Josef Buršík (11 September 1911 – 30 June 2002) was a
Czech resistance fighter, general,
dissident, and political prisoner. During
World War II, while fighting with the
First Czechoslovak Independent Field Battalion
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
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(''1. československý samostatný polní prapor''), later reorganized as the
First Czechoslovak Independent Brigade (''1. československá samostatná brigáda'') he was awarded the Gold Medal of the
Hero of the Soviet Union.
After the war Buršík was persecuted by the communist authorities in Czechoslovakia. He was imprisoned and stripped of all his wartime decorations, except for the Hero of the Soviet Union award. Buršík managed to escape and made his way to the west. He lived first in West Germany, then the United Kingdom. He was active in organizations working to help Czech and Slovak refugees. He published his memoirs "No pity for sacrifice" (''Nelituj oběti'') in the 1950s.
After the
Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in the spring of 1968 Buršík returned his
Hero of the Soviet Union medal in protest.
Despite ongoing health problems in his later years, he lived until the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia (later the Czech Republic) and was officially
"rehabilitated" and given an honorary promotion to the rank of Major General in the Czech Army. He was also awarded the
Order of the White Lion and the
Milan Rastislav Stefanik Order
The Milan Rastislav Stefanik Order is an award given "to recognize eminent contributions to the defence and security of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic". It was bestowed by the President of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic. The aw ...
.
He died in 2002 in
Northampton
Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...
, England and was buried with full military honours. His grandson
of the same name is a professional footballer who plays for
Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
and
England U21
The England national under-21 football team, also known as England under-21s or England U21(s), is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team.
This team is for England players aged under 21 at the start of the calen ...
.
Biography
Buršík was born in
Postřekov
Postřekov is a municipality and village in the Domažlice District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,100 inhabitants.
Postřekov lies approximately west of Domažlice, south-west of Plzeň, and south-west of Prague. ...
in the
Chodsko region in
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
, at the time a part of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
. In the interwar period he became an officer in the
Czechoslovak Army
The Czechoslovak Army (Czech and Slovak: Československá armáda) was the name of the armed forces of Czechoslovakia. It was established in 1918 following Czechoslovakia's declaration of independence from Austria-Hungary.
History
In the fi ...
.
World War II
After the
Munich Agreement, the
German occupation 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
**Ge ...
and the establishment of the Nazi client state, the
Slovak Republic
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
, about four thousand Czech and Slovak soldiers and officers left their countries and went into exile in
Poland. In April 1939, in cooperation with Polish authorities, they formed the "Czechoslovak Foreign Group", later in the year transformed into the
Czech and Slovak Legion.
Josef Buršík joined the legion while it was being organized in
Bronowice Małe
Bronowice Małe is a neighborhood (''osiedle'') of Krakow, part of the Bronowice district.
History
Since 1294 the location was recorded to be a property of St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków. During 1934-1941 it was part of rural gmina and was its ...
(presently part of
Kraków)
During the
Nazi invasion of Poland the Czech and Slovak Legion fought alongside the Poles against the Germans. Buršík took part in defense of
Tarnopol
Ternópil ( uk, Тернопіль, Ternopil' ; pl, Tarnopol; yi, טאַרנאָפּל, Tarnopl, or ; he, טארנופול (טַרְנוֹפּוֹל), Tarnopol; german: Tarnopol) is a city in the west of Ukraine. Administratively, Ternopi ...
(today Ternopil, Ukraine). The
Soviet Union invaded Poland on 17 September in fulfillment of Stalin's agreement with Hitler (
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact). Buršík and his unit were captured and imprisoned by the Soviets.
In 1942 Buršík joined the Soviet organized
First Czechoslovak Independent Field Battalion
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 reco ...
, under the command of
Ludvík Svoboda. He started with a rank of corporal and was promoted to Warrant Officer. The battalion first saw combat in the
Battle of Sokolovo
The Battle of Sokolovo took place on 8 and 9 March 1943, near the village of Sokolovo ( uk, Соколове, ''Sokolove'') near Kharkiv in Ukraine when the ongoing attack of the was delayed by joint Soviet and Czechoslovak forces. It was the fi ...
in March 1943, and Buršík was wounded during the fighting.
During the
Battle of Kiev Buršík was one of the first to make it to the center of the city, for which he was awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union in December 1943. The Czechoslovak battalion, later increased to size of brigade and later whole
army corps, continued fighting on the Eastern Front until the end of the war. Buršík finished the war with the rank of captain.
After the war
In Czechoslovakia, after recovering from tuberculosis, Buršík was given command of a tank brigade based in
Ostrava. In 1949 he left the Czechoslovak Army. Shortly afterwards he was arrested for his anti-communist views and charged with treason. He was sentenced to ten years in prison, with an extra four added after he tried to appeal the verdict. He was also stripped of all his military decorations except for the Hero of the Soviet Union medal.
Because of his bad health Buršík was transferred to a hospital in
Olomouc from which managed to escape and make his way across the border to
Bavaria. He lived in the
Federal Republic of Germany until 1955 and subsequently moved to England.
His grandson,
Josef Bursik, is an English professional footballer.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bursik, Josef
1911 births
2002 deaths
Czechoslovak soldiers
Czechoslovak emigrants to England
Foreign Heroes of the Soviet Union
Czech emigrants to the United Kingdom
Czech resistance members
People from Domažlice District