The First Czechoslovak Army in Slovakia was an ad-hoc military formation formed by the insurgents of 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 ...

(August – October 1944) against

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. It was destroyed by German and pro-German Slovak forces as part of the successful crackdown against the Slovak National Uprising.

Background

The

First Slovak Republic First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

had been formed as a puppet state of

in early 1939, during the

German Invasion 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 Ger ...

, when the territories of the modern-day

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

that had not yet been part of Nazi Germany as a result of the 1938

Munich Agreement 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 ...

were forcefully integrated into the

Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was a partially-annexation, annexed territory of Nazi Germany that was established on 16 March 1939 after the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–1945), German occupation of the Czech lands. The protector ...

("Reich Protectorate" for short). Slovakia agreed in treaties with Germany signed on 23 March 1939 to follow the German lead in foreign policy, and later to also allow the formation of a

German Zone of Protection in Slovakia The German Zone of Protection in Slovakia, or the Protective Zone () was an area established in the western parts of the First Slovak Republic after the dissolution and division of Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany during 1939. The special status of ...

, where German forces in the country were initially concentrated. Militarily, Slovakia was forced to fight a brief war against Germany's partner Hungary; the

Slovak–Hungarian War The Slovak–Hungarian War, or Little War (, ), was a war fought from 23 March to 31 March 1939 between the First Slovak Republic and Hungary in eastern Slovakia. Prelude After the Munich Pact, which weakened Czech lands to the west, Hungari ...

ended in further territorial concessions to Hungary that even exceeded the previous concessions made at the

First Vienna Award The First Vienna Award was a treaty signed on 2 November 1938 pursuant to the Vienna Arbitration, which took place at Vienna's Belvedere Palace. The arbitration and award were direct consequences of the previous month's Munich Agreement, whic ...

of 2 November 1938. Slovakia participated in

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 ...

on the side of the Axis; the Slovak Field Army Bernolák participated in the

German 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 ...

of September 1939 with a small-scale

Slovak invasion of Poland The Slovak invasion of Poland occurred during Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland in September 1939. The recently created Slovak Republic joined the attack, and Field Army Bernolák contributed over 50,000 soldiers in three divisions. Since mos ...

. On 23 June 1941, the Slovak Republic declared war on the Soviet Union, which had been invaded by Germany a day prior; a Slovak contingent subsequently was placed under the command of the German 17th Army. As the fortune of war on the Eastern Front turned against the Axis, Slovak soldiers began to desert in disproportionate numbers to the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

, especially after the widely acclaimed German defeat at the

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad ; see . rus, links=on, Сталинградская битва, r=Stalingradskaya bitva, p=stəlʲɪnˈɡratskəjə ˈbʲitvə. (17 July 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II, ...

1942/43. The actions of

Soviet partisans Soviet partisans were members of Resistance during World War II, resistance movements that fought a Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla war against Axis powers, Axis forces during World War II in the Soviet Union, the previously Territories of Poland an ...

in areas still occupied by Germany and its allies widened to include Slovakia as well starting in spring of 1944. The anti-German partisans started to infiltrate central Slovakia in August 1944, and the Bratislava government soon lost control in the area, declaring martial law on 10 August 1944. As even Slovak military officers were starting to defect to the underground

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 ...

, the German chief diplomat in Bratislava

Hanns Ludin Hanns Elard Ludin (10 June 1905 – 9 December 1947) was a German military officer, Nazi politician, ''Sturmabteilung'' general and diplomat. He participated in Holocaust-related actions as the Nazi ambassador to the Slovak Republic. At the end of ...

suggested to his government a German occupation of Slovakia. On 28 August, the German government gave corresponding orders and received a token permission by

Jozef Tiso Jozef Gašpar Tiso (, ; 13 October 1887 – 18 April 1947) was a Slovaks, Slovak politician and Catholic priest who served as president of the Slovak Republic (1939–1945), First Slovak Republic, a client state of Nazi Germany during World War ...

, the puppet president of Slovakia. Warnings were given out within the military resistance, and the

began on 29 August 1944, the same day as German troops moved to occupy the whole of Slovakia.

Operational history

Initially under command of

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 ...

, who was later succeeded by

Rudolf Viest Rudolf Viest (24 September 1890 – 1945) was a Slovak military leader, member of the Czechoslovak government in exile, member of the Slovak National Council and the commander of the 1st Czechoslovak army during the Slovak National Uprising. He ...

, the First Czechoslovak Army in Slovakia, which was formed in early October 1944, fought against better-armed German forces and pro-German Slovak formations until 27 October 1944, when

Banská Bystrica Banská Bystrica (, also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in central Slovakia, located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Greater Fatra, Veľká Fatra, and t ...

, where the insurgents had their power base, fell to the Germans. Viest had returned from exile in London to take his command. In late September, the 2nd Independent Czechoslovak Airborne Brigade and the

1st Independent Czechoslovak Fighter Regiment First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

joined the fight. In a protracted defensive battle, the Slovaks came under increasing pressure in mid-October 1944; a major German offensive of 18–20 October brought the military decision by enabling the capture of Banská Bystrica on the 27th. After the Slovak National Uprising was crushed, the First Czechoslovak Army in Slovakia operationally ceased to exist; surviving veterans and remnant groups retreated into Slovakia's mountains, from where they waged guerilla warfare against the Germans until the end of the war in early 1945.

Legacy

Memorials to the members of the Slovak National Uprising include the memorial to the 2nd Independent Czechoslovak Airborne Brigade in Nowosielce in Poland.{{Cite web , title=Memorial 2nd Independent Czechoslovak Airborne Brigade - Nowosielce - TracesOfWar.com , url=https://www.tracesofwar.com/sights/54931/Memorial-2nd-Independent-Czechoslovak-Airborne-Brigade.htm , access-date=2023-05-18 , website=www.tracesofwar.com , language=en

References

Slovak National Uprising Military units and formations of Czechoslovakia in World War II Military units and formations established in 1944 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944

Background

Operational history

Legacy

See also

References