Jaroslav Eminger (4 June 1886 – 14 July 1964) 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 ...

military officer who commanded the

Government Army The Government Army (Czech language, Czech: ''Vládní vojsko''; German language, German: ''Regierungstruppen'') was the military force of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, German occupation ...

during the period of 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 ...

. Eminger served in the Austrian Army during World War I and, post-war, advanced through the ranks as a cavalry officer in the army of the independent Czechoslovakia. He reluctantly accepted command of the Government Army in 1939, using his post to try to limit the extent of its cooperation with the occupation authorities. In 1945, he deployed the Government Army to reinforce Czech partisans against the ''

Waffen SS The (; ) was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with volunteers and conscripts from both German-occupied Europe and unoccupied lands. ...

'' during the Battle for Czech Radio and later dispatched additional troops to aid in the capture of

Prague Castle Prague Castle (; ) is a castle complex in Prague, Czech Republic serving as the official residence and workplace of the president of the Czech Republic. Built in the 9th century, the castle has long served as the seat of power for List of rulers ...

. After the defeat of Germany in World War II, Eminger was arrested and charged with collaboration with the occupation authorities. He was acquitted of all charges by the special National Court and restored to his military rank.

Early life and education

Jaroslav Eminger was born in

Čáslav Čáslav (; ) is a town in Kutná Hora District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative division ...

to a military family. He was educated at the

Theresian Military Academy The Theresian Military Academy (, TherMilAk) is a military academy in Austria, where the Austrian Armed Forces train their officers. Founded in 1751, the academy is located in the castle of Wiener Neustadt in Lower Austria. History The Th ...

Career

Early career

Eminger served in 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), ...

on the Russian and Italian fronts in

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 ...

. Between 1919 and 1922 he led the new Czechoslovak military mission in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

, coordinating its intelligence-gathering activities. Returning to Czechoslovakia, he advanced through the ranks as a cavalry officer, serving as commander of the equestrian school in

Pardubice Pardubice (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Repub ...

and ultimately being promoted to commanding officer of the 3rd Fast Division.

Command of the Government Army

Eminger left the country following the German occupation of the

Czech lands The Czech lands or the Bohemian lands (, ) is a historical-geographical term which denotes the three historical regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia out of which Czechoslovakia, and later the Czech Republic and Slovakia, were formed. ...

in 1939 but was persuaded by

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 ...

to return to help lead the creation of the new Government Army, of which he became the first commander in August. As inspector-general of the Government Army, Eminger was made General 2nd Class on 11 November 1939 and promoted to General 1st Class on 1 August 1942. During his time leading the Government Army, Eminger pursued a program of outward cooperation with the German authorities while quietly working to ensure the army's operational incompetence and turning a blind eye to resistance activities on the part of soldiers. In 1943 the Government Army was deployed in an attempt to capture parachutist drop sites in Bohemia and Moravia used by resistance fighters and the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

. According to one account, when asked by a subordinate officer what Protectorate soldiers should do in the event they successfully intercepted parachutists, Eminger replied, "if there are few you will ignore them, if there are many you will join them". In the spring of 1944,

Ferdinand Schaal Ferdinand Friedrich Schaal (7 February 1889 – 9 October 1962) was a German general during World War II. He commanded the 10th Panzer Division in the 1939 Invasion of Poland and directed the successful Siege of Calais in 1940. Schaal was i ...

requested

Emil Hácha Emil Dominik Josef Hácha (; 12 July 1872 – 27 June 1945) was a Czech lawyer, the president of Czechoslovakia from November 1938 to March 1939. In March 1939, after the breakup of Czechoslovakia, Hácha was the nominal president of the newly ...

order the deployment of the Government Army to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

to assist German military operations there, a deployment Eminger protested in vain. One of Eminger's final acts as commander of the Government Army came on 5 May 1945, when he ordered the army's 1st Battalion to turn their weapons against the German forces in the

Battle for Czech Radio An illicit broadcast from the radio studio in Prague helped spark the Prague uprising during the final days of World War II, but German counterattacks led to a pitched battle breaking out. The conflict became known as the Battle for Czech Radio (). ...

, with additional forces later moving to aid in the capture of Prague Castle.

Arrest and exoneration

Eminger was arrested after the end of World War II and, in April 1947, went on trial on charges of collaboration with Germany. His case was heard by the special National Court organized to try the 80 alleged "leading traitors". Several witnesses spoke in Eminger's defense against the charges of collaboration, and a written character reference signed by dozens more was submitted to the court. He was one of 15 persons acquitted by the special National Court, with the tribunal recording in the verdict that the allegations against him were "groundless" and that Eminger was "a loyal Czech and a brave man". In 1949 his military rank was restored and he was placed on the reserve roster 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 ...

Personal life

Following his exoneration, Eminger lived the rest of his life in secluded retirement in

Jevany Jevany is a municipality and village in Prague-East District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The c ...

. After death, he was interred in the family tomb at

Olšany Cemetery Olšany Cemeteries (, ) is the largest graveyard in Prague, Czech Republic, once laid out for as many as two million burials. The graveyard is particularly noted for its many remarkable Art Nouveau monuments. History The Olšany Cemeteries w ...

References

External links

Undated image of Eminger (kneeling)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eminger, Jaroslav 1886 births 1964 deaths Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Czech military leaders Czechoslovak military personnel of World War II People from Čáslav People from the Kingdom of Bohemia Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia Theresian Military Academy alumni