Hlinka Guard
The Hlinka Guard (also Hlinkagarde , Slovak : Hlinkova garda , HG for short ) was the paramilitary defense organization of the regime of the Hlinka Party (also called Ludaken ) in the Slovak state from 1938 to 1945 and the successor organization to Rodobrana, which existed from 1923 to 1927 . It was named after the former party leader Andrej Hlinka , who had died before the Guard was founded.
As the power-political pillar of the radical wing of the Ludaks around Vojtech Tuka and Alexander Mach , the Hlinka Guard was seen as a gathering place for the fascistophile , anti- Czech , radical anti-Semitic and pre- National Socialist forces in Slovakia.
During the Ludak dictatorship, the Hlinka Guard was responsible for numerous acts of violence against Czechs , Jews , Roma and political opponents of the regime. In 1942 the guard took an active part in the deportations of Slovak Jews to Auschwitz . In 1944 she was integrated into the SS , participated in the suppression of the Slovak National Uprising and carried out numerous massacres of Jews and Slovak civilians.
symbolism
2: 3
coat of arms of the HG
? Flag of the HG
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Commander in chief
| from | to | Surname |
|---|---|---|
| October 6, 1938 | March 14, 1939 | Karol Sidor |
| March 14, 1939 | May 21, 1940 | Alexander Mach |
| May 21, 1940 | July 29, 1940 | František Galan |
| July 29, 1940 | September 5, 1944 | Alexander Mach |
| September 5, 1944 | May 8, 1945 | Otomar Kubala |
history
The Hlinka Guard was the successor to the Rodobrana (Home Guard ), which had been dissolved in 1927 by order of the authorities . The Guard was founded during the Sudeten crisis in the summer of 1938 and officially put into service on October 8, 1938, one week after the ratification of the Munich Agreement .
The first HG units were built in Bratislava in June 1938 , and in Trnava and Nitra in July without official approval. The formal establishment followed after the Munich Agreement on October 8, 1938. After Prague's approval of Slovakian autonomy within Czecho-Slovakia, the Guard took on police duties in Slovakia by decree . She acted as a willing aide to Hitler and his imperialist plans and took action against Jews, Czechs, the political left and the opposition. The uniform consisted of a black top and a black cap. The guardian greeting was Na stráž! (Wake up!).
On March 15, 1939, one day after the proclamation of the Slovak State , Alexander Mach was appointed as the new commander. The duties of the guard were laid down in a number of government regulations , including: a. promoting patriotism, paramilitary training, and protecting domestic security. As a paramilitary party organization, the Guard should act as a counterweight to the army and police.
In 1941 shock troops of the Hlinka Guard were trained in German SS camps, and the SS assigned Viktor Nageler its own advisor to the Guard . From this point on, a number of guardsmen from the middle class left the organization, which from then on consisted mainly of farmers, unskilled workers and the unemployed.
In 1942 the Hlinka Guard was responsible for the deportation of Slovak Jews to the Auschwitz concentration camp . This was accompanied by the confiscation of Jewish possessions (Arizácia majetku) , which were assigned to individual guardsmen.
Since the state was founded in 1939, power struggles between the Hlinka Guard and the Hlinka Party over rule in the country have taken place. The Náš Boj (“Our Struggle”) instructed by the SS was the most radical group within the Guard.
Ready units of the Hlinka Guard (POHG)
After the Slovak National Uprising in August 1944, the Hlinka Guard was completely taken over by the SS. The special units led by Otomar Kubala , the readiness units of the Hlinka Guard (Slovak Pohotovostné oddiely Hlinkovej gardy , POHG for short ) have since been used against partisans and Jews.
literature
- Yeshayahu A. Jelinek : Storm troopers in Slovakia: The Rodobrana and the Hlinka Guard . In: Journal of Contemporary History . Vol. 6, No. 3 . Sage Publications, London 1971, pp. 97-119 (English).
- Peter Sokolovič: Hlinkova garda 1938–1945. [The Hlinka Guard 1938–1945.] Ústav pamäti národa, Bratislava 2009, ISBN 978-80-89335-10-7 . (Slovak)