Brigadier General Dr. Mikuláš Ferjenčík (6 December 1904 – 4 March 1988) was a

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 ...

military veterinarian, resistance fighter, and exiled politician. In 1992 he was posthumously promoted to the rank of

General of the Army Army general or General of the army is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the French Revolutionary System. Army general is normally the highest rank used in peacetime. In countries that adopt the general officer fou ...

Biography

Ferjenčík was born in Polomka,

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

(at the time a part of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire 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 ...

). He graduated from high school in

Rožňava Rožňava (, , Latin: ''Rosnavia'') is a town in Slovakia, approximately by road from Košice in the Košice Region, and has a population of 19,182. The town is an economic and tourist centre of the Gemer. Rožňava is now a popular tourist attr ...

and the University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences 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 ...

, before serving in the military veterinary service. By the outbreak of

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 ...

he was chief of the Slovak Army Veterinary Service with the rank of lieutenant colonel. During the war he joined the Czechoslovakian resistance and participated in the

Slovak National Uprising Slovak National Uprising ( Slovak: ''Slovenské národné povstanie'', abbreviated SNP; alternatively also ''Povstanie roku 1944'', English: ''The Uprising of 1944'') was organised by the Slovak resistance during the Second World War, directed ag ...

as chief of staff to

Ján Golian Ján Golian (26 January 1906 – 1945) was a Slovak Brigade GeneralAt that time, this rank corresponded to major general. who became famous as one of the main organizers and the commander of the resistance ''1st Czechoslovak Army in Slovak ...

. On 4 August 1944, Ferjenčík was part of a delegation from the

Slovak National Council The Slovak National Council (, SNR) was an organisation that was formed at various times in the 19th and 20th centuries to act as the highest representative of the Slovak nation. It originated in the mid-19th century as a focus for Slovak nationali ...

that flew to Moscow carrying detailed plans of their uprising against the Nazis. The papers were confiscated and he was held for a month before being released on 5 September and returning to Czechoslovakia. After the war he was promoted to brigadier general. He then served on the

Board of Commissioners A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States. A county usually has three to five ...

in the

Third Czechoslovak Republic The Third Czechoslovak Republic, officially the Czechoslovak Republic, was a sovereign state from April 1945 to February 1948 following the end of World War II. After the fall of Nazi Germany, the country was reformed and reassigned coterminous ...

, first as Commissioner of Defence and later as Commissioner of the Interior. Following the 1948 coup d'état, Ferjenčík emigrated to the United States. On arrival in New York he was picketed as responsible for the USSR's seizure of Czechoslovakia and immediately taken to Ellis Island as a suspected communist. He was subsequently active in Czechoslovakian immigrant politics, becoming director of the Czechoslovak National Council of America. Ferjenčík died in

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

on 4 March 1988. In 1992 he was posthumously promoted to the rank of

References

External links

Mikuláš Ferjenčík
(Czech) in the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferjencik, Mikulas 1904 births 1988 deaths People from Brezno District Members of the Interim National Assembly of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovak democracy activists Czechoslovak military personnel of World War II Czechoslovak emigrants to the United States Recipients of the Milan Rastislav Stefanik Order

Biography

References

Further reading

External links