František Kobzík (22 March 1914 – 7 May 1944) was a Czech

rower Rowing, often called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars (called blades in the United Kingdom) are attached to the boat using rowlocks, while paddles are ...

. He competed in the men's eight event at the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...

. On the onset of the

German occupation of Czechoslovakia German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, Kobzík left the country. He joined the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (, also known simply as , "the Legion") is a corps of the French Army created to allow List of militaries that recruit foreigners, foreign nationals into French service. The Legion was founded in 1831 and today consis ...

and was trained in

Sidi Bel Abbès Sidi Bel Abbès (), also called Bel Abbès, is the capital''Sidi Bel Abbes'', lexicorient.com (Encyclopaedia of the Orient), internet article. of the Sidi Bel Abbès wilaya, Algeria. It is named after Sidi bel Abbass, a Muslim marabout or noble ...

. After the defeat of France to Nazi Germany, he was evacuated to England, where he joined the Czechoslovak Army in exile. In Scotland, Kobzík underwent a parachutist training. On the night of 12–13 April 1944, he parachuted near Vacenovice in

Moravian Slovakia Moravian Slovakia, also called Slovácko (, older ''Moravské Slovensko'') is a cultural region in the southeastern part of the Czech Republic. It lies in the historical region of Moravia, on the border with Slovakia (the Slovak region of Záho ...

. Together with his companion, Kobzík managed to move to the village of Rudice. On 7 May, a local person notified

Protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...

authorities about their presence. Being surrounded by the police, Kobzík with his companion committed suicide.Profile
in the Library of the

Czech Academy of Sciences The Czech Academy of Sciences (abbr. CAS, , abbr. AV ČR) was established in 1992 by the Czech National Council as the Czech successor of the former Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences and its tradition goes back to the Royal Bohemian Society of Sc ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kobzik, Frantisek 1914 births 1944 suicides Czech male rowers Olympic rowers for Czechoslovakia Rowers at the 1936 Summer Olympics People from Břeclav Soldiers of the French Foreign Legion Czechoslovak military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Czechoslovak War Cross Czechoslovak military personnel killed in World War II Suicides in Czechoslovakia Suicides in the Czech Republic Joint suicides 1944 deaths Rowers from the South Moravian Region