František Bláha (26 February 1886 – 21 May 1945) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

soldier, general of 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 ...

and one of the senior commanders of the Defense of the Nation.

Early life and education

Bláha was born on 26 February 1886 in

Poděbrady Poděbrady (; ) is a spa town in Nymburk District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 15,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Elbe River. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument ...

. His father, František Bláha, was a butcher; his mother was named Anna, née Effenbergrová. He graduated from lower grammar school in

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; ) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 94,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech R ...

. In 1907–1908 he performed military service at the Landgran Regiment in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. On 23 November 1914, after the outbreak of

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 ...

, he was sent to the Russian front, only to be captured after six days. He joined the Czechoslovak legions on 6 January 1916, in

Tyumen Tyumen ( ; rus, Тюмень, p=tʲʉˈmʲenʲ, a=Ru-Tyumen.ogg) is the administrative center and largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Tyumen Oblast, Russia. It is situated just east of the Ural Mountains, along the Tura ( ...

. After graduating from the officer school in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

and given the rank of lieutenant, he worked on the recruitment committee of the 6th MS. Rifle Regiment. After completing a course in

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...

in 1917–1918, again, he took part in battles at Marianivka and

Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg (, ; ), alternatively Romanization of Russian, romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( ; 1924–1991), is a city and the administrative centre of Sverdlovsk Oblast and the Ural Federal District, Russia. The ci ...

. He returned to the newly established nation of Czechoslovakia on 1 June 1921.

Military career

After spending a year on the general staff, he was transferred to the 45th Infantry Regiment in

Khust Khust (, ; ; ; ; ; ) is a city located on the Khustets River in Zakarpattia Oblast, western Ukraine. It is near the сonfluence of the Tisa and Rika Rivers. It serves as the administrative center of Khust Raion. Population: Khust was the capi ...

Carpathian The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe and Southeast Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at ...

Ruthenia ''Ruthenia'' is an exonym, originally used in Medieval Latin, as one of several terms for Rus'. Originally, the term ''Rus' land'' referred to a triangular area, which mainly corresponds to the tribe of Polans in Dnieper Ukraine. ''Ruthenia' ...

. In March 1923 he took command of the 1st Battalion of the regiment, and shortly afterwards became the regiment's deputy commander; in December he became commander of the regiment. After completing a series of courses in November 1932 he was appointed commander of the 21st Infantry Brigade in Košice. After a year he was appointed commander of the Command School in Prague. Between 1935 and 1938 he commanded the 7th Infantry Brigade in

Josefov Josefov (also Jewish Quarter; ) is a town quarter and the smallest cadastral area of Prague, Czech Republic, formerly the Jewish ghetto of the town. It is surrounded by the Old Town. The quarter is often represented by the flag of Prague's Jew ...

, and on 1 January 1938, he became Deputy Commander of the 4th Infantry Division, a post he held during the mobilization from 21 June to 15 October 1938.

German occupation

After the

occupation of Czechoslovakia Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment *Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, th ...

by the

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

, he volunteered into the ranks of the Defense of the nation and took command of the resistance movement in June 1944 when its first commander,

Zdeněk Novák Zdeněk Novák (April 2, 1891, Paskov, Frýdek-Místek District, Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Empire - October 23, 1988, Zadní Třebaň, Czechoslovakia) was a Czech Republic, Czech military officer who served in the Austro-Hungarian army, i ...

, was arrested. In collaboration with the Barium landing team, he built a mobilization network in Eastern Bohemia, counting on the creation of four divisions and their deployment after approaching the front. On 17 November 1944 he was arrested by the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

and imprisoned in the small fortress in

Terezín Terezín (; ) is a town in Litoměřice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,900 inhabitants. It is a former military fortress composed of the citadel and adjacent walled garrison town. The town centre i ...

. He lived to see the liberation of Czechoslovakia, but died in Terezín in a typhus epidemic on 21 May 1945. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of divisional general in 1946.

Monument

On 22 April 2015, a memorial plaque was unveiled at the site of František Bláha's birthplace.

Honors

*1919 Order of the Falcon with swords *1919 Order of St. Stanislava II. degree with swords *1921 Czechoslovak War Cross 1914–1918 *1921 Czechoslovak Revolutionary Medal *1921 Czechoslovak Victory Medal *1930 Romanian Order of the Star *1946 Czechoslovak War Cross 1939 (posthumous)poděbradští hrdinové 2. světové války; podebradske noviny
;

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blaha, Frantisek 1886 births 1945 deaths People from Poděbrady Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Czechoslovak military personnel of World War II Czech military personnel Czechoslovak generals Czech people who died in the Theresienstadt Ghetto Infectious disease deaths in Czechoslovakia Deaths from typhus