Members of the Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade in fights during the Se

66 Pages·2012·3.61 MB·English

MASARYK UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF EDUCATION

Department of English Language and Literature

We were besieging Dunkerque- Members of the
Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade in
fights during the Second World War

Bachelor Thesis
Brno 2012

Supervisor: Author:
Mgr. Zdeněk Janík, M.A., Ph.D Jitka Vosmeková
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Declaration
I declare that I have written this bachelor thesis on my own and that I have used the
materials listed in the Works Cited.
I agree that this work can be used as material for study resources.

Kamenec u Poličky, 14th April 2012
Jitka Vosmeková ………………………………………
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Prohlášení
Prohlašuji, že jsem napsala tuto bakalářskou práci sama a že jsem použila materiály
použité v citaci.
Souhlasím, aby tato práce byla použitá jako zdroj studijních materiálů.

Kamenec u Poličky, 14. Duben 2012
Jitka Vosmeková ………………………………………
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Acknowledgement
This bachelor thesis was completed thanks to many factors, people, meetings and
exhibitions. I would like to thank everyone who helped me with my research, namely, Mgr.
Zdeněk Janík,M.A., PhD., supervisor of this thesis, for his valuable advice, comments and
support. I would also like to show my appreciation to Tomáš Jambor for entrusting to me
some of his photographs and materials from his research, Jakub Švec for helping me with
historical facts, Sergeant Josef Švarc for providing material and contacts and especially the
war veterans who were willing to share their stories: Lieutenant Colonel Josef Svatoň and
Brigade General Stanislav Hnělička.

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Annotation
This bachelor thesis deals with the theme of Czechoslovakian war veterans fighting in
the Second World War. During this period in history these soldiers were not able to fulfil their
mission in the Czechoslovak Republic since it was occupied by Hitler´s Germany. The
realisation of this idea was possible only by joining either foreign or Czechoslovak military
units formed abroad.
The aim of this thesis is to show the atmosphere of war, of combat and to identify and explore
the human qualities of those who voluntarily risked their lives in the fight against Nazism. For
this purpose, I have analysed the personal experiences of two young Czechoslovaks who were
part of the Second World War. Their accounts and experiences differ in many ways but also
have similarities. I used two methods to collect information from my subjects: interview and
the written notes from a personal diary.
Key Words
Second World War, history, nation, languages, personal experience, heroes, homeland,
values, bravery, courage, strength of spirit
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Content
1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 9
2. Historical background of the Second World War ............................................................. 11
2.1 The Czech Nation in the War ................................................................................. 12
2.2 Emigration .............................................................................................................. 13
2.3 Poland .................................................................................................................... 14
2.4 France ..................................................................................................................... 14
2.5 Great Britain ........................................................................................................... 15
2.6 The Middle East and South Africa ......................................................................... 16
2.7 Great Britain 1943 – 1945 ...................................................................................... 17
2.8 The Soviet Union ................................................................................................... 20
2.9 Political Persecution of Army Corps ..................................................................... 21
3. Stanislav Hnělička ............................................................................................................ 23
3.1 Decoration ................................................................................................................. 24
3.2 Coming to England .................................................................................................... 24
3.2.1 Comparing the Treatment of the Czech Soldiers in the Middle East and in
England25
3.3 Dunkerque, In the Real Front Again ......................................................................... 26
3.3.1 Personal War Experience ............................................................................ 26
3.3.2 Variability of Commands Mr. Hnělička Perfomed ..................................... 27
3.3.3 Personal Experience of the Conflict on 28th October 1944........................ 27
3.3.4 Mr. Hnělička as a Scout Party Commander ................................................ 27
3.3.5 Personal Experience of the Conflict on 5th November1944 ........................ 28
3.3.6 Friendlier Face of War ................................................................................ 31
3.3.7 Capitulation ................................................................................................. 32
3.4 The Way Home .......................................................................................................... 32
3.5 Hidden War ................................................................................................................ 33
4. Colonel Josef Svatoň ......................................................................................................... 37
4.1 His Way to the Battlefield ........................................................................... 37
4.1.1 Powerful Moments .................................................................................. 37
4.1.2 The Beginning of the Journey ................................................................. 38
4.1.3 Obstacles to Overcome ........................................................................... 39
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4.2 Mr. Svatoň in the French War 1940 ............................................................ 41
4.2.1 For the First Time in Real Combat ...................................................... 42
4.2.2 Dark Sight of War ............................................................................... 43
4.2.3 Tough Moments ................................................................................... 44
4.3 The Training in Britain ............................................................................... 46
4.4 France, Dunkerque ...................................................................................... 48
4.5 Back in the Homeland ................................................................................. 49
4.6 Final Words ................................................................................................. 50
5. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 51
6. Summary ........................................................................................................................... 54
7. Resumé .............................................................................................................................. 55
8. List of Refences ................................................................................................................ 56

9. Appendix ........................................................................................................................... 57

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Vojákova motlitba (Soldier´s prayer)
Stůj při mně Bože mám teď strach
už přišla noc, chlad na mne sáh´
Noc dlouhá je snad k nepřečkání
jak skončí Bože nemám zdání.
Pro věrnost k padlým z lásky k vlasti
stáli jsme sami nad propastí
Teď bez naděje bez ochrany
už slyšeli jsme zvonit hrany.

Už tváří tvář jsem smrti stál
vím dobře proč jsem bojoval
By dětem v míru voněl květen
za života čistý lepší svět.

Poem written by war veteran Václav Straka *8.4.1914
† 11.6.2011
from the poem collection: “Válečný veterán”:
He was trained in GB and he participated in fights in France and in Tobruk.

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1. Introduction
Studying English at the Faculty of Education requires the studying of a wide range of
information from many different sources which presents an idea that languages are not only
about words. What then are languages about? If well-chosen words spoken at the right time
and in the right place are powerful, what is it that makes them powerful? According to the
program of subjects of the Faculty of Education, when someone wants to understand
languages, he needs to understand other aspects as well. Languages include more than words.
They are closely connected with history, culture, atmosphere, nature, literature, the people and
their social values. The separation of one of these characteristics from another cannot be
accomplished without changing the whole. All the parts are important and help to characterize
languages and the differences between them. When we are born into a nation we are somehow
connected with it and influenced by its culture, history and all that was mentioned above.
What does it mean to us? How influenced we are by the other factors which relate to
language? Today, do the social mores we now face on a daily basis contradict those qualities
that led the Czech nation’s heroes and their actions in World War II? Would we take the
appropriate course of action? Would we fall back on the actions related in past history or
would our current political and ethical values point us in a different direction?
It is said, “History is not just something to be studied; it is also something to be
lived...” (Mortimer, back page). This thesis analyses a part of history that could be seen as a
dark side of it. An initial view of the Second World War typically recognizes, that many lives
were lost, cultural buildings damaged and the national identity disrupted. However, beyond
this generalized point of view there are many stories of lives which still hold meaning: stories
that are worth remembering and people who not only lived history but also created it. They
may be called modern - day heroes. What does one imagine thinking the word hero and how
would a dictionary define it? A heroic personality would probably look different going further
back in history and throughout different nations. Nevertheless, a connection may still be
found. The definition found in Cambridge dictionary says:” a person who is admired for
having done something very brave or having achieved something great” or “someone you
admire very much” (dictionary.cambridge.org).
What features characterize people who voluntarily fought in the Second World War
and what gave them the strength to fight in the face of death? One might say that the goal was
to survive from day to day but looking at the empty bed of a friend who will never come back
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to sleep in it or thousands of dead people, thousands of maimed soldiers, injured in body,
affected in their souls. Was this all worth experiencing?
In my bachelor thesis I am going to find answers to these questions by analysis of the
true-life experience of two soldiers of the Czechoslovakian army who served in the Second
World War, Stanislav Hnělička and Josef Svatoň. I have chosen these two men because their
experience of the war is rich and both of them can offer interesting yet different stories. I had
the chance to interview Mr. Hnělička in his home in Liberec in September 2011. The written
copy of the record will be available in the university archive. Although he is a 90-year old
man, he is still very charming and his memory is brilliant. He was decorated to the highest
rank of Brigade General in November 2011, almost 70 years after the end of the war. I got the
information about Mr. Svatoň from Mr. Jambor, vice - chairman of the Československá obec
legionářská Brno 1. Mr. Jambor has spent 40 years collecting photographs and information
about members of fights from WW2 so far. He has lent me some of his materials and also the
precious personal diary of Josef Svatoň, who unfortunately died in Ontario on 13th December
2011, during the time this thesis was being written. I have translated the interview and the
stories from the personal diary by myself.
I hope that my thesis will also be a lasting memory of the precious stories of both men.

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