At the end of the Second World War, a middle
aged woman was brought out accompanied by an executioner to face her death inside of
Budapest.

Hungary had suffered greatly during the Second
World War, and hundreds of thousands of people had been deported to concentration camps such
as Auschwitz where they were then exterminated within minutes of arriving at the largest
death camp.

However the images of the woman approaching
her execution by pole hanging method inside the Hungarian capital are rather mysterious,
as there are very few pieces of information regarding this woman.

We know her name, but what can we learn about
the execution of the female torturer of Hungary? Join us today as we look at her story, and
as always to support our channel please make sure to subscribe.

After the end of the war, inside of Hungary
there were many executions that took place outside the Academy of Music in Budapest.

This building became synonymous with the executions
of former politicians who had plunged the country into a tragic and terrible war that
saw the land closely allied to the Nazis.

Hungarians would fight alongside German soldiers,
and they would be rocked by huge deportations of people from their lands to concentration
camps.

The truth was that there were many politicians
who became prime minister and within power and they collaborated with the Nazis and with
Hitler, and after the war a number of these politicians including Bela Imredy were executed
in Budapest.

Thousands would flock to witness these executions
and to see what they believed justice being carried out.

However what is the story of the woman who
was executed inside of Budapest in the same place it’s believed as the former Prime
Ministers.

Maria or Manci Nagy it’s believed was a
Second World War criminal who had been taken to a People’s tribunal trial.

These were held to deal with those who were
accused of crimes against humanity and of causing huge suffering inside concentration
camps.

Those members of the army who committed atrocities
were also tried in this way, and following her trial Maria was then condemned to death.

But what did she do? It’s believed that she was a Second World
War war criminal who was known for torturing young Jewish women.

This leads to the possibility that she was
actually a woman who worked inside of a concentration camp.

There were many women who became guards for
the SS inside of camps within the Third Reich, and a number of them were condemned for their
crimes.

But usually women like Irma Grese were executed
within prison cells.

The name associated with the condemned woman
Manci is short for Margaret in Hungary, and what is strange is that little documented
evidence except from pictures and photographs remains regarding her fate and execution.

She is considered an unknown war criminal,
and from the images it is clear that she is a woman who was rather elderly.

She looks rather respectable and is wrapped
in a sweater, looking petrified as she makes her way to her execution.

But there is another possibility as to why
she was executed.

In the final days of the Second World War
in Hungary, there was large scale killing and looting as the Soviets invaded and took
city after city.

It’s possible that Manci was one of those
who stole the property of displaced people or that she attacked women who were already
suffering.

For her to be sentenced to death, it’s clear
she must have done something that was really serious.

She could also have been someone who was a
collaborator, and who passed information to the Nazis, the SS or the Gestapo about the
locations of Jewish women.

There were people who were paid to hunt Jews
across Europe, and they acted off tip offs from neighbours and local people.

Perhaps Manci was one of these collaborators
who were considered the lowest of the low inside of society.

In holland there was one woman who was executed
for this crime as she was deemed to have been a war criminal on the same level as the SS
who were deporting Jews to concentration camps.

For Manci Nagy to be executed in front of
a crowd inside of Budapest, her offence must have been incredibly serious and also shocking.

The events of her execution were in keeping
with the executions of prominent Hungarians following the war.

She was led out from her prison and was taken
to an execution post and would be executed using the pole hanging method.

With this the noose was attached to the pole
or a large wooden stake through a hook, which was fed through an eyelet to the executioner
who was stood behind the condemned.

When the wooden plank someone was standing
now was removed then the executioner would pull on the noose and strangle the condemned
to death against the pole.

Maria or Manci Nagy was accompanied by a priest
who remained with her for her final moments, and the preparations for her execution was
done by the executioner who was wearing a suit and a hat, and also his assistant.