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41-520: Lake Balaton is a lake in Hungary, the largest lake in Central Europe. Balaton may also refer to: Lake Balaton The mountainous region of the northern shore is known both for its historic character and as a major wine region , while the flat southern shore is known for its resort towns . Balatonfüred and Hévíz developed early as resorts for the wealthy, but it was not until

82-579: A Nazi Party deputy. He would remain in the Reichstag until the fall of the Nazi regime, representing several different electoral districts: Lower Bavaria – Swabia ( Wahlkreis #24, to 1933), Upper Bavaria (#25, to 1936) and Frankfurt/Oder (#5, to 1945). By 1931, Dietrich had been promoted to SS- Gruppenführer . When the Nazi Party seized power in 1933 , he rose swiftly through the hierarchy. At

123-530: A common meeting place for families and friends separated by the Berlin Wall until 1989. The major resorts around the lake are Siófok , Keszthely , and Balatonfüred . Zamárdi , another resort town on the southern shore, has been the site of Balaton Sound , a notable electronic music festival since 2007. Balatonkenese has hosted numerous traditional gastronomic events. Siófok is known for attracting young people to it because of its large clubs. Keszthely

164-401: A lakeside resort. The lake is almost completely surrounded by separated bike lanes to facilitate bicycle tourism. Although the peak season at the lake is the summer, Balaton is also frequented during the winter, when visitors go ice-fishing or even skate, sledge, or ice-sail on the lake if it freezes over. Sármellék International Airport provides air service to Balaton (although most service

205-471: A military map. Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt considered him to be "decent but stupid" and was especially critical of Dietrich's handling of the 6th Panzer Army in the Ardennes . Even Dietrich's principal staff officer conceded that he was "no strategic genius". Dietrich's long, personal acquaintance with Hitler allowed him to be more frank than other senior officers in his interactions with Hitler. He

246-661: A rapid series of promotions. Dietrich often took gambles, much to the dislike of the OKW, such as when he sent the Leibstandarte division "charging into Rostov" without orders "purely to gain a prestige victory". Once Dietrich was promoted to a Corps command he was at least assisted by competent staff officers transferred from the army; still, the army command had to take some pains to keep him in line. By 1944, there were clear signs Dietrich had been elevated above his military competence. He reportedly had never been taught how to read

287-547: A unit from the Leibstandarte , travelled to Bad Wiessee to personally oversee Ernst Röhm 's arrest on 30 June. Later, at approximately 17:00 hours, Dietrich received orders from Hitler for the Leibstandarte to form an "execution squad" and go to Stadelheim prison, where certain Sturmabteilung (SA) leaders were being held. There in the prison courtyard, the Leibstandarte firing squad shot six SA officers, including Edmund Heines . Additional SA personnel identified by

328-1382: Is only seasonal). Other resort towns include Balatonalmádi , Balatonboglár , Balatonlelle , Fonyód , and Vonyarcvashegy . The annual Lake Balaton Crossing swim takes place in July. The race starts at Révfülöp and finishes at Balatonboglár for a total distance of 5.2 kilometres. From east to west: Balatonfőkajár - Balatonakarattya - Balatonkenese - Balatonfűzfő - Balatonalmádi - Alsóörs - Paloznak - Csopak - Balatonarács - Balatonfüred - Tihany - Aszófő - Örvényes - Balatonudvari - Fövenyes - Balatonakali - Zánka - Balatonszepezd - Szepezdfürdő - Révfülöp - Pálköve - Ábrahámhegy - Balatonrendes - Badacsonytomaj - Badacsony - Badacsonytördemic - Szigliget - Balatonederics - Balatongyörök - Vonyarcvashegy - Gyenesdiás - Keszthely From east to west: Balatonakarattya - Balatonaliga - Balatonvilágos - Sóstó - Szabadifürdő - Siófok - Széplak - Zamárdi - Szántód - Balatonföldvár - Balatonszárszó - Balatonszemes - Balatonlelle - Balatonboglár - Fonyód - Fonyód–Alsóbélatelep - Bélatelep - Balatonfenyves - Balatonmáriafürdő - Balatonkeresztúr - Balatonberény - Fenékpuszta Sepp Dietrich Silesian Uprisings World War II Josef " Sepp " Dietrich (28 May 1892 – 21 April 1966)

369-482: Is the site of the Festetics Palace and Balatonfüred is a historical bathing town which hosts the annual Anna Ball . The peak tourist season extends from June until the end of August. The average water temperature during the summer is 25 °C (77 °F), which makes bathing and swimming popular on the lake. Most of the beaches consist of either grass, rocks, or the silty sand that also makes up most of

410-661: The First World War he served with the Bavarian field artillery . He was promoted to Gefreiter (Corporal) in 1917 and awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class . In 1918 he was promoted to Unteroffizier (Sergeant). His last Bavarian Army record lists Dietrich as recipient of the Iron Cross 1st class . After the Great War ended, Dietrich worked at several jobs, including policeman and customs officer. He joined

451-700: The Freikorps and fought against Polish insurgents during the Silesian Uprisings , but lost his job as a police officer due to his suspected involvement in the Beer Hall Putsch . Dietrich joined the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in 1928, then was hired at Eher Verlag , the NSDAP publisher, and became commander of Hitler's Schutzstaffel (SS) bodyguard. His NSDAP number was 89,015 and his SS number

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492-759: The German invasion of the Soviet Union , Dietrich was mainly noted for believing that the Russians could not be defeated even when leading the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, which was very unpopular with many of his peers yet he would continue to fight even with these opinions. Dietrich commanded the 1st SS Panzer Corps in the Battle of Normandy . He rose to command 5th Panzer Army during the later stages of this campaign. Hitler gave him command of

533-693: The Leibstandarte 2nd Battalion were responsible for the murder of 80 British and French POWs, in what became known as the Wormhoudt massacre . Dietrich remained in command of the Leibstandarte throughout the campaigns in Greece and Yugoslavia before being promoted to command of the 1st SS Panzer Corps , attached to Army Group Center , on the Eastern Front . In 1943, he was sent to Italy to recover Benito Mussolini 's mistress Clara Petacci . He received numerous German military medals . During

574-823: The Malmedy massacre trial . Upon his release from Landsberg Prison in 1955, Dietrich became active in HIAG , a lobby group established by former high-ranking Waffen-SS personnel. He died in 1966. Josef "Sepp" Dietrich was born on 28 May 1892 in Hawangen , near Memmingen in the Kingdom of Bavaria , German Empire . In 1911 he joined the Bavarian Army with the 4. Bayerische Feldartillerie-Regiment "König" (4th Bavarian Field Artillery Regiment "King") in Augsburg . In

615-566: The Roman period 2,000 years ago. It always has been an important location, both tactically and culturally(with many folk tales surrounding it). During the Ottoman wars played an important role in defending Royal Hungary where even battles were fought. While a few settlements on Lake Balaton, including Balatonfüred and Hévíz , have long been resort centres for the Hungarian aristocracy, it

656-519: The Romans . The name is Indo-European in origin, derived from Slavic * bolto (Czech bláto , Slovak blato , Polish błoto ), meaning 'mud, swamp' (from earlier Proto-Slavic boltьno , cf. Slovene : Blatno jezero , Slovak : Blatenské jazero ). In January 846, the Slavic prince Pribina began to build a fortress as his seat of power and several churches in the region of Lake Balaton, in

697-758: The German advance into Poland and later the Netherlands. After the Dutch surrender, the Leibstandarte moved south to France on 24 May 1940. They took up a position 15 miles southwest of Dunkirk along the line of the Aa Canal, facing the Allied defensive line near Watten. That night the OKW ordered the advance to halt, with the British Expeditionary Force trapped. The Leibstandarte paused for

738-658: The LSSAH spearheaded Operation Spring Awakening , an offensive in Hungary near Lake Balaton aimed at securing the last oil reserves still available to Germany. Despite early gains, the offensive was too ambitious in scope and failed. After that failure, the 6th SS Panzer Army (and LSSAH) retreated to the Vienna area. As a mark of disgrace, the Waffen-SS units involved in the battle were ordered by Hitler to remove their treasured cuff titles bearing his name. Dietrich did not relay

779-533: The U.S. Military Tribunal at Dachau ( United States of America vs. Valentin Bersin et al. , Case No. 6-24), from 16 May 1946 until 16 July 1946. On that day he was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Malmedy massacre trial for his involvement in ordering the execution of U.S. prisoners of war. Dietrich was found guilty of issuing orders that "troops were to be preceded by a wave of terror and fright, that no humane inhibitions were to be shown, and that every resistance

820-399: The adjective platt is a Greek loanword that was borrowed via French and entered general German vocabulary in the 17th century. It is also noteworthy that the average depth of Balaton (3.2 m or 10 ft) is not extraordinary for the area (cf. the average depth of the neighbouring Neusiedler See , which is roughly 1 m or 3.3 ft). Lake Balaton affects precipitation in

861-418: The bottom of the lake. Many resorts have artificial sandy beaches and all beaches have step access to the water. Other tourist attractions include sailing, fishing, and other water sports, as well as visiting the countryside and hills, wineries on the north coast, and nightlife on the south shore. The Tihany Peninsula is a historical district. Badacsony is a volcanic mountain and wine-growing region as well as

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902-576: The end of 1933, Prussian Minister President Hermann Göring appointed Dietrich to the recently reconstituted Prussian State Council , where he would continue to serve until 1945. Responsible for Hitler's personal security detail since February 1932, Dietrich became the commander of the SS–Sonderkommando Berlin (SS–Special Command Unit Berlin) on 2 August 1933. This special bodyguard unit was renamed Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH) on 13 April 1934. As one of Hitler's intimates, Dietrich

943-479: The late 19th century when landowners, ruined by Phylloxera attacking their grape vines , began building summer homes to rent out to the burgeoning middle class. In distinction to all other Hungarian endonyms for lakes, which universally bear the suffix -tó 'lake', Lake Balaton is referred to in Hungarian with a definite article; that is, a Balaton 'the Balaton'. It was called lacus Pelsodis or Pelso by

984-402: The later months of the war. During the 1960s and 1970s, Balaton became a major tourist destination due to focused government efforts, causing the number of overnight guests in local hotels and campsites to increase from 700,000 in July 1965 to two million in July 1975. The number of weekend visitors to the region, including tens of thousands from Budapest, reached more than 600,000 by 1975. It

1025-445: The local area. The area receives approximately 5–7 cm (2–3 in) more precipitation than most of Hungary, resulting in more cloudy days and less extreme temperatures. The lake freezes over during winters. The microclimate around Lake Balaton has also made the region ideal for viticulture . The Mediterranean-like climate, combined with the soil (containing volcanic rock), has made the region notable for its production of wines since

1066-568: The military branch of the SS. Reaching the rank of Oberst-Gruppenführer , he commanded units up to army level during World War II . As commanding officer of the 6th Panzer Army during the Battle of the Bulge , Dietrich bore responsibility for the Malmedy massacre , the murder of U.S. prisoners of war in December 1944. After the war, an American military tribunal convicted Dietrich of war crimes at

1107-452: The newly created 6th Panzer Army . Dietrich led it in the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944-January 1945). He had been assigned to that task because, due to the 20 July Plot , Hitler distrusted Wehrmacht officers. On 17 December, Kampfgruppe Peiper —an SS unit under his overall command—murdered 84 U.S. prisoners of war near Malmedy , Belgium , in what is known as the Malmedy massacre . In March 1945 Dietrich's 6th Panzer Army and

1148-539: The night. However, on the following day, in defiance of Hitler's orders, Dietrich ordered his III Battalion to cross the canal and take the heights beyond, where British artillery observers were putting the regiment at risk. They assaulted the heights and drove the observers off. Instead of being censured for his act of defiance, Dietrich was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross . During this campaign members of

1189-492: The order to his troops. Shortly thereafter, Dietrich's troops were forced to retreat from Vienna by Soviet Red Army forces. Dietrich, accompanied by his wife, surrendered on 9 May 1945 to the U.S. 36th Infantry Division in Austria. Dietrich had the complete confidence of Hitler because of his loyalty; the old political fighter was one of Hitler's favorites. He therefore enjoyed much lavish publicity, numerous decorations and

1230-617: The regime as traitors were shot in Berlin by a unit of the Leibstandarte after Hitler told him to take six men and go to the Ministry of Justice to shoot certain SA leaders. Shortly thereafter, Dietrich was promoted to SS- Obergruppenführer . Dietrich's role later earned him an 18-month sentence from a postwar court. After World War II in Europe began, Dietrich led the Leibstandarte during

1271-697: The territory of modern Zalavár surrounded by forests and swamps along the Zala River . His well-fortified castle and capital of the Lower Pannonian Principality became known as Blatnohrad or Moosburg (literally, 'Swamp Fortress'), and it served as a bulwark against both the Bulgarians and the Moravians. The German name for the lake is Plattensee . It is unlikely it was given that name for being shallow because

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1312-598: Was 1,117. Dietrich had been introduced to Nazism by Christian Weber , who had been his employer at the Tankstelle-Blauer-Bock filling station in Munich. He accompanied Hitler on his tours around Germany. Later Hitler arranged other jobs for him, including various SS posts, and let him live in the Reich Chancellery . At the election of 14 September 1930, he was elected to the Reichstag as

1353-695: Was a German politician and a general in the Schutzstaffel (SS) during the Nazi era . He joined the Nazi Party in 1928 and was elected to the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic in 1930. Prior to 1929, Dietrich was Adolf Hitler 's chauffeur and bodyguard. Despite having no formal staff officer training, Dietrich was, along with Paul Hausser , the highest-ranking officer in the Waffen-SS ,

1394-619: Was charged by the Landgericht München I and tried from 6 to 14 May 1957 for their role in the killing of SA leaders during the Night of the Long Knives in 1934. Dietrich was sentenced to 18 months for his part in that purge, after being convicted as an accessory to manslaughter for providing a firing squad for the executions of six SA men. After losing his appeals, Dietrich was returned to Landsberg Prison on 7 August 1958. He

1435-674: Was conducted in the region of Lake Balaton in March 1945, being referred to as "the Lake Balaton Offensive" in many British histories of the war. The battle was a German attack by Sepp Dietrich 's Sixth Panzer Army and the Hungarian Third Army between 6 and 16 March 1945, and in the end, resulted in a Red Army victory. Several Ilyushin Il-2 wrecks have been pulled out of the lake after having been shot down during

1476-441: Was often able to disregard his SS superior, Heinrich Himmler , at one time even banning Himmler from the Leibstandarte barracks. The LSSAH eventually grew into an elite division of the Waffen-SS . Although the unit was nominally under Himmler, Dietrich was the real commander and handled day-to-day administration. In the summer of 1934, Dietrich played a key role in the Night of the Long Knives . Hitler, along with Dietrich and

1517-549: Was only in the late 19th century that the Hungarian middle class began to visit the lake. The construction of railways in 1861 and 1909 increased tourism substantially, but the post-war boom of the 1950s was much larger. By the turn of the 20th century, Balaton had become a center of research by Hungarian biologists, geologists, hydrologists, and other scientists, leading to the country's first biological research institute being built on its shore in 1927. The last major German offensive of World War II , Operation Spring Awakening ,

1558-439: Was released due to a heart condition and circulation problems in his legs on 6 February 1959. Upon his release from prison, Dietrich took an active part in the activities of HIAG , an organization and lobby group of former Waffen-SS members. Founded by former high-ranking Waffen-SS personnel, it campaigned for the legal, economic and historical rehabilitation of the Waffen-SS , with some success. In 1966, Dietrich died of

1599-568: Was reported by a fellow general to have "railed against the Führer and [his] entourage" with promises to let Hitler know that he was "leading us all to destruction". In 1943, Dietrich was sentenced to death in absentia by the Soviet Union for war crimes committed by his men in Kharkiv . However, after the war, the Soviets did not push for his extradition. Dietrich was tried as Defendant No. 11 by

1640-717: Was to be broken by terror," and that prisoners of war were to be shot, "if necessary, in very compelling situations." Due to testimony in his defence by other German officers, Dietrich's sentence was shortened to 25 years. He was imprisoned at the Landsberg Prison in Bavaria. Dietrich served only ten years and was released on parole on 22 October 1955. Dietrich was re-arrested in Ludwigsburg in August 1956. He, along with former SS-Standartenführer Michael Lippert ,

1681-468: Was visited by ordinary working Hungarians, and especially for subsidised holiday excursions by National Council of Trade Union ( Hungarian : SZOT: Szakszervezetek Országos Tanácsának ) members to exclusive hotels and small resorts ( Hungarian : üdülő ingatlan ) for them. It also attracted many East Germans and other residents of the Eastern Bloc . West Germans could also visit, making Balaton

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