The Czechoslovak Army (

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 ...

and Slovak: ''Československá armáda'') was the name of the armed forces of

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

. It was established in 1918 following Czechoslovakia's declaration of independence from

Austria-Hungary 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#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

History

In the first week after the declaration of independence, the Army of the new Czechoslovak state consisted mainly of Czech and Slovak units of the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

, and later incorporated members of the Czechoslovak Legion from Italy and France. that fought alongside the Entente during

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 ...

. The Czechoslovak Army took part in the brief Polish-Czechoslovak War, in which Czechoslovakia annexed the

Trans-Olza Trans-Olza (, ; , ''Záolší''; ), also known as Trans-Olza Silesia (), is a territory in the Czech Republic which was disputed between Poland and Czechoslovakia during the Interwar Period. Its name comes from the Olza River. The history of ...

region from Poland. It also fought a border war with

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

for control and borders of Slovakia. The Army was modeled after the Austro-Hungarian Army, with the influence of a French military mission. Its initial officers were both former Austro-Hungarian and Legion officers who decided to stay in the active service. The first chief of the Army Staff was French General Maurice Pellé. In the

Interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

, the force was fairly modern by contemporary standards, with the core of being formed by four fast divisions equipped in the late 1930s with LT vz. 35 tanks, as well as working with an extensive system of border fortifications. Partly mobilized after the German-Austrian

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...

, and fully mobilized at the time of the

Munich Conference The Munich Agreement was reached in Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic, French Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy. The agreement provided for the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–194 ...

, the force did not take part in any organized defense of the country against the invading Germans, due to the international isolation of Czechoslovakia. The army was disbanded following the German takeover of Czechoslovakia in 1939. During

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 ...

, the Czechoslovak Army was recreated in exile, first in the form of the new Czechoslovak Legion fighting alongside Poland during the

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

, and then in the form of forces loyal to the London-based

Czechoslovak government-in-exile The Czechoslovak government-in-exile, sometimes styled officially as the Provisional Government of Czechoslovakia (; ), was an informal title conferred upon the Czechoslovak National Liberation Committee (; ), initially by Government of the Unit ...

. Czechoslovak formations were also formed on the Eastern Front; the

1st Czechoslovak Army Corps in the Soviet Union The 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps (, ), also known as Svoboda's Army (, after its commander Ludvík Svoboda), was a military formation of the Czechoslovak Army in exile fighting on the Eastern Front alongside the Soviet Red Army in World War II. ...

served alongside the Red Army, and the First Czechoslovak Army in Slovakia claimed the legacy of the Czechoslovak forces during 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 ...

. After the war, Czechoslovak units fighting alongside the Allies returned to Czechoslovakia and formed the core of the new, recreated Czechoslovak Army. However, with the Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia, it was Sovietised and in 1954 was formally renamed the Czechoslovak People's Army. The army of Czechoslovakia returned to its former name in 1990, following the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...

, but in 1993, following the

dissolution of Czechoslovakia The dissolution of Czechoslovakia, which took effect on December 31, 1992, was the Self-determination, self-determined Partition (politics), partition of the federal republic of Fifth Czechoslovak Republic, Czechoslovakia into the independent ...

, it was disbanded and split into the present-day

Army of the Czech Republic The Czech Armed Forces (), also known as the Czech Army, are the military responsible for the defence of the Czech Republic as the main part of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic (). The Czech Armed Forces led by the Staff (military), Gen ...

and the Slovak Armed Forces.

References

{{Authority control Military history of Czechoslovakia Military units and formations established in 1918 Military units and formations disestablished in 1992

History

See also

References