews from Arrow Cross Party militiamen during the final months of the Holocaust.
Embassy Work and Rescue Actions
Between 1944 and 1945, Szabó served as a typewriter mechanic at the Swedish Embassy in Budapest. Encouraged by Dr. Otto Fleischmann, he transitioned into an active role in Raoul Wallenberg's rescue operations. His influence was bolstered by a long-standing friendship with Pál Szalai, a high-ranking police officer who provided critical documentation. On December 24, 1944, when the Arrow Cross Party occupied the Swedish Embassy on Gyopár street, Szabó took action to secure the safety of 36 kidnapped employees held in the Budapest ghetto.
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Take the IQ test →The January 1945 Interventions
Szabó's cooperation with Wallenberg and Szalai reached a critical point in January 1945. On the night of January 8, he helped coordinate a police intervention that halted an execution squad at the Danube banks, rescuing multiple individuals including Lars Ernster and Jacob Steiner. This effort was part of a larger, coordinated push to protect the ghetto population before the Soviet forces detained Wallenberg on January 17, 1945.
Persecution and the 1953 Show Trial
In 1953, Szabó became a target of a state-led conspiracy designed to frame Hungarian Zionists for the disappearance of Wallenberg. Following directives from Hungarian Communist leader Ernő Gerő, security forces arrested Szabó and other Jewish community leaders. Held in secret without legal proceedings, he underwent six months of interrogation and torture intended to extract false confessions. The trial preparations were abandoned only after the death of Joseph Stalin and the subsequent fall of Lavrentiy Beria.
Post-War Life and Recognition
Following his release, Szabó returned to independent work as an office equipment technician. Throughout the post-war years, he maintained connections with those he had helped, visiting survivors in Amsterdam, Basel, and London during the early 1960s. Although he died in Budapest on October 28, 1964, his contributions were formally acknowledged decades later. On November 12, 2012, Yad Vashem recognized him as Righteous Among the Nations.
Fast facts
- Born: 17 November 1916, Budapest
- Died: 28 October 1964, Budapest
- Primary Occupation: Mechanic
- Embassy Affiliation: Swedish Embassy, Budapest
- Key Ally: Pál Szalai
- Award: Righteous Among the Nations (2012)
- Citizenship: Hungary
Questions readers ask
Why was Károly Szabó known as the man in the leather coat?
He wore a black leather trench coat during his rescue missions, which served as a distinct visual identifier that commanded respect and fear among the Arrow Cross militants in Budapest.
What was the purpose of the 1953 show trial?
Hungarian authorities intended to use the trial to falsely prove that Raoul Wallenberg was never in Soviet custody, instead blaming local Jewish leaders for his disappearance.
Achievements
- Righteous Among the Nations — 2012
- Worked as mechanic
