Jozef Turanec (7 March 1892

Sučany Sučany () is a village and municipality in Martin District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia. It is located around 5 km northeast of Martin, in the Váh river valley. History In historical records the village was first mentioned ...

– 9 March 1957,

Leopoldov Leopoldov (before 1948 ''Mestečko''; ; ) is a town in the Trnava Region of Slovakia, near the Váh river. It has a population of around 4,000 inhabitants. The city is the location of Leopoldov Prison, a high-security correctional institution. H ...

) was a Slovak

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

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 ...

. During his military career, he served as a soldier 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), ...

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 ...

, later as an officer in 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 ...

and eventually reaching the post of a 2nd Class

in service of

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 ...

. He was also a recipient of the

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. While it was order of precedence, lower in preceden ...

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 ...

. Jozef Turanec served as a general in the

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 ...

. He held partial command of the Slovak Fast Division and helped in the command of the expeditionary force during

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...

. Turanec was a skilled commander and received the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

after a Slovak success in the Battle of Rostov in December 1941. After the war, Turanec was sentenced to 30 years in prison for treason. He died in prison in 1957.

Awards

on 7 August 1942 as Major General and commander of the Slovak Fast DivisionScherzer 2007, p. 752.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* 1892 births 1957 deaths People from Martin District Slovak collaborators with Nazi Germany Slovak military personnel of World War II Slovak people of World War II Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Czechoslovak military personnel of World War II Slovak people who died in prison custody Slovak Roman Catholics {{Europe-mil-bio-stub People convicted of treason against Czechoslovakia Prisoners who died in Czechoslovak detention