Tűzkereszt means “Fire Cross”, a Hungarian military decoration awarded for front-line combat service between 1941 and 1943.

Hungarian Military History Archive

An online archive preserving Hungarian and Austro-Hungarian military history through original photographs, awards, documents, and research material.

ESTABLISHED 2010

2026-02-18

Break by the Side of the Road

A group of soldiers take a well-deserved rest along a roadside in a small village. Their bicycles are propped against the verge as they pause to regain their strength. A curious dog wanders over, sniffing at the bicycles, just as one of the soldiers seizes the moment to photograph his comrades and the officers gathered at the front.

The place and the people have long since passed into history. We no longer know who they were, nor where this fleeting moment was captured.

A single negative from a forgotten collection now sees the light of day once more.