László Almásy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
László Ede Almásy de Zsadány et Törökszentmiklós
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Bust of László Almásy at the Hungarian Geographical Museum in Érd
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| Born | 22 August 1895 Borostyánkő, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | 22 March 1951 (aged 55) Salzburg, Austria |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  Austria-Hungary Hungary Nazi Germany |
| Service/ |
Austro-Hungarian Army Austro-Hungarian Air Force German military intelligence service (Abwehr) Luftwaffe |
| Rank | Hauptmann |
| Unit | 11th Hussars Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops Afrika Korps |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Iron Cross |
László Ede Almásy (born August 22, 1895 – died March 22, 1951) was a Hungarian explorer, pilot, and sportsman. He came from a noble family. His life story partly inspired the main character in the famous novel and movie The English Patient.
Contents
Biography
László Almásy was born in Borostyánkő, which was part of Austria-Hungary at the time. Today, this place is called Bernstein im Burgenland in Austria. His father, György Almásy, was a zoologist and ethnographer. From 1911 to 1914, László went to school in Eastbourne, England.
World War I Service
During World War I, Almásy joined the 11th Hussars with his brother Janos. He fought against Serbian and Russian forces. In 1916, he moved to the Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops. After his plane was shot down in March 1918, he became a flight instructor for the rest of the war.
Between the Wars
After the war, Almásy returned to Eastbourne, England. He was a member of the early Eastbourne Flying Club.
Back in Hungary, Almásy worked for Bishop János Mikes. He accidentally became involved when King Karl IV of Hungary tried to regain his throne in 1921. Almásy drove Bishop Mikes to Budapest. The King mistakenly called him "Count Almásy," a title László sometimes used later, especially in Egypt. This helped him meet important people.
After 1921, Almásy worked for the Austrian car company Steyr Automobile. He won many car races. He convinced a rich friend, Prince Antal Eszterházy, to drive a Steyr car from Alexandria to Khartoum. This was a difficult journey for a regular car.
In 1926, his drive from Egypt to Sudan changed his life. Almásy became very interested in the desert. He returned to the desert often for driving and hunting. In 1929, he showed how well Steyr vehicles worked in the desert. He also led his first desert expedition.
In 1931, Almásy planned to explore the Libyan Desert by airplane. He and Count Nándor Zichy took off from Budapest. However, their plane crashed in a storm near Aleppo four days later. They both survived, but the plane was destroyed.
Exploring the Libyan Desert
In 1932, Almásy went on an expedition to find the legendary Zerzura, known as "The Oasis of the Birds." He was with three British explorers: Sir Robert Clayton, Squadron Leader H.W.G.J. Penderel, and Patrick Clayton. They used cars and an airplane. While Almásy drove to Kufra Oasis, Sir Robert and Penderel found a green valley in the Gilf Kebir plateau. They thought it might be one of the hidden valleys of Zerzura.
Later in 1932, Sir Robert Clayton East-Clayton, who supported Almásy's trips, died from an illness. Despite this, Almásy organized another Zerzura expedition in 1933. This time, Prince Kamal el Dine Hussein helped fund the trip. They successfully entered the valley found the year before. They also found evidence from an old Tibou person that confirmed the valleys were Zerzura. Later, Almásy entered Wadi Talh, another Zerzura valley. At the end of this trip, Almásy and Lodovico di Caporiacco discovered ancient rock paintings at Jebel Uweinat.
In late 1933, Almásy went on another expedition with German ethnographer Leo Frobenius. They copied and cataloged known prehistoric rock art. They also made many new discoveries at Karkur Talh and the famous Cave of Swimmers in the Gilf Kebir.
In 1934, Almásy led an expedition to the Gilf Kebir and Jebel Uweinat. They placed a memorial for Prince Kelam el Din, who had died the previous year. At Jebel Uweinat, Almásy visited a military camp. With Captain Francis Godfrey Bertram Arkwright, they found more rock art. Almásy also copied paintings found by Captain Arkwright at Jebel Kissu.
In 1935, Almásy and Hansjoachim von der Esch were the first Europeans to reconnect with the Magyarab tribe. These people live on an island in the Nile and speak Arabic. They are believed to be descendants of Hungarian soldiers from the 16th century.
In April 1935, Almásy and von der Esch explored the Great Sand Sea. This was one of the last unexplored areas. Almásy claimed he worked for the Egyptian Government, but there is no clear proof of this.
In 1939, Almásy published a German book with parts of his Hungarian writings.
Leaving Egypt
Almásy always needed others to pay for his expeditions. By 1934, both British and Italian authorities suspected him of spying. In 1935, the British stopped him from going to Uweinat again. He then focused on aviation, helping to set up gliding activities in Egypt.
World War II Service
When World War II began in 1939, Almásy returned to Hungary. The British thought he was an Italian spy, and the Italians thought he was a British spy. Hungary joined the Axis powers in 1940.
A German military intelligence officer, Nikolaus Ritter, recruited Almásy in Budapest. Almásy was allowed to wear a German Air Force captain's uniform. He used his desert and aviation skills for various missions in Libya. After his commander was injured, Almásy took over the unit.
Almásy's biggest success during the war was Operation Salam. He helped two German agents travel through the Libyan Desert behind enemy lines. Almásy and his team wore German uniforms. They used captured British cars with German markings. Almásy successfully dropped off the two agents, Johannes Eppler and Hans-Gerd Sandstede, in Assiut, Egypt.
Unknown to Almásy, British code breakers had cracked the German codes. However, the warning to British headquarters came too late. Almásy was able to return safely. The agents' mission was a failure, and they were caught within six weeks.
Almásy received the Iron Cross and was promoted to captain for Operation Salam. After this, his services in North Africa were no longer needed. He returned to Hungary and wrote a book about his wartime experiences.
After the War
After the war, when Communists took over in Hungary, Almásy was arrested. He was accused of war crimes and treason. The charges were based on his wartime book. However, he was found not guilty with the help of friends. After the trial, he managed to escape from Hungary.
He went to British-occupied Austria and then to Rome. Later, he went to Cairo, Egypt. In Egypt, Almásy did various jobs, including aviation work and leading hunting trips. He also sold European cars. In December 1950, King Farouk made him Director of the new Egyptian Desert Research Institute.
Death
In 1951, Almásy became ill during a visit to Austria. He died on March 22 in a hospital in Salzburg. He was buried there. His grave honors him as a "Pilot, Sahara Explorer, and Discoverer of the Zerzura Oasis."
Scouting
László Almásy was involved in the Scout movement from a young age. In 1921, he became the International Commissioner of the Hungarian Scout Association. He helped organize the 4th World Scout Jamboree in Gödöllő, Hungary. At this event, Almásy showed the Air Scouts to Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, on August 9, 1933.
The English Patient
Almásy was not widely known until 1996. That's when the movie The English Patient won many awards. The movie's story is fiction, but it uses some real events and characters from Almásy's desert expeditions. The movie's popularity helped uncover more details about Almásy's life. However, it also led to many inaccurate stories about his wartime activities. Recent books have helped correct these false claims. In the movie, a guide describes a cave to Almásy as "A mountain the shape of a woman's back."
Images for kids
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Ladislaus Almásy memorial plaque at Bernstein Castle
See also
In Spanish: László Almásy para niños
