Resistance in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
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Czechoslovak resistance to the
Consolidation of resistance groups: ÚVOD
The Czech resistance network that existed during the early years of the
The three major resistance groups that consolidated under ÚVOD were the Political Centre (Politické ústředí, PÚ), the Committee of the Petition "We Remain Faithful" (Petiční výbor Věrni zůstaneme, PVVZ), and the Nation's Defence (
In addition to serving as the means of communication between London and Prague, the ÚVOD was also responsible for the transmission of intelligence and military reports. It did so primarily through the use of a secret radio station, which could reach the Czech population. However, the ÚVOD was known to transmit inaccurate reports, whether false intelligence data or military updates. Sometimes this was intentional. Beneš often urged the ÚVOD to relay falsely optimistic reports of the military situation to improve morale or motivate more widespread resistance.
While the ÚVOD served as a principal aid to Beneš, it did sometimes depart from his policies. During the summer of 1941, the ÚVOD rejected Beneš' proposals for partial expulsion of the Sudeten Germans after the conclusion of the war and instead demanded their complete expulsion. The ÚVOD succeeded in changing Beneš' official stance on this issue.
ÚVOD and the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ)
The ÚVOD's relationship with the KSČ was an important aspect of its daily functions, as Soviet-Czech relations became a central part of their resistance efforts. The German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 marked a turning point in Soviet-Czechoslovak relations. Before the invasion, "the main Communist objective was to stop the imperialist war" and was often sympathetic to the German workers of the Reich. After the invasion, the Resistance began to rely on communist support both within Czechoslovakia and from Moscow. In a broadcast from London on 24 June 1941 via the ÚVOD, Beneš informed his country that "the relationship between our two states thus returned to the pre-Munich situation and the old friendship."
While the KSČ was not an official part of the ÚVOD and kept its organisational independence, it called for unity of action with all
The Czechs and the Heydrich assassination
The most famous act of the Czech and Slovak resistance was the
The German reaction to Heydrich's assassination is often credited with the annihilation of an effective Czech underground movement after 1942. The Nazis exacted revenge, razing to the ground the two villages of Lidice and Ležáky. In October 1942, 1,331 people were sentenced to death by courts in the Protectorate, and 252 people were sent to Mauthausen for involvement with the assassination plot. Finally, in the wake of German revenge, the last remaining members of the ÚVOD were arrested.
Partisan warfare
The character of warfare changed dramatically after 1942. Partisan groups began to form in forested or mountainous areas.
The largest and most successful group was the
Prague uprising
On 5 May 1945, in the last moments of the war in Europe, citizens of Prague spontaneously attacked the occupiers and Czech resistance leaders emerged from hiding to guide them. German troops counterattacked, but progress was difficult due to the defection of the Russian Liberation Army and barricades constructed by the Czech citizenry. On 8 May, the Czech and German leaders signed a ceasefire allowing the German forces to withdraw from the city, but not all SS units obeyed. When the Red Army arrived on 9 May, the city was already almost liberated.
Because it was the largest Czech resistance action of the war, the Prague uprising became a
Notable people
- Jan Morávek (1902–1984), Czech resistance member
References
- ISBN 978-0-313-36306-1.
- ^ Suchánková 2013, p. 5.
- ^ Bartošek 1965, p. 101.
- ^ Bartošek 1965, pp. 101–102.
- ^ Šír 2015.
- ^ Orzoff 2009, p. 207.
- ^ a b Hrošová 2012, pp. 156–157.
- ^ Hrošová 2012, p. 133.
- ^ Hrošová 2012, p. 58.
- ^ Hrošová 2012, pp. 171, 176.
- ^ Hrošová 2012, p. 93.
- ^ Hrošová 2012, p. 156.
- ^ Pynsent 2013, pp. 282–283, 285.
Bibliography
- Bartošek, Karel (1965). The Prague Uprising. Artia.
- Beneš, Edvard (1954). Memoirs of Dr Eduard Benes: From Munich to New War and New Victory. Translated by Godfrey Lias. Connecticut: Greenwood Press.
- Crampton, RJ (1997). Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century – and After. London and New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-16423-0.
- Hrošová, Marie (2012). Na každém kroku boj. Nové Město u Chlumce nad Cidlinou: Český svaz bojovníků za svobodu. ISBN 978-80-260-2483-5.
- Luža, Radomír (December 1969). "The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Resistance, 1939–1945". S2CID 155813819.
- ISBN 0-231-03303-6.
- Orzoff, Andrea (2009). Battle for the Castle: The Myth of Czechoslovakia in Europe, 1914–1948. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199709953.
- S2CID 144749278.
- Suchánková, Kateřina (2013). "Protipartyzánská operace Tetřev v roce 1944" (PDF). Masaryk University.
- Šír, Vojtěch (2015). "Útoky na železniční dopravu v Protektorátu Čechy a Morava (Attacks on rail transport in the Protectorate Bohemia and Moravia)". Fronta.cz.