Augustín Malár (18 July 1894 – 28 February 1945) was a Slovak

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 ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. During the interwar period, Malár was one of the few successful higher officers of Slovak nationality 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 t ...

. After the German occupation of

Bohemia and Moravia The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was a partially- annexed territory of Nazi Germany that was established on 16 March 1939 after the German occupation of the Czech lands. The protectorate's population was mostly ethnic Czechs. After the ...

and the establishment of the

First Slovak Republic First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

in March 1939, he became one of the highest and most experienced officers in the newly created Slovak Army. After the Slovak puppet state declared war on the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, the so-called Fast Division or Slovak Motorized Division was deployed on the Eastern Front. Malár became commander of the unit at the turn of 1941 and 1942. During this time he earned promotion to general and received the German

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. While it was order of precedence, lower in preceden ...

. Later he served as military attaché to Italy and Germany, and in 1944 he was appointed as a commander of the East Slovak Army, the two best Slovak divisions which were intended to defend Slovakia against Soviet offensives. The planners of the 1944 insurrection against Nazi rule, the Slovak National Council, assumed that Malár, as a Slavophile and experienced field commander, would contribute his East Slovak units in the uprising and link up with the Soviets to allow the Red Army to pass through Slovak territory without a fight. However, after the poorly timed start of the

uprising Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

on 29 August 1944, contrary to expectations, Malár did not join the rebels. In a radio speech the next day, he opposed the uprising and exhorted soldiers to return to their barracks as "our time has not come yet." As a military strategist, he wanted the uprising to end successfully. Because of his statements about fighting against the Germans in the future, German security authorities arrested him when he returned to

Prešov Prešov () is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is the seat of administrative Prešov Region () and Šariš. With a population of approximately 85,000 for the city, and in total more than 100,000 with the urban area, it is the second-largest city i ...

in Eastern Slovakia. He was deported to Germany, where he died after interrogation in the

Sachsenhausen concentration camp Sachsenhausen () or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a German Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used from 1936 until April 1945, shortly before the defeat of Nazi Germany in May later that year. It mainly held political prisoners t ...

- Zellenbau.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Malar, Augustin 1894 births 1945 deaths Executed Slovak collaborators with Nazi Germany Slovak military personnel of World War II Slovak people of World War II Czechoslovak military personnel killed in World War II Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross People who died in Sachsenhausen concentration camp Military attachés