Vendelín Opatrný (10 March 1908 – 31 October 1944) was an officer of the Czechoslovak 1st Army Corps. He died during the

Battle of the Dukla Pass The Battle of the Dukla Pass, also known as the Dukla, Carpatho–Dukla, Rzeszów–Dukla, or Dukla–Prešov offensive, was the battle for control over the Dukla Pass on the border between Poland and Slovakia on the Eastern Front of World Wa ...

, at the borders of Czechoslovakia while fighting with the Red Army. Before entering the Czechoslovak 1st Army Corps in 1937, he fought in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

as a foreign volunteer. He was 6 times decorated for bravery. Just before the

Second World War 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 left his country to

Soviet Union 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 ...

. Later he enlisted in the Czechoslovak 1st Army Corps.

Decorations

* in memoriam promoted to captain * in memoriam Hero of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (1969) * for bravery at fight 4× decorated by

Czechoslovak War Cross 1939–1945 The Czechoslovak War Cross 1939 (''Československý válečný kříž 1939'' in Czech, ''Československý vojnový kríž 1939'' in Slovak) is a military decoration of the former state of Czechoslovakia which was issued for those who had provide ...

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 1930 but its statute was only defined in decree of the Presidium of the ...

Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War () is a Soviet Union, Soviet military Order (decoration), decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to Partisan (military), partisans for heroic deeds in the Easte ...

...and several other decorations * bust of Vendelín Opatrný in Heroes Alley at Dukla Pass by sculptor Ján Kulich (* in 1930)

External links

Vendelín Opatrný
at the official website of his hometown

Týniště nad Orlicí Týniště nad Orlicí () is a town in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,300 inhabitants. Administrative division Týniště nad Orlicí consists of six municipal parts (in brackets ...

1908 births 1944 deaths People from Rychnov nad Kněžnou District Czechoslovak expatriates in the Soviet Union Czechoslovak military personnel killed in World War II Heroes of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic Czechoslovak people of the Spanish Civil War People granted political asylum in the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of the White Lion Recipients of the Czechoslovak War Cross {{CzechRepublic-mil-bio-stub