Alois Liška (1895–1977) was a Czech army officer who served in both World Wars, ultimately as a Brigade General commanding the

1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade The 1st Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade Group () was an armoured unit of expatriate Czechoslovaks organised and equipped by the United Kingdom during the Second World War in 1943. The brigade landed in Normandy in August 1944 and was gi ...

at Dunkirk in 1944–45. He was born on 20 November 1895 in Záborčí, some 17 kilometres south east of

Liberec Liberec (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 108,000 inhabitants, making it the fifth largest city in the country. It lies on the Lusatian Neisse River, in a basin surrounded by mountains. The city centre is well preserved and is pr ...

, and died on 7 February 1977 in

Putney Putney () is an affluent district in southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ...

, London.

Early life

Liška was one of six siblings. In June 1914, he passed the leaving examination and graduated from Grammar School in

Turnov Turnov (; ) is a town in Semily District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 15,000 inhabitants. It is a traditional centre for gemstone polishing, glass craftsmanship and arts. The historic town centre is well preserved and ...

Military service

In 1915, during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Liška was

conscripted Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it contin ...

into the Austro–Hungarian Army and posted to the Russian front. He was taken

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

(one source says that he defected) in 1916 on the Russian front and in 1917 he volunteered to join the

Czechoslovak Legions The Czechoslovak Legion (Czech: ''Československé legie''; Slovak: ''Československé légie'') were volunteer armed forces consisting predominantly of Czechs and Slovaks fighting on the side of the Entente powers during World War I and the ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and served with the

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

. After his return, in 1920, to Czechoslovakia, he joined the Army as a professional officer and served with the 51st Artillery Regiment at Stará Boleslav, rising from a company commander to commanding the regiment. When Germany occupied the

Czech lands The Czech lands or the Bohemian lands (, ) is a historical-geographical term which denotes the three historical regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia out of which Czechoslovakia, and later the Czech Republic and Slovakia, were formed. ...

in 1939, he escaped the country. During the

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

, he commanded the 1st Artillery Regiment and, after the collapse of Allied forces in 1940, he and his regiment were evacuated to Britain. In 1943, Liška was promoted to brigadier general and, from March 1943, he commanded the Czechoslovak Independent Brigade, which subsequently converted to armour as the Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade Group, which subsequently became the

. The brigade was moved to France in August 1944 and Liška commanded the siege of Dunkirk from October 1944 to May 1945, accepting the surrender of the German garrison.

Post-war

After the war, Liška returned to Czechoslovakia where he was reunited with his wife and daughter who had been repatriated from

concentration camps A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploit ...

; his son, Jaroslav, and older brother, Josef, had been shot during death marches. He had been appointed as the Czechoslovak Army's Chief of Staff in April 1945 by President

Edvard Beneš Edvard Beneš (; 28 May 1884 – 3 September 1948) was a Czech politician and statesman who served as the president of Czechoslovakia from 1935 to 1938, and again from 1939 to 1948. During the first six years of his second stint, he led the Czec ...

, but this was vetoed by the Soviet authorities and instead he became commander of the Military College and was promoted to

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

in 1946. The Communist takeover in 1948 and consequent purges of formerly London-based officers, however, led to his dismissal from the Army and obliged him to leave his country once again, without his family. Alois Liška died in Putney, London, in 1977. He was posthumously awarded the Milan Rastislav Stefanik Order, 3rd class in 1991.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liska, Alois 1895 births 1977 deaths People from Jablonec nad Nisou District People from the Kingdom of Bohemia Czechoslovak generals Czech military leaders Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Austro-Hungarian prisoners of war held by Russia in World War I Czechoslovak Legion personnel Czechoslovak military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Milan Rastislav Stefanik Order Recipients of the Czechoslovak War Cross Recipients of the Czechoslovak War Cross 1939–1945 Czechoslovak emigrants to the United Kingdom