Czechoslovak Army in Exile

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During the Second World War and the occupation of Czechoslovakia as a result of the Munich Agreement , which led to the establishment of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and the founding of the Slovak State from 1939 to 1945, numerous units and associations of refugee members of the Czechoslovak army formed abroad .

Overview

Propaganda poster for the Czechoslovak army in exile in Great Britain, depicting the resistance fighter Jan Hrubý

After the proclamation of the Protectorate, numerous members of the army of all branches left their homeland. Their first destination was Poland , but they were initially reluctant to see them and were deported to France (around 1200 Czechoslovak soldiers were shipped to France in July 1939 alone) until they came to Great Britain after the defeat of France . There were also some units in the Middle East and North Africa as well as in the Soviet Union .

Except in the infantry, tank and air formations, which consisted only of members of the Czechoslovak army and were subordinated to the government-in-exile in London from 1940 , many volunteers fought in armies and formations of other countries.

In addition to fighting by the armed units of the Czechoslovak army abroad, there were also actions by the Czechoslovak resistance from 1939 to 1945 in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (this also included the Obrana národa group , which was conceived as an illegal underground army, consisting of former army members) and from 1944 the Slovak National Uprising in Slovakia, who made a significant contribution to the country's liberation.

Poland (1939)

Even before the attack on Poland , the so-called Czechoslovak Military Abroad Group (Československá vojenská skupina zahraniční) was set up in Krakow on April 30, 1939 , to organize the transfer of soldiers to France. After the attack, the Czech and Slovak Legions (Legion Český a Slovenský) and an observation swarm were set up at the airport near Gora Pulawska in September 1939 . Although they took part in combat operations, their equipment was very inadequate. After the defeat of Poland, some of these units were detained by the Red Army , some withdrew to Romania and were interned.

France (1939-1940)

Morane-Saulnier MS.406 , with which Czechoslovak pilots fought in France

After Poland surrendered, there was only an escape route to the Soviet Union, where the soldiers were interned, and via Slovakia, Hungary and Romania to Yugoslavia, from where they reached France via Greece and Turkey or the Near and Middle East. Initially, these soldiers joined the Foreign Legion with the prospect of setting up their own associations later. After the Czechoslovak National Committee , established on November 17, 1939, was recognized, the formation of a Czechoslovak army in exile under the leadership of General Sergěj Ingr and General Rudolf Viest was tackled.

According to the mobilization order for Czechs and Slovaks abroad, a total of 13,614 people could be won by the spring of 1940, including those who volunteered for the Foreign Legion. The Czechoslovak Infantry Battalion 1 (Československý pěší prapor 1) was founded on September 29, 1939 in a military camp made available in Agde , which was expanded to Infantry Regiment 1 two weeks later , while Infantry Regiments 2 and 3 were added at the same time. From January 15, 1940, there was the 1st Czechoslovakian Division (1st československá divize) in Agde with three infantry regiments, one artillery regiment and other anti-tank, engineer and other units. Some of them were used at the front. The planned establishment of the air force units could not be realized for reasons of time, the Czechoslovak pilots served in French units from December 1, 1939.

After the signing of the armistice between France and Germany, several thousand soldiers were evacuated to Great Britain by the British Navy from southern and western France.

Middle and Middle East and North Africa (1940–1943)

After the fall of France, Czech soldiers were detained in the mandate areas administered by the Vichy regime in Syria and Lebanon who either wanted to flee to France via the Balkans or were to be deported from the USSR to France. On June 29, 1940, the last 206 of them were able to escape into the British mandate of Palestine , where general mobilization for the Czechoslovak citizens had already been declared on May 22, 1940. After a temporary internment, the members of the army were able to form the Czechoslovak Infantry Regiment 4 (Československý pěší pluk 4) on September 9, 1940; other members of the Czech and Slovak Legions interned in the Soviet Union followed.

Soldiers of the armored brigade near Dunkerque in 1945

The Czechoslovak Infantry Battalion 11 - East (Československý pěší prapor 11 - Východní), which is subordinated to the regiment , was first deployed in Alexandria and in various places in the Egyptian western desert. After a short transfer to Lebanon and the Syrian-Turkish border, the battalion took part in the fighting against Rommel's army in North Africa and in the defense of Tobruk as part of the British army , and from July 1942 in the defense of Haifa and Beirut, where from him the Czechoslovak Light Air Defense Regiment 200 - East (Československý lehký protiletadlový pluk 200 - Východní) was formed.

After the defeat of the Axis Powers in Africa, the Czechoslovak units in this region were shipped via South Africa to Liverpool on July 4, 1943, where most of the Czechoslovak independent armored brigade were attached.

Great Britain (1940–1945)

No. 310 Squadron RAF

The Czechoslovak government in exile was founded in London on July 21, 1940 under President Edvard Beneš and Prime Minister Jan Šrámek , which became responsible for the Czechoslovak army units. On October 15, 1940, the government-in-exile signed the treaty on the Czechoslovak Armed Forces with the government of the United Kingdom; at the same time, one of the articles stipulated that the Czechoslovak units would be financed by a loan from the British government.

The first army units to emerge in Great Britain and then take part in the fighting were the four squadrons of the Czechoslovak air force units in the RAF , which made a special contribution in the Battle of Britain . However, numerous pilots were also active in other squadrons, including Polish and British, for example in the RAF's 138th special squadron (№ 138 Special Duties Squadron) with an international crew that was responsible, among other things, for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) Carried out diversion and sabotage actions on enemy territory. In close cooperation with the Czechoslovak government-in-exile, Czechoslovak paratroopers were deployed several times over the protectorate, in particular in December 1941 for Operation Anthropoid  , which was then carried out on May 27, 1942 - the assassination attempt on Heydrich . In total there were 31 actions with 91 paratroopers removed.

The remnants of the Army Division evacuated from France that had arrived in Great Britain became the basis of the 1st Czechoslovak Mixed Brigade (1st československá smíšená brigáda) in July 1941 . It received its first tanks in 1943 and was transformed into a Czechoslovak independent armored brigade with the Czechoslovak Light Air Defense Regiment 200 - East from the Middle East . After the invasion of Normandy , the brigade with its 306 tanks was relocated to the Dunkirk area in France.

Soviet Union (1939–1945)

Most of the refugees, including members of the Czech and Slovak Legions from Poland, were interned in the USSR and often sentenced to several years in labor camps. It was only after the attack on the Soviet Union that the head of the military mission of Czechoslovakia in the USSR, Colonel Heliodor Píka , managed to obtain her release at the end of 1941 and to form a unit in a camp near Buzulug, which from July 1942 was named 1. Czechoslovak independent battalion in the USSR (1. československý samostatný prapor v SSSR) and from January 30, 1943 on the front u. a. was used at Kharkiv . During the further fighting, the battalion was expanded to the 1st Czechoslovak Independent Brigade in the USSR (1st československá samostatná brigáda v SSSR) and finally took part in the fighting as part of the Eastern Carpathian operation in the area of ​​the Duklapass ; its commander, Brigadier General Jaroslav Vedral , died after entering the Czechoslovak state territory on October 6, 1944.

On January 19, 1944, the 2nd Czechoslovak Independent Airborne Brigade in the USSR (2nd českloslovenská samostatná paradesantní brigáda v SSSR) was established, which consisted primarily of members of the Slovak Army who were captured in the Soviet Union. On May 19, 1944, the 3rd Czechoslovak Independent Brigade was established in the USSR, and on August 1, 1944, the 1st Independent Tank Brigade in the USSR . They formed the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps (1st československý armádní sbor) , which was formed on April 10, 1944 .

After long negotiations, the British Royal Air Force agreed to dismiss some experienced pilots who expressed their wish to go to the USSR and from there work towards the liberation of Czechoslovakia. In April 1944, twenty pilots under the leadership of Captain František Fajtl came by ship, train and plane via Gibraltar, Cairo and Tehran to the USSR, where on May 3, 1944, the 128th Czechoslovak independent fighter squadron (128th československá samostatná stíhací peru.) Ivanovo was formed. After the RAF crews were supplemented by two Slovak pilots who had deserted in the Crimea with their Bf-109G fighter planes , the 1st Czechoslovakian fighter regiment was established on June 1st in the USSR (1st československý stíhací letecký pluk v SSSR) with 22 fighters and other aircraft in support.

After the outbreak of the Slovak national uprising on August 1, 1944, the Czechoslovak units were relocated to the front, where they took part in the direct liberation of Czechoslovakia as part of the Eastern Carpathian operation, particularly in the area of ​​the heavily contested Duklapass . Later, the 1st Czechoslovakian fighter regiment was expanded to the 1st Czechoslovak mixed aviation division in the USSR (1st československá smíšená letecká divize v SSSR). The 4th Czechoslovak Independent Brigade (4th československá samostatná brigáda) was formed mainly from the soldiers recruited in Carpathian Ukraine .

In order to also support the uprising, the La-5 aircraft of the Czechoslovak fighter regiment landed on the Zolná field airfield on September 15, 1944 and began two days later with ground attacks on German troops, which is why September 17 was introduced as Air Force Day after the end of the war . A few days later, the unit moved to the better developed Tri Duby airfield . Between September 25 and October 25, 1944, the 2nd Czechoslovak Airborne Brigade was deployed in Slovakia; on October 6, 1944, the units of the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps crossed the border to Slovakia. After the failure of the uprising, the last twelve remaining La-5 fighters returned to the Soviet Union and were integrated into the now established 1st Czechoslovak mixed air division.

Directory of individual associations

The associations mentioned here usually operated as independent units and were in some cases subject to the orders of the government-in-exile in London, but were nonetheless integrated into the respective armies of the allies and were subject to their command. In some cases, the preceding or following units are also mentioned.

Part of the Polish Army
  • Czechoslovak Military Abroad Group ( Československá vojenská skupina zahraniční )
  • Czech and Slovak Legion ( Legion Český a Slovenský )
Part of the French army
  • Czechoslovak Infantry Battalion 1 ( Československý pěší prapor 1 ), later: 1st Infantry Regiment
  • 2nd Infantry Regiment
  • 3rd Infantry Regiment
  • 1st Czechoslovak Division ( 1st československá divize ) (all together)
Part of the British Army
  • Czechoslovak air force units in the RAF
  • Czechoslovak Infantry Regiment 4 ( Československý pěší pluk 4 )
    • including the Czechoslovak Infantry Battalion 11 - East ( Československý pěší prapor 11 - Východní ), later: Czechoslovak Light Air Defense Regiment 200 - East ( Československý lehký protiletadlový pluk 200 - Východní )
  • Czechoslovak independent armored brigade ( Československá samostatná obrněná brigáda ), created by merging the units
    • 1st Czechoslovak Mixed Brigade ( 1st československá smíšená brigáda )
    • Czechoslovak Light Air Defense Regiment 200 - East (Československý lehký protiletadlový pluk 200 - Východní)
La-5FN fighter aircraft used by Czechoslovak pilots
Part of the Soviet (Red) Army
  • 1st Czechoslovak Independent Battalion in the USSR ( 1st československý samostatný prapor v SSSR ), later: 1st Czechoslovak Independent Brigade in the USSR ( 1st československá samostatná brigáda v SSSR )
  • 2nd Czechoslovak Independent Airborne Brigade in the USSR ( 2nd českloslovenská samostatná paradesantní brigáda v SSSR )
  • 3rd Czechoslovak Independent Brigade in the USSR ( 3rd českloslovenská samostatná brigáda v SSSR )
  • 1st Czechoslovak Independent Tank Brigade in the USSR ( 1st československá samostatná tanková brigáda v SSSR )
  • 4th Czechoslovak Independent Brigade ( 4th československá samostatná brigáda )
  • 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps ( 1st československý armádní sbor ) (formed from the individual brigades)
  • 128th Czechoslovak independent fighter squadron ( 128th československá samostatná stíhací perut ), later 1st Czechoslovak Fighter Regiment in the USSR (the first Československý stíhací letecký pluk v SSSR), later 1st Czechoslovak mixed air division in the USSR ( the first československá smíšená letecká divize v SSSR )

Government Troop of the Protectorate

A so-called government force of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia , Vládní vojsko in Czech, was established on the territory of the Protectorate . It was a mock army; however, it should only partially perform the tasks of an army: above all, it should maintain inner calm, defense tasks were only considered marginally.

swell

  • Naši veteráni v 2. světové válce, A short documentation from the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic, online at: www.veterani.army.cz / ... , in Czech, accessed on July 21, 2013.
  • Organizovaný odboj na Západě, ed. from the Military Intelligence Service of the Czech Republic, online at: www.vzcr.cz/static / ... , switchable to English
  • Eduard Čejka, Československý odboj na Západě (1939–1945), Mladá fronta, Praha 1997.
  • Československý odboj na Západě, Československý odboj na Středním Východě av Africe, online at: hartmann.valka.cz / ... , in Czech, accessed on July 21, 2013.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Naši veteráni v 2. světové válce, A short documentation of the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic, online at: www.veterani.army.cz / ... , in Czech, accessed on July 21, 2013.
  2. ↑ Československý odboj na Středním Východě av Africe, online at: hartmann.valka.cz / ... , in Czech, accessed on July 21, 2013.
  3. ↑ Dohoda mezi vládou Československou a vládou Spojeného království o československé branné moci (Treaty between the Government of Czechoslovakia and the Government of the United Kingdom on the Czechoslovak Armed Forces) of October 25, 1940, online at: cs.wikisohoda/wiki. .. , Czech, accessed March 29, 2012.
  4. ↑ Financování čs. jednotek ve Velké Británii, zlatý poklad, online at: www.fronta.cz/dotaz/financovani ... , Czech, accessed April 8, 2012.
  5. ↑ Cooperation between SOE and Czechoslovak Military Intelligence Officers, online at: www.indiannet.eu / ...
  6. ↑ a b Českoslovenští letci v SSSR, extensive collection of the fronta.cz portal, online at: www.fronta.cz / ...
  7. ^ František Fajtl: As the first at home . Military publishing house of the GDR, Berlin 1979 (Czech: První doma . Translated by Ruth Kassube).