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| The Free Czechoslovak Army The Early Stages Jan Hyrman The basis of the Free Czechoslovak Army was set up by the intelligence staff in London, led with considerable foresight by the director of the pre-war Czechoslovak offensive military intelligence, Lt.-Col. Frantisek Moravec (not to be confused with his namesake, Lt.-Col. Emanuel Moravec, the traitor). He understood clearly even before the Munich pact, that the full occupation of Czechoslovakia is inevitable. The Czechoslovak agents in Germany were directed to make a connection with the agency's offices in Switzerland, the Netherlands and in Sweden and he secured a considerable amount of financial resources for intelligence activities abroad (nearly 1 million pounds). He also made an agreement with the British to evacuate the Czechoslovak intelligence archives to London, created an intelligence net for the home front and on 14th March 1939 he flew to London with 10 other intelligence officers. Gradually, he managed to create further agency centers in Yugoslavia, Turkey and Lithuania. The fact that the Czechoslovak intelligence was one of the most efficient and successful Allied services throughout the whole war must be considered his greatest achievement. The Polish stop became the first chapter of the history of the Free Czechoslovak Army in western Europe. Although 2,200 soldiers escaped to Poland from occupied Czechoslovakia, the Polish government showed no interest in their services. Thus a considerable part of them left for France, where their fate was to be very similar. The Czechoslovak military command was formed in France in 1939; on 2nd August the Czechoslovak Military Agency in Paris was founded. However, during peacetime, French laws did not permit the creation of foreign military units on French soil. After negotiations with the French government it is agreed that Czechoslovak soldiers will enter the French Foreign Legion under the condition that they will be transferred to the Free Czechoslovak Army if war breaks out. 4,000 vacancies are reserved for them in the Foreign Legion. The Free Army was at that time, headed by General Sergej Ingr, the pre-war operations department chief of the Czechoslovak staff. During the September 1938 mobilisation he was placed in command of the III Corps of the 4th Army, from where three other generals escaped abroad: Generals Rudolf Viest, Bedrich Neumann and Antonin Hasal. |
| Under the pressing danger of German invasion, the Polish government agreed with the creation of Czechoslovak units. Hence only 1,212 men left for France (477 out of the number were airmen), about 1,000 men remained in Poland, including 190 airmen. Due to the quick succession of events no battle-worthy units were created (a formation of a brigade was planned) and the Czechoslovak group retreated toward south east until being captured and interned by the Soviets, first at Jarmolince, then at Kamenec Podolski and Suzdal. In 1940 and 1941 most of the soldiers interned in the U.S.S.R. left in several transports to western Europe. Airmen were sent to England, army members to Palestine, where they entered the Czechoslovak units in the Middle East. 93 soldiers remained in the U.S.S.R., where they formed the basis of the Free Czechoslovak Army in the Soviet Union. On 3rd September 1939 France and Great Britain declared war on Germany. The Czechoslovak military command centre suggested to the French government that the Free Czechoslovak Army should be formed, along with the Czechoslovak government-in-exile. The French officials, who in many cases approved of the Munich Pact, were reluctant to enter into any kind of relationship with Czechoslovakia. On 12th September 1939, the Czechoslovak Military Mission was founded in France, on 2nd October an agreement was reached about the formation of the Free Czechoslovak Army in France and the process of forming the units started immediately. The town of Cognac, the Great War centre of forming the Czechoslovak Legion, expressed interest in reassuming its position as the home town of Czechoslovak units, however, due to the lack of accommodation facilities there, the town of Agde became the units' official station. First transports arrived there on 21st and 26th September (614 men in total), on 28th September the depot unit was formed, the 1st Infantry Battalion was formed on 29th September and the 2nd Infantry Battalion on 16th October. The unit was supplemented by soldiers who, after Poland's surrender, escaped from their homeland through Slovakia, Hungary and Yugoslavia to French Syria and Lebanon (the first transport from Beirut arrived on 4th October). Only very few of the 50,000 Czechoslovak citizens living in France at that time enlisted into the Free Army. On 17th November, a compulsory mobilization of Czechoslovak citizens was declared. |