Josef Churavý

Josef Churavý

Josef Churavý (born October 27, 1894 in Olomouc ; † June 30, 1942 in Prague ) was a Czechoslovak soldier, legionnaire and general and, as a leading member of the Obrana národa resistance group, a figure in the Czechoslovak resistance against National Socialism from 1939 to 1945 . Colonel Churavý (Brigadier General in memoriam ) was one of the liaison officers of the Obrana národa group in the umbrella organization of the resistance ÚVOD .

Life

Josef Churavý finished attending a secondary school in Prague (1905-1912) and then studied at the Technical University there from 1912 until he had to join the Austrian army after the outbreak of war in 1914 . In August 1915 he was sent to the Russian Eastern Front , where he was taken prisoner two months later. After staying in some prison camps, he enlisted in the Czechoslovak legions in November 1917 . He served as a commander in the artillery among others in Irkutsk.

After his return to Czechoslovakia, Churavý remained in the army. He attended various courses, including at the School of the General Staff of the Army , and as a first lieutenant, he finally attended the War College in Prague. After he finished his studies in 1923, he was appointed professor of ballistics and geography there in 1924. He later served in the artillery, where he performed various command functions. At the end of 1938, Churavý became - as a colonel - deputy commander of the Vojenský zeměpisný ústav (VZÚ, Military Geographic Institute).

After the occupation of the country and the establishment of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia , Churavý tried to save all of the institute's material, a total of 25 trucks, from being attacked by the German occupying forces. The action was betrayed, however, Churavý had to flee and was sentenced to death in absentia on July 9, 1940 by a military tribunal for sabotage. From then on he worked illegally under various aliases. He was one of the most active employees of the (military) resistance group Obrana národa (ON), which he represented in the umbrella organization of the resistance ÚVOD , he also worked in the resistance group Petiční výbor Věrni zůstaneme (PVVZ) and actively participated in the development of the program of the Czechoslovak Resistance. He worked closely with Václav Morávek , Josef Mašín and Josef Balabán from the Tři králové (Three Kings) resistance group . He was also in contact with double agent Paul Thümmel , known as A-54, who provided important information for the Czechoslovak government- in- exile in London and thus also for the Allies . Churavý provided secret accommodation for Czechoslovak parachutists arriving from England, procured spare parts for secret shortwave transmitters, etc.

As a result of a forced testimony, Churavý was arrested on October 9, 1941. He was tortured for several weeks but did not provide any information. On June 30, 1942, he was sentenced to death - for the second time - by a court martial in Prague and executed on the same day, along with several other convicts from the Obrana národa resistance group. In 1946, Churavý was promoted to brigadier general in memoriam .

Awards

• Czechoslovak War Cross 1914–1918
• Czechoslovak Revolution Medal
• (Czechoslovak Victory Medal 1918)
• Legion of Honor (Ordre national de la Légion d'Honneur)
• Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas
• Czechoslovak War Cross 1939 ( in memoriam )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} CHURAVÝ Josef , detailed curriculum vitae in: Vojenské osobnosti československého odboje 1939–1945 , publication of the Historical Military Institute of the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic, AVIS, Prague 2005, p. 110, online (archived) at: vojenskaakademiehranice.ic.cz / ...
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} Vojenský geografický a hydrometeorologický úřad "Generála Josefa Churavého" , in: A Report 10/2013, magazine of the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic, online at: mocr.army.cz / ...

Web links

Commons : Josef Churavý  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files