The First Czechoslovak Army in Slovakia was an ad-hoc military formation formed by the insurgents of the

Slovak National Uprising The Slovak National Uprising ( sk, Slovenské národné povstanie, abbreviated SNP) was a military uprising organized by the Slovak resistance movement during World War II. This resistance movement was represented mainly by the members of the ...

(August – October 1944) against

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. It was destroyed by German and pro-German Slovak forces as part of the successful crackdown against the Slovak National Uprising.

Background

The

First Slovak Republic First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

had been formed as a puppet state of

in early 1939, during the

German Invasion of Czechoslovakia German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, when the territories of the modern-day

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

that had not yet been part of Nazi Germany as a result of the 1938

Munich Agreement The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, Germany, the United Kingdom, French Third Republic, France, and Fa ...

were forcefully integrated into the

Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia; cs, Protektorát Čechy a Morava; its territory was called by the Nazis ("the rest of Czechia"). was a partially annexed territory of Nazi Germany established on 16 March 1939 following the German oc ...

("Reich Protectorate" for short). Slovakia agreed in treaties with Germany signed on 23 March 1939 to follow the German lead in foreign policy, and later to also allow the formation of a

German Zone of Protection in Slovakia The German Zone of Protection in Slovakia, or the Protective Zone (german: Schutzzone) was an area established in the western parts of the First Slovak Republic after the dissolution and division of Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany during 1939. The ...

, where German forces in the country were initially concentrated. Militarily, Slovakia was forced to fight a brief war against Germany's partner Hungary; the

Slovak–Hungarian War The Slovak–Hungarian War, or Little War ( hu, Kis háború, sk, Malá vojna), was a war fought from 23 March to 31 March 1939 between the First Slovak Republic and Hungary in eastern Slovakia. Prelude After the Munich Pact, which weakened C ...

ended in further territorial concessions to Hungary that even exceeded the previous concessions made at the

First Vienna Award The First Vienna Award was a treaty signed on 2 November 1938 pursuant to the Vienna Arbitration, which took place at Vienna's Belvedere Palace. The arbitration and award were direct consequences of the previous month's Munich Agreement, which ...

of 2 November 1938. Slovakia participated in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

on the side of the Axis; the Slovak

Field Army Bernolák The Field Army Bernolák ( sk, Slovenská Poľná Armádna skupina "Bernolák") was a field army of the Axis Slovak Republic during World War II. It was named after Anton Bernolák, the first codifier of the literary Slovak language. The Slovak ...

participated in the

German Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week afte ...

of September 1939 with a small-scale

Slovak invasion of Poland The Slovak invasion of Poland occurred during Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland in September 1939. The recently-created Slovak Republic joined the attack, and Field Army Bernolák contributed over 50,000 soldiers in three divisions. Since most ...

. On 23 June 1941, the Slovak Republic declared war on the Soviet Union, which had been invaded by Germany a day prior; a Slovak contingent subsequently was placed under the command of the German 17th Army. As the fortune of war on the Eastern Front turned against the Axis, Slovak soldiers began to desert in disproportionate numbers to the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

, especially after the widely acclaimed German defeat at the

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later re ...

1942/43. The actions of

Soviet partisans Soviet partisans were members of resistance movements that fought a guerrilla war against Axis forces during World War II in the Soviet Union, the previously Soviet-occupied territories of interwar Poland in 1941–45 and eastern Finland. The ...

in areas still occupied by Germany and its allies widened to include Slovakia as well starting in spring of 1944. The anti-German partisans started to infiltrate central Slovakia in August 1944, and the Bratislava government soon lost control in the area, declaring martial law on 10 August 1944. As even Slovak military officers were starting to defect to the underground

Slovak National Council The Slovak National Council ( sk, Slovenská národná rada (SNR)) was an organisation that was formed at various times in the 19th and 20th centuries to act as the highest representative of the Slovak nation. It originated in the mid-19th century ...

, the German chief diplomat in Bratislava

Hanns Ludin Hanns Elard Ludin (10 June 1905, in Freiburg – 9 December 1947, in Bratislava) was a German diplomat. Born in Freiburg to Friedrich and Johanna Ludin, Ludin began his Nazi affiliation in 1930 by joining the party, and was arrested for his ...

suggested to his government a German occupation of Slovakia. On 28 August, the German government gave corresponding orders and received a token permission by

Jozef Tiso Jozef Gašpar Tiso (; hu, Tiszó József; 13 October 1887 – 18 April 1947) was a Slovak politician and Roman Catholic priest who served as president of the Slovak Republic, a client state of Nazi Germany during World War II, from 1939 to 194 ...

, the puppet president of Slovakia. Warnings were given out within the military resistance, and the

began on 29 August 1944, the same day as German troops moved to occupy the whole of Slovakia.

Operational history

Initially under command of

Ján Golian Ján Golian (26 January 1906, Dombóvár, Hungary – 1945, Flossenbürg concentration camp, Germany) was a Slovak Brigade General who became famous as one of the main organizers and the commander of the resistance '' 1st Czechoslovak Army i ...

, who was later succeeded by

Rudolf Viest Rudolf Viest (24 September 1890, Revúca, Gömör és Kis-Hont County, Kingdom of Hungary, – 1945 ?, Flossenbürg concentration camp ?, Germany) was a Slovak military leader, member of the Czechoslovak government in exile, member of the Slova ...

, the First Czechoslovak Army in Slovakia, which was formed in early October 1944, fought against better-armed German forces and pro-German Slovak formations until 27 October 1944, when

Banská Bystrica Banská Bystrica (, also known by other alternative names) is a middle-sized town in central Slovakia, located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Veľká Fatra, and the Kremnica Mo ...

, where the insurgents had their power base, fell to the Germans. Viest had returned from exile in London to take his command. In late September, the 2nd Independent Czechoslovak Airborne Brigade and the 1st Independent Czechoslovak Fighter Regiment joined the fight. In a protracted defensive battle, the Slovaks came under increasing pressure in mid-October 1944; a major German offensive of 18–20 October brought the military decision by enabling the capture of Banská Bystrica on the 27th. After the Slovak National Uprising was crushed, the First Czechoslovak Army in Slovakia operationally ceased to exist; surviving veterans and remnant groups retreated into Slovakia's mountains, from where they waged guerilla warfare against the Germans until the end of the war in early 1945.

Legacy

Memorials to the members of the Slovak National Uprising include the memorial to the 2nd Independent Czechoslovak Airborne Brigade in Nowosielce in Poland.{{Cite web , title=Memorial 2nd Independent Czechoslovak Airborne Brigade - Nowosielce - TracesOfWar.com , url=https://www.tracesofwar.com/sights/54931/Memorial-2nd-Independent-Czechoslovak-Airborne-Brigade.htm , access-date=2023-05-18 , website=www.tracesofwar.com , language=en

References

Slovak National Uprising Military units and formations of Czechoslovakia in World War II Military units and formations established in 1944 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944

Background

Operational history

Legacy

See also

References