Richard Tesařík (3 December 1915 – 27 March 1967) was a

Czechoslovak Czechoslovak may refer to: *A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93) **First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38) **Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39) **Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60) ** Fourth Czechoslovak Repu ...

officer (Major General in 1956) and

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 ...

hero.

Career

Tesařík first emigrated to Poland after the

occupation of Czechoslovakia Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment *Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, th ...

and then, at the outbreak of World War II, fled to the USSR. He became commander of an infantry platoon in the

Battle of Sokolovo The Battle of Sokolovo took place on 8 and 9 March 1943, near the village of Sokolovo (, ''Sokolove'') near Kharkiv in Ukraine when the Third Battle of Kharkov, ongoing attack of the was delayed by joint Soviet Union, Soviet and Czechoslovakia, ...

(1943) and later a commander of a tank

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

, during which time he fought in the

Battle of Kiev (1943) The Second Battle of Kiev was a part of a much wider Soviet offensive in Ukraine known as the Battle of the Dnieper involving three strategic operations by the Soviet Red Army and its Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak units and one operational cou ...

Battle of 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 War ...

(1944) and in the Ostrava Offensive (1945). He also became a

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

Awards

Soviet state awards

(December 21, 1943) *

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

(December 21, 1943) *

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 ...

(1945)

Czechoslovak State Awards

* five Military Crosses *

Order of the White Lion The Order of the White Lion () is the highest order of the Czech Republic. It continues a Czechoslovak order of the same name created in 1922 as an award for foreigners (Czechoslovakia having no civilian decoration for its citizens in the 192 ...

"For Victory" * Order of the Slovak National Uprising, I degree * two Orders of the Red Banner of the Czechoslovak Republic * medal "For Bravery in front of the enemy" (November 08, 1945) * Medal of Merit of the first degree (1945) * medal "For Service to the Motherland" * medal "For Merits in the fight against fascism" * Sokolov Memorial Medal (1948) * Dukla Memorial Medal (1959)

Awards from other countries

Order of Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', ) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was established in 1792 by the last King of Poland Stanislaus II Augustus ...

(

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

) *

Order of the Crown of Romania The Order of the Crown of Romania is a chivalric order set up on 14 March 1881 by King Carol I of Romania to commemorate the establishment of the Kingdom of Romania. It was awarded as a state order until the end of the Romanian monarchy in 1947. ...

(

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

)

Memory

He died on March 27, 1967. He was buried at the city cemetery in the city of

Příbram Příbram (; or ''Przibram'') is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. It is known for its mining history, and more recently, its new venture into economic restructuring. The town is the t ...

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 ...

. Busts have been installed in the city of Pribram and on the Alley of Heroes on the

Dukla Pass The Dukla Pass (, , , ; AMSL) is a strategically significant mountain pass in the Laborec Highlands of the Outer Eastern Carpathians, on the border between Poland and Slovakia ( Lemkivshchyna) and close to the western border of Ukraine. The Du ...

: File:Busta Tesarik.jpg, Bust in Pribram (Czech Republic) File:Dukla busta R. Tesarik.jpg, Bust on the Alley of Heroes on the Dukla Pass (Slovakia)

References

Czech generals Czech people of World War II Czechoslovak Army officers 1915 births 1967 deaths Foreign Heroes of the Soviet Union Czechoslovak military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Czechoslovak War Cross Recipients of the Order of the White Lion Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Military personnel from Prague Eyepatch wearers {{czechRepublic-mil-bio-stub