László Almasy

László Ede Almásy de Zsadány and Törökszentmiklós, [ˈlaːsloː ˈɛdɛ ˈɒlmaːʃi] also known as Ladislaus (Borostyánkő, August 22^July/ September 3, 1895^greg.-Salzburg, March 22, 1951) was an Austro-Hungarian researcher, aviator and soldier.

Biography

László Almásy was born to a noble family but without a title. He studied in Eastbourne (England), where he received his first pilot's license. During World War I, he served with the Luftfahrtruppen of the Austro-Hungarian Army.

After the war, Almasy continued to support Emperor Charles IV, twice leading him to Budapest when he attempted to regain the throne. It may be that Charles gave him the title of count, which Almasy only used outside of Hungary.

He also participated in the Second World War, being immortalized by actor Ralph Fiennes in Anthony Minghella's film, The English Patient. There are in fact great similarities between what the novel and the film tell, everything being very faithful and close to true historical reality. Laszló Almásy was a capable combatant, with a pure and tough soldier character, clearly favoring the Germans in North Africa and part of Marshal Rommel's forces. Instructor of troops from the Brandenburg Regiment, an elite group stationed by the Abwehr in the desert, he successfully attacked the British LRDG or desert guerrillas. He coordinated a commando that planted German agents in Cairo and was awarded the Iron Cross. In other words, a certainly romantic trajectory, taking into account the historical moment, as presented in the film. He died in Salzburg, affected by dysentery, in 1951.

He published Nadadores en el desert in 1939 (translated into Spanish by Editorial Península), where he recounts his experiences in the Libyan Desert and the discovery of the Cueva de los Nadadores, one of the lands least explored on the planet. In the company of Kemal al-Din, an Egyptian explorer and prince.