Slovak partisans were fighters in

irregular military Irregular military is any military component distinct from a country's regular armed forces, representing non-standard militant elements outside of conventional governmental backing. Irregular elements can consist of militias, private armie ...

groups participating in the Slovak resistance movement, including 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 ...

and

collaborationism Wartime collaboration is cooperation with the enemy against one's country of citizenship in wartime. As historian Gerhard Hirschfeld says, it "is as old as war and the occupation of foreign territory". The term ''collaborator'' dates to the 19th c ...

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 ...

Beginning

Slovak partisans were an anti-fascist militia formed immediately following the creation of the First Slovak Republic in 1939, to fight against Nazis and their collaborators. Men and women both fought in the ranks of partisan units, as well as Jews and Christians alike. Slovak partisans had mixed loyalties as many were deeply nationalistic and wanted to maintain an independent Slovak Republic free of fascism, while many others were socialists who forged strong links with the Soviet Union and Soviet partisans. Slovak partisans mainly carried out acts of sabotage. Their largest anti-Nazi military engagement was 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 ...

in 1944, in which Slovak partisans were aided by the

Slovak Army The Slovak Ground Forces (), also known as the Slovak Army, are the land forces of the Slovak Armed Forces. Organization * Ground Forces Command, in Trenčín ** 71st Command Support Battalion, in Trenčín ** 103rd Nuclear, Biological and Ch ...

and

Soviet partisan Soviet partisans were members of resistance movements that fought a guerrilla war against Axis forces during World War II in the Soviet Union, the previously Soviet-occupied territories of interwar Poland in 1941–45 and eastern Finland. The ac ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

, generals in the Slovak Army, led the uprising, which was eventually crushed by the Germans and their Hungarian, Slovak and Ukrainian collaborators. The most famous Slovak partisan brigade was the M.R.Stefanik brigade led by the Slovak partisan hero

Viliam Žingor Viliam Žingor (30 July 1912 – 18 December 1950) was a Slovak partisan, one of the leaders of the Slovak National Uprising. Early life Viliam Žingor was born on 30 July 1912 in the village of Bystrička, Turóc County, Austria-Hungary to ...

. With 1300 members, it was the largest partisan brigade, and was fiercely nationalistic yet religiously tolerant, with over 300

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

members. After the war this brigade, and its leader, fell into disfavour among

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 ...

Communist politicians, who accused

Gustáv Husák Gustáv Husák ( , ; ; 10 January 1913 – 18 November 1991) was a Czechoslovak politician who served as the long-time First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia from 1969 to 1987 and the President of Czechoslovakia from 1975 ...

of being a traitor to the Slovak nation and people. Zingor was eventually executed by Husák and the communist government on December 18, 1950. The Janosik brigade was another partisan brigade, which fought in the Tatra Mountains and Orava.

Jewish brigades

Slovak Jewish partisans made outstanding accomplishments as members of all-Jewish groups. The most famous Slovak Jewish partisan unit was the

Nováky Brigade Nováky () () is a town in the Prievidza District, Trenčín Region in western Slovakia. Nováky Power Plant, a thermal power plant is located near the town. Until 1920 in the Kingdom of Hungary. The town is one of the centres of brown coal minin ...

, formed from the inmates of Novaky concentration camp. The Novaky brigade benefited from its strategic locale, as the camp was in a region populated by miners and farmers who had no sympathy for the pro-Nazi government. With the help of these friendly locals, the Novaky brigade made contacts with other partisans, and arranged to receive aid and weapons in the event of an armed uprising. In honour of their service to their country, 166 Jewish partisans were awarded the Order of the Slovak Uprising.

Famous partisans

There were many famous Slovak partisans but none more famous than the famous

Ján Nálepka Ján Nálepka (20 September 1912 in Szepessümeg, Kingdom of Hungary – 16 November 1943 in Ovruch, Operation Barbarossa, Axis powers-occupied Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union) was a Slovakia, Slovak captain who organized and led an Anti-fascism, a ...

, and

. *Martin Petrasek *

Rudolf Vrba Rudolf Vrba (born Walter Rosenberg; 11 September 1924 – 27 March 2006) was a Slovak-Jewish biochemist who, as a teenager in 1942, was deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Occupation of Poland (1939–1945), German-occupied Pol ...

Róbert Cvi Bornstein Róbert Cvi Bornstein (23 February 1926 – 28 May 2024) was a Slovak anti-fascist fighter and Holocaust survivor. Biography Róbert Bornstein was born on 23 February 1926 in Prešov into a religiously observant Jewish family. His father was a ...

* Emil Perko * Karol Adler *

Haviva Reik Haviva Reik (alternately Haviva Reick, Havivah Reich, Chaviva Reiková or Chaviva Reich) (22 June 1914 – 20 November 1944) was one of 32 or 33 parachutists sent by the Jewish Agency and Britain's MI9 on military missions in Nazi-occupied Europe. ...

* Ludovit Kukorelli * Jan Fedak * Viola Valachova * Katarina Chutkova * Jan Kovac * Zelma Steiner * Egon Roth *

Jan Usiak Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Num ...

* Michal Pavlovic * Milos Uher *

Irena Káňová Irena Káňová (5 April 1893 – 8 April 1963) was a Slovak politician who served in the of Czechoslovakia from 1919 until 1920 as a member of the Social Democratic Workers' Party. She was the only Slovak woman to serve in the Czechoslovak parl ...

File:HavivaReik.JPG, In Memoriam Chaviva Reikova Slovak-Jewish partisan File:Viola Valachová table.jpg, In Memoriam partisan File:JanUsiak.jpg,

partisan commander File:Bratislava Nova doba1.jpg, Michal Pavlovic partisan

Beginning

Jewish brigades

Famous partisans

See also

References

Further reading