HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Josef Bílý (30 June 1872 in Zbonín-Ochoz – 28 September 1941 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 ...
) 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 ...
general and commander of the
Czechoslovak Czechoslovak may refer to: *A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93) **First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38) **Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39) **Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60) ** Fourth Czechoslovak Repu ...
national armed forces.


Early life and education

Bílý attended the State Real Gymnasium from 1883 to 1888.


Military career


Service in the Austro-Hungarian army

After completing his studies at gymnasium, he studied at the
Austro-Hungaria Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...
n Army's infantry cadet school in
Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
from 1888 to 1892. Joining the 15th Infantry Regiment in
Tarnopol Ternopil, known until 1944 mostly as Tarnopol, is a city in western Ukraine, located on the banks of the Seret (river), Seret River. Ternopil is one of the major cities of Western Ukraine and the historical regions of Galicia (Central Europe ...
as a cadet in 1892, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in 1894. From 1898 to 1900 he attended the Military College in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, after which he served in the 7th Infantry Division in
Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...
(
Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...
), then in
Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
and, beginning in 1906, in Trieste, having risen to the rank of captain in 1903. He was an instructor in tactics and training at the cadet school in Vienna from 1908 to 1910, after which he served in the 4th Infantry Regiment in Vienna. After being promoted to major on 1 August 1914, he commanded the battalion on 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 ...
n front of the
First World War 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 ...
beginning on August 18 of that year. He participated in fighting in Galicia and the
Carpathians 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 ...
, and on 3 July 1915, he was wounded and sent to recover at the field hospital in
Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...
. After serving for six months in the military government of
Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...
he was appointed battalion commander in
Brixen Brixen (; , ; or , ) is a town and communes of Italy, commune in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about north of Bolzano. Geography Brixen is the third-largest city and oldest town in the province, with a population of nearly twenty-three t ...
. In 1916 he became a lieutenant colonel and, beginning in February 1917, he commanded a special unit on the front at
Asiago Asiago (; Venetian language, Venetian: ''Axiago'', Cimbrian: ''Slege'', German language, German: ''Schlägen'' ) is a minor township (population roughly 6,500) with the title of ciin the surrounding plateau region (the ''Altopiano di Asiago'' o ...
. In June 1918, he took command of the 74th
Bosnia-Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to the north a ...
Infantry Regiment, and in this role participated in the offensive at Asiago in Italy.


Service in the Czechoslovak army

After the establishment of Czechoslovakia, Josef Bílý took part in the formation 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 ...
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 ...
and on November 28, 1918, was officially named a colonel in the Army, thereafter holding positions at the regional and garrison headquarters in
České Budějovice České Budějovice (; ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 97,000 inhabitants. The city is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše. České Budějovice is the largest ...
. In 1917 he joined the General Staff. Beginning in the spring of 1920, he served briefly as commander of the regiment in
Uzhhorod Uzhhorod (, ; , ; , ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality on the Uzh, Uzh River in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. The city is approximately equidistan ...
and then, from 1920 to 1922, as commander of the 16th infantry brigade in Frýdek. He was promoted to the rank of general on 16 December 1921, and appointed Deputy Commander of the Provincial Military Command in
Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...
. Between 1923 and 1928 he commanded the 6th Infantry Division and in 1924 completed a course for generals in
Versailles, France Versailles ( , ) is a commune in the department of the Yvelines, Île-de-France, known worldwide for the Château de Versailles and the gardens of Versailles, which is designated an UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Located in the western suburbs ...
. Promoted on 16 December 1927, to the rank of brigadier general, he served from 1928 to 1935 as commander of the Provincial Military Command of
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
in Prague. On 3 April 1928, he was promoted to the rank of divisional general and on 26 June 1931, to the rank of General of the Army. After 47 years in the uniformed services, he retired on 1 July 1935.


Anti-Nazi resistance

Immediately after the
Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...
began occupying Czech territory in March 1939, Bily joined the resistance. He became a member of the so-called Council of Elders, among whose other members were generals
Alois Eliáš Alois Eliáš (29 September 1890 – 19 June 1942) was a Czech general and politician. He served as prime minister of the puppet government of the German-occupied Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia from 27 April 1939 to 27 September 1941 bu ...
, , and
Sergej Vojcechovský Sergey Nikolayevich Voytsekhovsky (; ; 16 October 1883 – 7 April 1951) was a Russian military leader who was a colonel in the Imperial Russian Army, a major-general in the White Army, and a general in the Czechoslovak Army. He was a participan ...
. The formation of this group led to the establishment of an illegal anti-Nazi military resistance organization, Defense of the Nation (ON), at the end of March 1939. On 30 June 1939, Bílý became its commander, subordinate only to the Provincial Commander in Bohemia, General Hugo Vojta, and the Provincial Commander in Moravia, . After a series of arrests, 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 ...
managed to partially paralyze ON. Beginning in December 1939, Bily lived in hiding. On 14 November 1940 he was arrested by the Gestapo in a cottage in Harus Hill in the village of Radňovice near
Nové Město na Moravě Nové Město na Moravě (; ) is a town in Žďár nad Sázavou District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,800 inhabitants. It is known as a winter sports resort. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protecte ...
and imprisoned in Prague at
Pankrác Pankrác is a neighborhood of Prague, Czech Republic. It is located south of the city centre on the hills of the eastern bank of the Vltava River and is part of the Prague 4 municipal district, situated in the district of Nusle. Bordering distri ...
and
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 ...
. On the first day of his tenure as
Reichsprotektor These are lists of political office-holders in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, which from 15 March 1939 until 9 May 1945 comprised the Nazi-occupied parts of Czechoslovakia. The lists include both the representatives of the Nazi-rec ...
in Bohemia and Moravia, 27 September 1941,
Reinhard Heydrich Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich ( , ; 7 March 1904 – 4 June 1942) was a German high-ranking SS and police official during the Nazi era and a principal architect of the Holocaust. He held the rank of SS-. Many historians regard Heydrich ...
, seeking to break the resistance of Czech patriots, declared a civil emergency. In this he stated that the military court in Prague had found Bílý and Division General Hugo Vojta guilty of treason and sentenced them to death. Bílý was executed on 28 September 1941, at 9 pm by a firing squad. On the scaffold, he refused to wear a blindfold. His last words were: “Long live the Czechoslovak Republic! Dogs, fire!"


Honors


List of decorations

*1898 Jubilee Commemorative Medal *1907 Military Merit Medal, Bronze Medal *1908 Military Jubilee Cross *1912 Military Merit Cross, III. Class *1913 Military official badge, III. Class for officers *1914 Military Merit Medal, silver medal *1915 Military Merit Cross, III. Class *1915 Order of Iron Crown, III. Class - knight *1916 Order of Leopold, V. Class - officer *1918 Order of Iron Crown, II. Class - Commander *1923 Order of reborn Poland, IV. Class *1924 Order of the Legion of Honor, IV. Class - officer *1925 Order of Italian Crown, III. Class *1925 Order of the Romanian star, III. Class - Commander *1926 Medvědobijce Order, II. Class - Commander *1926 Order of St. Sava, II. Class (Serbia) *1929 Order of the Nile, II. Class *1932 Order of Romanian Crown, II. class *1933 Order of Yugoslav Crown, II. Class *1945 Czechoslovak War Cross 1939, in memoriam *1992 The Order of Milan Rastislav Štefánik, II. Class, in memoriam *2008 Cross of Defense of the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic, in memoriam *2018 Order of the White Lion, First Class Military Group, in memoriam


Memorials

*A plaque on the house at 801/17 Verdunská Street, 160 00
Prague 6 Prague 6, officially known as the Municipal District of Prague 6 (''Městská část Praha 6''), is the largest Districts of Prague, district in Prague. Located in the northwest, it covers 41.54 km2 and had a population of 100,600 as of 31 D ...
-
Bubeneč Bubeneč is a district in the north-west of Prague. 52% of the district is in Prague 7, but most of the built-up area is in Prague 6. Sparta Prague football club and their stadium Generali Arena is situated at the south-eastern edge of Bubeneč ...
), where General Josef Bílý lived with his wife Hana Bílá until 1937. *A commemorative plaque (unveiled on 16 May 2009) on the outer wall of the chapel in the military cemetery near the Čížovská road near the South Bohemian Písek (northwest of
Písek Písek (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 31,000 inhabitants. The town is known for the oldest bridge in the country. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument z ...
about 3 km from the city centre) towards the village Čížová. *A memorial plaque in the riding hall of the former Ruzyně Barracks. The building is located on the premises of the military unit in Prague-Ruzyně. *At the Old Town Hall (in January 2018), the deputy mayor of
Prague 1 Prague 1, formally the Prague 1 Municipal District (), is a Prague city districts, second-tier municipality in Prague. It is co-extensive with the national administrative district (''správní obvod'') of the same name. Prague 1 includes most of ...
, Oldřich Lomecký, assumed the honorary citizenship granted to General Josef Bílý (in memoriam). *On 28 June 2018, two stone commemorative plaques were ceremonially unveiled on the house at 122/4 Mikulandská Street in Prague 1. The first one commemorates Bílý, who lived there 1937 to 1939 with his wife, Hana. The second plaque commemorates the establishment of the military illegal resistance organization Defense of the Nation in March 1939, which took place in Bílý's apartment in this house.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bily, Josef 1872 births 1941 deaths Czech generals People from Písek District Czech people executed by Nazi Germany Recipients of the Milan Rastislav Stefanik Order Commanders of the Legion of Honour Grand Crosses of the Order of the White Lion Recipients of the Order of the Yugoslav Crown Grand Officers of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Recipients of the Order of St. Sava Recipients of the Order of the Star of Romania Officers of the Legion of Honour Officers of the Order of Polonia Restituta Czech resistance members People executed by Nazi Germany by firing squad