Vice-Consul and Chief of the Department of Foreign Interests at the Swiss Legation in Budapest, and his wife, Gertrud Lutz (1911-1995), were recognized by Yad Vashem, on March 24, 1964, and February 2, 1978, respectively. Lutz began his rescue operations as soon as Germany marched into Hungary in March 1944, pressuring the Hungarian government to stop the deportation of Jews. He issued thousands of protective letters to Jews and established homes under Swiss protection. When in November 1944 the Germans and Hungarians began deporting Jews from Budapest on death marches to the Austrian border, Lutz followed the columns and pulled out Jews, claiming they were under Swiss protection.