Background
Maleter was born to Hungarian parents in Eperjes, a city in Saros County, in the northern part of Historical Hungary, today Presov, Slovakia.
Maleter was born to Hungarian parents in Eperjes, a city in Saros County, in the northern part of Historical Hungary, today Presov, Slovakia.
He studied medicine at the Charles University, Prague, before moving to Budapest in 1938, going to the military academy there.
Pal Maleter fought on the Eastern Front of World War II, until captured by the Red Army. He became a Communist, trained in sabotage, fought against the Germans in Transylvania and was sent back to Hungary, where he was noted for his courage and daring.
In 1956 he was a colonel and the commander of an armoured division stationed in Budapest when he was sent to suppress the Hungarian Uprising, but on making contact with the insurgents he decided to join them, helping to defend the Kilian Barracks. He was the most prominent member of the Hungarian military to change sides, allying himself with the insurgents rather than the Rákosi government.
As the chief military presence on the insurgents' side he came into contact with the new government, and enjoyed a rapid promotion from colonel to general, and on 29 October was appointed Minister of Defense. On 3 November he went to Tokol, located near Budapest, to negotiate with the Soviet military forces based there. During discussions on the following day, and against international law, Soviet officers arrested Maléter at the conference and imprisoned him.
Pal Maleter was executed along with Imre Nagy and others in a Budapest prison on 16 June 1958, on charges of attempting to overthrow the Hungarian People's Republic.
Physical Characteristics: Maleter was known for his great height, according to historian Victor Sebestyen, Maleter was "more than two meters tall," or at least six feet eight inches.
His first wife and three children went to the US in the wake of the uprising, while his second wife remained in Hungary; both wives subsequently remarried.