1

PREFACE

Before you start reading this work and you get familiar with the history of the 7th Czechoslovak »Tatranský« Rifle Regiment as well as with destinies of the Czech and Slovak patriots who fought there, I would like to explain why their heroic deeds, which had to be suppressed for so long, should be revealed again.

In this time of hustle and bustle almost no one remembers how the first Czechoslovak Republic was created. Almost nobody remembers the members of the Czechoslovak legions in Russia, France and Italy who fought for their dreams. They dreamt about free homeland, free Czechoslovakia and they made this dream come true only thanks to their determination, perseverance and extraordinary bravery. Freedom can be lost easily, but it can be gained again only by a sword. That is why we should always remember not to be indifferent to fate of our nation. Our brothers- legionaries were not indifferent either and they believed they would bring freedom to their beloved ones. If these brave men had not lived, we would probably be only slaves without the name, the slaves who do not have any

right to education, their own language as well as their culture. It is strange how little we know about the people who did so much for us and how rarely they are talked about in public. After World War I had broken out, these virtuous fighters were recruited to Austro-Hungarian Army as the monarchy citizens. However, they refused to fight for their oppressors against brotherly Russians. As a result, they voluntarily went into Russian captivity where they later formed the independent Czechoslovak Army. All the men serving in the Czechoslovak legions were volunteers.

The legionaries fought with heart and soul alongside the Russian Army against hated Austria-Hungary and Germany. Their main goal was to defeat the Central Powers because this was the only way how free Czechoslovakia could be founded. Their fight for the nation was, however, threatened after Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and the subsequent events. And that is why these heroes were damned. The reason was that they made a stand against the Bolshevik army which restrained them from going to French battlefield and then from going home. The legionaries were dragged into the civil war in Russia as members of allied forces and they had to fight merciless battles throughout the whole Trans-Siberian Railway. I am personally convinced that there was no other way at that time and that our legionaries were forced to do everything they did. That was the time of real men who had a heart, the age of men who managed to do the things without looking for their own personal benefits, the age of men such as General Milan Rastislav Štefánik, the first Czechoslovak Minister of War, who sacrificed everything and even his life for his country. These heroes fought and had travelled throughout the world to win freedom for their motherland. Every time I read memoirs about Czechoslovak legionaries and I learn about their deeds and fates, I imagine faces of the men full of determination, the faces of young boys and the faces of people who got a chance to change something and right an old wrong done to their people. What is more, they had a chance to live and work only for their people and in the name of their nation. Sometimes I wish I could be born 100 years earlier and lived with them and I wish I

2

were with them in that big moment when, as our brothers legionaries would say, our nations’ fate was being decided.

My version supplemented by photographs and information, which should clarify some facts, was written by Staff Captain Václav IVIČIČ and it is meant to express gratitude and respect to those who died for the Czecho-Slovak nation.

brother Miroslav BILSKÝ president of KVH - TATRANCI

3

SWEAR of CZECHOSLOVAK LEGIONARIES from RUSSIA

"We, the Czechoslovak soldiers of the first revolutionary army beyond our nation's borders, hereby break our contractual ties with the Hapsburgs and the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, remembering those great and thus far not vindicated wrongs, which they perpetrated for entire centuries on our dear Czechoslovak nation and its foreign revolutionary movement leader, Czechoslovak National Committee with Professor Masaryk at its helm.

We swear:

In the name of our humanity and national honor, in the name of everything, which we, as fellow humans and Czechs and Slovaks, hold dear, in complete harmony with our conscience, we will fight alongside our allies to the last drop of blood, against all our enemies until we ensure the complete freedom of our Czechoslovak nation, until our Czech and Slovak land is united in a self-determined and independent Czechoslovak state, until our people in all of our land are the stewards and lords of their own fate.

Gloriously we oblige that never and nowhere, however dangerous the conditions, without fear and without doubt, with complete awareness and conscience of the highest goal of our plight shall we under any circumstances retreat, but as faithful and honest soldiers, carrying in our blood the heritage of our glorious history and always remembering heroic deeds of our martyrs and leaders, Jan Hus and Jan Zizka of Trocnov, we promise to always revere them, fight for truth and our rights, to never flee from battle, to never dodge any danger, to obey the orders of our commanders, to honor our seals and flags, to never beg our enemy for mercy, and with the weapon in hand to never surrender, to love and, in danger, protect our brothers, not to be afraid of death, to sacrifice everything, even my life, for our nation's and motherland's freedom.

Without any sort of coercion, freely decided, we want to and shall act so.

So commands our honor and fidelity to our people and our homeland!"

4

THE BEGINNINGS OF REVOLT IN RUSSIA

In May 2007, it will have been 90 years since the 7th„Tatranský“ Rifle Regiment was

formed. In the First Czechoslovak Republic, it was located in Nitra garrison. The period of 90 years means almost nothing for the world history; it is just a small fragment of the history of nations. However, it meant a lot for the people who had fresh memories of the war years1914 – 1918 and the following two restless years in their motherland as well as two years during which Czechoslovak legions fought in Russia. It mainly meant a lot for the newly-formed Czechoslovakia and its army, which was formed from nothing. In fact, I mean the regiments of foreign Czechoslovak legions in Russia, France and Italy. The 7th„Tatranský“ Rifle Regiment belonged also to the foreign Czechoslovak legions.

As our youth might learn at school, the Czech and Slovak citizens living abroad started to organize since the outbreak of World War I in order to let the world know that they did not agree with the policy of Austria-Hungary and that they called for liberation of minority nations of the former Austria-Hungary Monarchy. These were, in the first place, the Czechs and Slovaks living in Russia and France who demanded, with arms in their hands, liberation of their brothers – Czechs and Slovaks from Austria-Hungary yoke. These citizens would join the allied forces and later, after their scattered divisions achieved a great success, they called for establishment of their own Czechoslovak military units.

The well-known battle at Zborov convinced the Russian authoritative government and army officers that the Czechoslovak revolt against Austria-Hungary is serious and that it would be advantageous even for the Allies to have the centered Czechoslovak Army, supported as much as possible.

»The first unit of the Czechoslovak army was the “Czechoslovak Brigade”, which was

deployed on 2 July 1917 near the Ukrainian town Zborov with 3,800 men. The battle took more than 6 hours and after that the attacking Czechoslovak units managed to break all enemy’s entrenchment lines which were defended by more than 12,000 Austrian, Hungarian and German soldiers. More than 4,000 enemy soldiers were taken into captivity and 20 cannons of different calibre as well as a large amount of machine guns were seized by the Czechoslovak Brigade. The Czechoslovak losses were 185 killed and 800 injured. It is necessary to point out that the whole summer offensive in 1917, in which the Czechoslovak Army took place, was formed from the voluntary forces. The Czechoslovak Brigade voluntarily joined the striking force at the Congress of South-Western Front Committee on 28 May 1917. During disruption of Russian Army, which was caused by restless situation in Russia (resignation of Czar Nikolai II and establishment of the Provisional Government), the Czechoslovak Army was one of the main pillars of military forces.«

It was possible to increase the number of soldiers only under condition that the

Russian military leaders allowed all the Czech and Slovak volunteers among the captives of Austria-Hungary Army, who were interned in Russian camps or who worked for farmers or in Russian military plants, to join the Czechoslovak military units. Until then, these volunteers had been waiting in vain for their dreams and wishes to come true – their dream was to fight for freedom for their dear ones, who were oppressed in their own country, and fight this freedom alongside the renowned Russian Army, in the Czechoslovak units and with their own flag. The same situation was also in France and later in Italy; however, their situation was a bit more difficult. At last, the battle at Zborov dispersed clouds of mistrust and the Russian command – and later the French and Italian headquarters – allowed the captives, the Czech and Slovak volunteers, to join the independent Czechoslovak military part. In a short time, the

5

2nd Czechoslovak Division was formed from the 1st Czechoslovak Brigade and soon also from the new volunteers in Russia. This division included also the 7th Tatranský Infantry Regiment whose original task was to demonstrate the unity of the revolt idea and dreams as well as inseparability of the power of Czechs and Slovaks living not only abroad but also those who could not express their will freely in Austria-Hungary. Later, before the Czechoslovak Legions left Russia, the 3rd Czechoslovak Division had been formed. As other regiments got their names after towns and counties in their country or the names of famous Czechs and Slovaks, the 7th regiment got the name »Tatranský«, so that it could demonstrate the joint effort of Czechs and Slovaks in the foreign revolt. This regiment consisted mainly of Slovak volunteers who wanted to prove their will to fight and live together with their Czech brothers; they fought with the Slovak flag and cross and they proved their desire to the fullest. Slovaks can be proud of their Slovak regiment, their oldest military unit within the Czechoslovak Army.

In the old days some towns were proud of their units; and now Nitra, Old Slovak Nitra and the whole Slovakia can be proud of the „Tatranský“ Regiment which is regarded as one of the most merited regiments within the foreign Czechoslovak Legions.

The regiment was formed in the restless war years, in May 1917 in the Ukrainian town Berezan, in the former Poltava Governorate. This town is a 3-km long village with 10,000 inhabitants; it is situated on both banks of the Nedra River and is surrounded by sandy hills and swamps.

On the outskirts of this village, there was an abandoned training camp consisting of 11 dwellings called “zemljanka”, e. i. long buildings, which were half dug in the ground and half above the ground, covered with a heap of soil shaped as a roof and aligned with the ground on one side. There were some windows only in roof shields. In the interior, two rows of boards were spread along the walls and there was only a narrow passage between these two lines. Even when it drizzled, rain water was leaking in, making living in these dwellings almost impossible. The kitchen, bakery and stables were constructed as our barns and, besides these, there were two cauldrons for boiling water for tea („kipiatky”) located on columns under the old wooden roof.

These dwellings were found by the volunteers, who came full of enthusiasm from prison camps. A lot of them were barefoot, dressed in ragged civilian clothes or old ragged Austria-Hungary uniforms. Only few lucky men were wearing decent civilian clothes with several rubbles in their pockets. In May 1917, when the old and renowned Russian Army was being torn to pieces and destructed, the Russian headquarters permitted formation of the “Reserve Battalion of the 3rd Czechoslovak Tatranský Infantry Regiment”, which was first commanded by Russian Staff Captain Dremin. The regiment lacked uniforms, money, products and weapons. The volunteers often went on duties in civilian clothes and unarmed and the food was cooked in turns in one kitchen for all individual companies. Training was seldom organized because there was neither equipment nor armament. Despite this poverty, the volunteers lived joyfully and in harmony. They even organized music and singing hobby groups and they planned to establish a theatre group. Rare training and all office agenda were ruled by Russian regulations.

NAME OF REGIMENT

In the middle of June, this reserve battalion was renamed to »Reserve Battalion of the 7th Czechoslovak Tatranský Infantry Regiment«. However, in that time, the regiment consisted of only 4 companies, which were accompanied by the trench half-platoon on 21

6

July. This platoon was the basis for the later 2nd Engineer Company of the Czechoslovak Army in Russia.

ENLARGEMENT OF REGIMENT

In that time, an issue of the 7th Regiment’s enlargement by numerous volunteers was being discussed. The question was mainly whether the 7th Infantry Regiment should be manned with volunteers coming exclusively from Slovakia or not. We do not have plenty of documents explaining the reasons why the 7th regiment did not arise only from Slovak volunteers; from my point of view, it was because of fast events coming one after another, which made solution of this issue impossible. We have only fragmentary memoirs of the 12th company, which was exclusively Slovak from the very beginning; this company included also one platoon which consisted exclusively of Bácka and Banát citizens - »Slovak volunteers coming from the territory of Yugoslavia«. The memoirs show that this issue was being discussed. I present the excerpt from the following records to provide more information:

„23 July. Professor T.G.Masaryk should arrive in Borispol (note: consecutive garrison of the 5th Czechoslovak Regiment). He should be greeted by individual companies; for this purpose the following Slovaks were chosen as delegates: Ján Kulík, Karol Čipka and Mikuláš Gacek.“

At the meeting held in Borispol, the idea of concentrating Slovaks in the Tatranský Regiment was first put forward. The report of this meeting included the following:

„On 24 July, we were visited by the precious guests who came here to welcome Professor Masaryk. They were brothers WO Dr Vl. Daxner, member of the Czechoslovak National Council Branch, Lt Miloš Gavora, 2Lt G. Čipka, 2 Lt St. Slezák, 2Lt Manica, 2Lt Čatloš, WO St. Mihal, WO P. Klimo, recruit Karol Čipka and recruit Mikuláš Gacek. As soon as the welcome ceremony had finished, they got together at the meeting.

After a long debate, the decision was made that we would belong to the Tatranský Regiment. On that same day, one volunteer, who came from Petrograd Governorate and who would often meet the editor and teammates of „Slovenské Hlasy-(Slovak Voices)“ (Hurban, Janeček and dr Jesenský), said that the brothers in Petrograd thought that it would have been better if Slovaks had been divided in regiments rather than staying in one regiment together. Brother Daxner took the floor and said: “In the beginning, I had the same opinion as our brothers in Petrograd have now; however, as I see your work, power and ambitions, I fully agree with you and I will do my best, if it is possible, for Slovaks so that they can stay together in the Tatranský Regiment. If our brothers saw your strength and endeavour, they would certainly agree with me.”

Nevertheless, this issue was not solved even in autumn of the same year. The report of the 12th company of the 7th regiment from 3 September says:

„We (note: 12th company of the 7th regiment) were visited by Dr Ivan Markovič, secretary of the Czechoslovak National Council branch in Petrograd and Dr Vl. Daxner, member of the recruitment committee of the Czechoslovak National Council branch. At 5 pm, they called a meeting held in the officers’ mess hall. The following persons were present: Ján Kulík, Lud. Urbančok, Miloš Smetana, Fr. Rybárik, Mik. Gacek, Ant. Šeben, Mil. Lajda, Michal Boban, Pavel Kalamen, Kol. Petráš, Lud. Boboš, Ján Potúcek, Rudo Slabej, Daniel Izák, Lad. Bodický, Andrej Dešt, WO Ferd. Čatloš, 2Lt G. Čipka and Michal Kuchárik. General Červinka got the following extract about this meeting: „The extract from the report of the Slovak intelligence meeting attended by Dr Markovič, the secretary of the Czechoslovak National Council branch and the recruitment committee member as well as Professor Masaryk held on 3 September 1917 at 5 pm. Dr. Daxner said that he talked about this issue to Gen

7

Červinka in Piriatín, at the meeting of the military and recruitment committee. General Červinka appealed to the opinion of American delegate Košík and secretary Dr Markovič, who were against concentration of Slovaks in one military unit. That is why the Slovak intelligence should consider this issue and if they deem such a concentration necessary, General will issue particular orders.” Daxner considered positive and negative sides of such a concentration and he even asked other people for advice; finally, he concluded that it was necessary to get advantages from this concentration but also advantages of coexistence of Slovaks and our brothers Czechs. He suggested that there should be at most two thirds of Slovaks in each individual unit. In this way one third of Czechs could influence Slovaks in each company. Such coexistence could result in development of the real brotherhood. The reasons for concentration are as follows: 1. Control over reliability of new volunteers is easier. We will easily recognize suspicious people who claim to be Slovaks; however, any agent among Czechs blends into if only he can speak Slovak (spy, Bolshevik). 2. Education of our soldiers is possible thanks to coexistence of intelligent and common people. 3. It is easy to choose fellow workers and agitators. They are all together. 4. Even now we can see the big impact the group of Slovaks in the 7th regiment has on prison camps. The more Slovaks, the bigger influence there will be. 5. From the political point of view, it is necessary to show that Slovaks present the majority also in some other regiments. If we take 4,000 volunteers, these will be mostly in two regiments.

Dr. Markovič was really against concentration, but after he had spent some time among the Slovak volunteers in the Tatranský Regiment, he changed his mind. And even the volunteers felt much better when they saw there were more of them together. This impact on the outside is indisputable.

After a longer debate, attended by the volunteers Šeben, Smetana, Boboš, Rybárik and others, the members acknowledged the reasons for concentration and unanimously approved concentration of Slovaks after considering the proposal by Dr Daxner which excluded even a shadow of separatism and ensured all the advantages resulting from coexistence of Slovaks and Czechs. Dr Daxner was entrusted to inform the relevant authorities of this decision. We can get all this information from the memoirs of the 12th Company of the 7th Regiment, which described the idea and plans for concentration of Slovaks in the 7th Regiment. However, the events in Russia, which were happening so fast, had a direct impact on the Czechoslovak Army in Russia and they made it impossible to implement even the smallest plan. This was because the worries about existence of the Russian Army were much bigger. And in similar cases, when life of an entire unit was threatened, volunteers did not make any national, political, religious or social differences.

The events in Russia in the winter and spring 1918 resulted in the fact that the Slovak volunteers could not be concentrated, with the exception of the 7th Regiment, where only the 12th Company consisted of only Slovaks until they returned home. Plenty of Slovaks stayed scattered in the remaining companies of the 7th Regiment and other units of the Czechoslovak Army in Russia; some of them were grouped in the regiments of the latter formed 3rd Czechoslovak Division.

However, the 7th Regiment remained the cradle of Slovak volunteers and the Slovak intelligence of the 7th Regiment started to perform a lot of agitation activities, which were important also for the Slovak camp in Irkutsk, which was later formed into other military units of our army in Russia.

8

AGITATION ACTIVITIES – EMISSARIES

In autumn 1917, four volunteers of the 7th Regiment, Daniel Izák, Rudolf Klačko, Martin Oríšek and Pavel Topoľský, were sent to the central regions of Russia as emissaries whose task was to recruit Slovak and Czech captives into the Czechoslovak army and to organize their transport to Kyjev.

MATERIAL SUPORT OF THE 7TH REGIMENT IN AUTUMN AND WINTER 1917/1918

Material support of the 7th Regiment had improved by August 1917, when 2,000 sets

of equipment and armament were supplied. The regiment was reorganized to the regiment headquarters, 3 infantry battalions consisting of 4 infantry companies and 3 gunner companies, 1 supporting company, regimental band, police section, cavalry recce unit as well as mortar, trench and communications sections.

On 25 August 1917, the regiment was renamed to »the 7th Tatranský Rifle Regiment«. The name »rifle« used to be given to distinguished Russian regiments for their merits.

Life of the regiment in Berezan was not enviable because the local people looked at us with misunderstanding. And if they ever came closer to our volunteers, they must have done it just for material purposes.

After the celebration of the St Wenceslaus Day in 1917, the regiment came alive. The volunteers organized theatre performances, evening parties and lectures, which were accessible also to civilians. However, life in the dwellings called “zemljanka” became unbearable and impossible due to autumn weather. There was no money for their reconstruction. As a result, the companies were put up in the local houses, which resulted, however, in the loss of discipline and order. When the Russian commissary stores were emptied in a revolutionary way, the regiment appointed a special committee whose task was to acquire products and food for the kitchen. However, we did not get anything for depreciated revolutionary Russian currency and therefore requisition began. The situation was not that serious because the farmers from the surroundings gave us their corn and cattle stores voluntarily; they did this because they did not want anyone to despoil their stores. The volunteers called this time properly – “Berezan Famine”. The third battalion of the regiment was quartered in the nearest village to make supply easier. Later, the rest of the regiment was also dispersed throughout the surrounding farms and villages. Despite this poverty and misery, the volunteers were cheerful; however, the bad financial situation made the Bolshevik agitation in our units easier. Nonetheless, its impact was not serious and only several unreliable people had left. There was no need to cry over them.

At Christmas, the regiment lacked even bread and financial help provided by the Slovak National Council Branch was just a drop in the sea.

In the first months of 1918, the situation is becoming even more critical. In spring 1918, the Bolshevik invasion in Ukraine took place. Our regiment kept an order in its quarters on its own and remained strictly neutral, as other Czechoslovak units, in battles between the Ukrainian and Bolshevik troops. But this was possible only until the German troops came to help Ukraine. This meant the threat to existence of our troops.

»In this time, Ukraine was divided into two political camps – Bolshevik and Kharkov governments and the White Guard Ukrainian Central Council seated in Kiev. The Ukrainian Central Council, which had to leave Kiev under the pressure of Bolshevik troops, asked

9

German military troops for help. The council wanted to control and administer the whole territory of Ukraine, which was economically and industrially rich (military industry) even at the price of becoming the German protectorate. «

LEAVING UKRAINE

Going through a very critical financial and political situation, the 7th Regiment was waiting for an order to leave Russia; this order was not secret at all because it was clear that the Czechoslovak troops in Russia were waiting for reestablishment of Anti-Central Front. And when the Russian commander of the regiment showed little energy and initiative, the order to leave was issued by Capt Kadlec, the commander of the 3rd Battalion. It happened on 2 March 1918 and this order was, at the same time, the first order for the regiment issued and written in the volunteers’ mother tongue. In fact, Capt Kadlec also led the departure of the regiment. The regiment left Berezan and the surrounding villages on 3 March1918 (on the day when the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed) in three train sets. The regiment consisted of 165 officers, 2895 men and 216 horses. Its departure was being monitored by the German aircraft.

After leaving Ukraine, Bolsheviks started to use our departure so that they were not threatened by the Ukrainian and German troops advancing to Russia. On the other hand, Germans – as our enemies – tried to stop our departure from Russia to the French battlefield.

»On 25 January 1918, the 4th Decision of the Central Ukrainian Council declared Ukraine an independent country, without federative connection to Russia. The Kharkov Soviet Government, which occupied Kiev, cancelled the 4th Decision of the Central Council and declared itself against the separate peace; however, it was not approved by the Central Powers. The powers continued peace talks with the Central Council, which finally agreed to sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. This treaty buried hope for opening of the anti-central front.«

BAKHMACH

The railroad hub in Bakhmach provided them a very good position for achievement of their goal, which they tried to destroy. As a result, Capt Kadlec decided to protect Bakhmach, which was partially covered by the 6th Czechoslovak Regiment, in order to save our 1st Division, which had to cross this route and which was now engaged in the battles against German troops west of Kiev. Therefore, Capt Kadlec commanded there the companies of his train. On 8 March, German troops moving towards Bakhmach were observed. On this day, the battle of Bakhmach began; it was the battle against well-armed German forces which lasted until 11 March, the day on which all our non-combatant forces had to be deployed. Attack is the best defence and Capt Kadlec commanded the battle in such a away that the German superior forces were surprised by our vehement attack; as a result, they did not conduct any bigger operations even though they still had infantry, cavalry and artillery reserves, which we did not have. German suffered big losses. On 12 March, the units of the 7th Regiment were replaced by the 4th Czechoslovak Regiment and they followed the remaining units of the 7th Regiment to the east. The battle of Bakhmach is described in detail in the booklet written by Lt Col Dr Čermák called „The Battle of Bakhmach and Retreat from Ukraine in 1918“.

Our regiment got its baptism of fire at Bakhmach, but it managed to preserve its good reputation. After that, it moved toward the east and the Bolsheviks tried to delay its advance

10

because they were not happy to see us leaving and they realized that there would be no one to protect their backs against Ukrainians, the territory of whose they did not want to lose.

On 28 March 1918, the command of the regiment was taken by Capt Gajda. The regiment’s trains were slowly moving toward Penza, where all the weapons were handed in according to an agreement between the Czechoslovak National Council Branch and the Soviet authorities. The weapons were handed in just because the trains were supposed to continue peacefully toward Vladivostok. This was the promise made by the Bolsheviks; however, they did not keep it. Soon our volunteers had to fight their weapons back with their own blood so that they could reach their destination. They had to fight their weapons back from those to whom they handed them in.

The trains were moving very slowly and the volunteers diligently learnt French, completed equipment of the trains and decorated them. Their freight wagons became their moving homes. The actual 3 trains were used to assembly 5 trains so that there was more comfort on such a long journey. It took a lot of effort to hide some weapons because our volunteers did not trust the promises made by Soviets.

After the weapons had been handed in Penza between 10 and 20 April, the trains left and continued their journey through gorgeous Ural toward Siberia, the place which was even better preserved and protected against Soviet economic disorder. However, Bolsheviks had already started to establish their organizations and to agitate even in our troops. However, they were almost unsuccessful. Our volunteers became dissatisfied because sometimes the trains were forced to stop for several weeks at abandoned railway stations or normal stations for the reasons stated by Bolshevik emissaries.

By 1 May, the above-mentioned 5 trains of the 7th Regiment were dispersed at different stations within 1,300 km along the Trans-Siberian Railway without mutual communication. At the end of April, some uncertain alarm messages came that the trains, which stood west of Omsk, were supposed to go to France through Archangelsk. However, some trains of the Czechoslovak troops had already been in Vladivostok, so these messages brought even more distrust towards Bolshevik Regime. Our volunteers suspected this regime of an intention to disperse the trains and make some trains go to Archangelsk in order to disperse the Czechoslovak troops into two parts without any communication. This intention was meant to disarm our forces as easily as possible. Besides this, this suspicion was also supported by the messages about upcoming ambush of our trains, disarmament of the Czechoslovak troops and their internment by Bolshevik units. On 23 May, Capt Kadlec received the message informing him that the train of Czechoslovak pilots was encircled and disarmed by the Bolshevik cavalry in Krasnoyarsk. In addition to this, there was a rumour going round that the Soviet troops in Krasnoyarsk were ordered by their headquarters to agitate among the Czechoslovak troops as much as possible in order to prepare the space for 10,000 disarmed Czechoslovak soldiers in the local prison camp. It was said that, according to directives issued by the Soviet Headquarters, movement of the Czechoslovak trains should be delayed as much as possible and that each Czechoslovak military unit should be disarmed and those who would put up resistance should be shot to death. In these circumstances, Czechoslovak soldiers relied only on themselves.

»The battle at Bakhmach was vital in term of strategy. If the German troops had managed to conquer and occupy Bakhmach, the whole evacuation of the 1st Division of Czechoslovak forces would have been threatened; at the time, the 2nd Division was located behind the Dneper River, out of danger. The following units of the 7th Tatranský Rifle Regiment fought at this battle: second in command of the regiment Capt Kadlec, bombardier unit under the command of 2Lt Stodola – 30 men, communications unit commanded by 2Lt Hranác – 103 men, police force under the command of 2Lt Horínek – 21 men, cavalry

11

reconnaissance platoon – 12 men, regimental band under the command of WO Žácek – 28 men, commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 7th Regiment Staff Captain Jungr, the 10th company of the 3rd Battalion of the 7th Regiment under the command of Lt Jancík – 77 men, the Company of the 3rd Battalion of the 7th Regiment commanded by Lt Zmeka – 131 men, the bombardier unit »Kolt« commanded by Lt Dr. Čermák – 94 men, the bombardier unit »Chauchaut« under the command of Lt Hora – 68 men, the bombardier unit »Maxima« commanded by 2Lt Maixner – 31 men, the 9th Company under the command of Lt Janoušek – 171 men.«

BEGINNINGS OF FIGHT AGAINST BOLSHEVIKS

On that critical day, 25 May 1918, when the Czechoslovak soldiers´ patience had gone, the trains belonging to the 7th Regiment were standing at the following stations: the train under the command of Lt Nosek in Vladivostok, the train under the command of Capt Hoblík near Irkutsk, the train under the command of Cap Kadlec in Mariinsk, the train under the command of Staff Captain Kultvašra and the train under the command of Staff Captain Koudelka stood in Novonikolajevsk. Capt Gajda had returned from Chelyabinsk, where it was decided to fight the journey toward east even with arms; he was commissioned by the Czechoslovak headquarters located between Omsk and Krasnoyarsk. And when it was clear that there was no chance to depart as soon as possible, Capt Kadlec issued an order to seize the station and the town of Mariinsk.

»The above mentioned event which happened in May 1918 and is known as “Chelyabinsk Incident” resulted in the final decision of the Czechoslovak legionaries to fight their way to Vladivostok even with arms in their hands. At the station in Chelyabinsk, one Hungarian prisoner of war travelling in the passing train unreasonably threw a piece of metal at one Czechoslovak legionnaire who, as a result, fainted. When his comrades saw this incident, they immediately caught the prisoner and bit him to death. Consequently, the group of these soldiers was arrested by the Chelyabinsk Soviet even though they had acted rightfully. As a result, the Czechoslovak legionaries sent the officer’s deputation to the local government seat in order to investigate the matter; however, even these delegates were arrested. Consequently, our legionaries became very angry and they decided to enter the town in order to free their comrades. The Bolsheviks were so surprised by this fast attack that they were not able to react. Soviet leader Lev Trockij reacted upon this event and he issued an order to shoot every Czechoslovak soldier at the station who would carry a weapon in their hands. Since this moment our troops advanced with their own rules and order.«

MARIINSK 25 May 1918

Our forces in Mariinsk consisted of 26 officers, 413 men, 119 rifles, 2 Kolt machine guns and 3 light machine guns. The incoming Czechoslovak artillery train had 559 men and 47 rifles, but it did not have any machine guns or guns. The Bolshevik train standing at the station in Mariinsk had approximately 300 men and 2 guns. Moreover, there was an unknown force garrison in the town. After the secret instructions were given, our volunteers started to act as if they had started training. They were armed mostly with sticks, shovels and axes. Following the signal, the Bolshevik train standing by was disarmed and right after that the whole town was occupied. The battle took place on 25 May and it lasted from 14:00 to 17:00. It brought us the following booty: 2 guns, more than a hundred rifles with ammunition and

12

several hundred hand grenades; this was simply everything we had missed. However, the Bolshevik Headquarters had managed to warn the surrounding Bolshevik companies before they fled away. These companies started to assemble around the town of Mariinsk and, therefore, our Mariinsk garrison was encircled. The Bolshevik forces were superior because only in the east there were about 800 Bolsheviks with 4 cannons and the men force in the west could not even be found out.

»Mariinsk is the town with to 30,000 inhabitants and it is known as the granary for the large territory of Siberia.This battle was the first military operation of Tatranský Rifle Regiment against Bolshevik troops under the command of Capt Kadlec. Occupation of the town and the station was then reported to the regiment commander Capt Gajda: Mariinsk, 596, 25., 17 hours. Station Novonikolayevsk. To commander of the 7 Czechoslovak Regiment Capt Gajda. Ešelon Koudelka is standing at the station in Mariinsk. Everything is O.K. Capt Kadlec: which meant – we have seized the station in Mariinsk.«

NOVONIKOLAYEVSK 25 May 1918

Our garrison in Novonikolayevsk consisting of 1,478 men with 610 rifles, 5 heavy machine guns and 7 light machine guns seized the station as well as the town at night from 25 May to 26 May. The battle did not last long but was intense. However, the booty was bigger than in Mariinsk: 1,620 rifles, 2 machine guns and some explosives. The Bolsheviks ran away toward Barnaul and Tajga, where they started to organize again. The 6th Czechoslovak Regiment was deployed west of Novonikolayevsk and the Bolsheviks were east of Mariinsk; therefore the main task was to join the group commanded by Capt Kadlec in Mariinsk. After the reencounter at Jurg and Litvonov, the station Taiga was seized and the Soviet local government of Tomsk had fled away. When pursuing the Bolsheviks further toward the east, our troops met with the unit in Mariinsk, which was engaged in heavy battles for its existence. These were the battles against huge superior forces encircling Mariinsk, without any communication and messages about our nearest units.

On 2 June, the Bolshevik delegation and the members of the American Mercantile Agency came to Mariinsk from Irkutsk and they asked our soldiers to hand in all the weapons. However, they did not succeed and so they decided to talk to Capt Gajda who refused them even more vehemently. They only succeeded to sign the truce until 16 June because our troops needed it as well. However, the Bolsheviks were removing their reserves closer and closer and they were getting ready for a new battle.

»As it has been already mentioned, the town of Novonikolayevsk situated west of Mariinsk was the command post of the regiment commander Capt Gajda. After the station in Mariinsk, situated east of Novonikolayevsk, had been seized by units of the 7th Regiment, the Bolsheviks, whose position was between these two stations, ended up in the grip of Capt Kadlec and Capt Gajda. That is why they wanted to make a sudden attack, but it was just an attempt to get away which was unsuccessful.«

SECOND BATTLE AT MARIINSK

When the truce ended, our troops left Mariinsk and continued toward the east; on 17 June, the gripping circle east of Mariinsk was broken. The Bolsheviks ended up with losses of approximately 600 prisoners of wars, about 300 men and no one ever found out how many

13

men were buried in the inaccessible taiga. The Russian Bolsheviks gave up easily, but the German and Hungarian Bolsheviks resisted until the end of the fight.

»The second battle at Mariinsk meant the utter defeat of Bolshevik troops encircling the town and, consequently, it meant also the end of “Mariinsk Front“. This happened after several negotiations with Bolsheviks and a few protractions when negotiating the truce. However, such a truce with Bolshevik conditions and terms was unacceptable for the Czechoslovak forces. Nonetheless, the cease-fire allowed the Czechoslovak soldiers enough time to rearrange the forces. Then Capt. Gajda issued an order to conduct an operation aimed at breaking through the Mariinsk circle at the direction of Krasnoyarsk.«

BARABINSK, KABAKLY, KOLCUGINO, BARNAUL

Meanwhile, the Novonikolayevsk group came to help the 6th Regiment and, on 6 June, it conquered the Bolsheviks at Barabinsk and Kabakly, and on the other side against Barnaul and on the Koľcugino railway. In these places, however, we received help from the weak but still good Russian volunteer anti-Bolshevik military units. With help of these units out troops managed to seize Cerepanovo on 5 June and later, on 15 June, Barnaul was occupied after heavy fighting. Russian volunteers continued pursuing Bolsheviks toward Semipalatinsk and our troops seized Biysk. At the battle near Kolcugino, the Bolshevik troops were liquidated on 3 and 4 June.

»After the battle at Novonikolayevsk and Mariinsk, it was necessary to secure our position for the further advance toward the east. Because of this, the Czechoslovak unit was spread in several sides: to the east towards Mariinsk following the Kolcugino railway track, to the west towards Barnaul situated on the left bank of the Ob River. Since there was an imminent danger of enveloping attack, the town of Barabinks was seized on 6 June, and the enemy was forced out from Kabakla. As a result of this operation, our unit joined another group of the 7th regiment and, consequently, the railway track from Omsk to Marriinsk was unblocked.«

ACINSK

After these battles, the situation for the 6th Czechoslovak Regiment got easier and that is why the 7th Regiment concentrated (besides the unit which had already been in Vladivostok) and pursued Bolsheviks towards the east. The small battle took place on 19 June at Acinsk and after the heavy battle alongside the Czechoslovak Strike Battalion at Krasnoyarsk, a new unit was formed from the strike battalion as well as the 7th and 6th Regiments.

NIŽNE UDINSK

This unit defeated the Bolsheviks and forced them to leave their good positions at Nižne Udinsk; as a result, the Bolsheviks had to retreat towards the east. Majority of the Bolshevik dead soldiers were dressed in Austria-Hungarian uniforms. These uniforms made us see again that we were not fighting against Russians, but against Austria-Hungarian mercenaries fighting on behalf of Soviets.

14

ON THE BELAYA RIVER

The Bolsheviks retreated very quickly after the battles at Krasnoyarsk and Nižne Udinsk and they tried to destroy the railway everywhere they could. The obstacles they made were easy to overcome up to Polovina; however, one of the bridges across the Belaya River behind Polovina was destroyed and the second one was prepared for tearing down. On the other bank of the river, the Bolsheviks were hidden well in their trenches. However, they were forced to run away. Unfortunately, they managed to destroy even the second half of the bridge and, therefore, our troops had to leave their trains west of Polovina. In fact, our units had to leave even the improvised train behind and continue on foot in order to pursue the Bolsheviks.

And now we will stop talking about them for a while in order to say something about the train under the command of Lt Nosko. This train reached the final destination –Vladivostok – despite the small incidents which did not result in an armed conflict. However, the train commanded by Staff Capt Hoblík had a small incident near Irkutsk. It had been standing at the nearby station outside Irkutsk, when out troops in the artillery train in Irkutsk asked for help against the Bolsheviks. Unfortunately, the Bolshevik delegation together with the French and American trade delegation deceitfully persuaded the soldiers in the train to hand over the weapons and stop the advance against the Bolsheviks at Irkutsk. This all had happened a few minutes before the victory. The weapons were handed over and both trains, the artillery train and the one commanded by Staff Capt Hoblík, left and continued towards Vladivostok; after small incidents they reached Vladivostok without any bloodshed. When they got there, the whole 5th and 8th Regiments and two trains of the 7th Regiment, besides the artillery trains and pilots, had already been there. However, they all were without any weapons. All these units commanded by Russian General Diterichs were powerless because the Bolsheviks had not taken over Vladivostok yet; on the contrary, this town was ruled by the Allied Forces- the Japanese, French, British and Americans – who had taken over the whole area by their warships anchored in the harbour. However, the Bolsheviks soon started to play their dangerous tricks even in Vladivostok. When Gen Diterichs and the allied forces realized their position was threatened, the Allied Forces Headquarters permitted Gen Diterichs to start a military operation against the Bolsheviks. This was good news for our brothers in Vladivostok who had to watch the Bolsheviks transporting ammunition and weapons out of Vladivostok for their troops in Siberia who were fighting against the Czechoslovak forces.

VLADIVOSTOK

On 29 June 1918, when it was clear that the Bolsheviks had not fulfilled their ultimatum and they had not stopped transporting weapons from Vladivostok fortification to Siberia, our troops started to occupy all the small forts in Vladivostok. On 1 July, we took over Vladivostok, where only a small patrol unit stayed. The rest of the group continued pursuing the Bolsheviks towards Khabarovsk. The units of the 7th Regiment deployed in Vladivostok (Vladivostok Detachment of the 7th Regiment –VD7) were armed with Japanese rifles and, on 6 July, they set off in two train cars in order to disarm the Bolsheviks in Sucan coal mines. After fulfilling this task, they continued towards Nikolsk Ussurijskij and Khabarovsk to join the 5th and 8th Regiments. The VD 7 repelled the Bolsheviks from Dubrovskaja, Spassky and Yevgenevka and since 15 July it had been deployed as a vanguard of the whole Vladivostok unit.

15

KAUL - USSURI

This unit advanced along Ussurijskaya track toward the north, the only track which passed through the inaccessible taiga and swamps. Our advance was hindered in such a terrain and, besides this, the Bolsheviks had far more infantrymen, cavaliers and gunners, which we simply lacked. Moreover, the Bolsheviks were assisted by services provided by the experts recruited among German and Austrian POWs. Nevertheless, they were repelled until the line at Kaul – Tichonejevo and then they were forced to retreat further to the line at Donskaya Ussuri on the Ussuri River and from there to the uplands. The Bolsheviks still had 9,000 infantrymen, 500 cavaliers, 25cannons, including cannons with heavy calibre and 2 armoured trains. Our VD 7, which had to rely on its own strength, consisted of 1,466 infantrymen and 14 light and heavy machine guns. This was caused by the fact that the 5th and 8th Regiments and our weakened artillery could not advance along this only track. Two cannons of the 7th Regiment were useless and our imporised train was almost helpless in comparison to two Bolshevik trains. Our cannons as well as the armoured train were soon inactive as a result of the Bolshevik superior force. The handful of soldiers from the 3rd Battalion of the 7th Regiment (VD 7) resisted the superior force until 1 August. Our troops did not believe that the Bolsheviks were preparing an attack and, therefore, the 5th and 8th Regiments were directed back to Manchuria. On August 1, in the morning, our VD 7 was threatened by the Bolshevik attack. The Bolshevik soldiers were coming out of the swamps in lines, forced by their own gun fire, towards our fire which was cutting them down. However, the force was so superior that our troops were forced to retreat after a heavy battle, because of an insufficient amount of ammunition. This happened in the afternoon also due to the fact that the Bolsheviks deployed reserves from their armored train. As a result, they managed to get to our rear position together with their artillery and protected by their armored train. Some of our small units, which had been encircled, chose to die voluntarily because they did not want to be taken prisoner of war.

Finally, at about 19.00 hours, when the 12th Company, which was covering the retreat, saw that the whole VD 7 had been rescued and. As a result, it also retreated to its train cars together with the scattered units of the 9th Company. On August 13, when our troops were replaced by the British, French and Japanese troops, VD 7 also left and followed the 5th and 8th Regiments to Manchuria in order to have a rest, reorganize and help our brothers engaged in battles in Siberia. Our casualties at Kaul included 3 officers and 105 men. On the contrary, the Bolsheviks reportedly lost 300 men and several hundred soldiers were injured.

BAIKAL

Now we will let our Vladivostok Detachment rest at the steppe stations at Manchuria and we will have a look at Siberia and the Belaya River, where we left our bigger and less lucky unit of the 7th Regiment, which had to pursue the Bolsheviks east of the Belaya River on foot.

However, the Bolsheviks did not expect we would pursue them on foot and that is why they were astonished. Consequently, they quickly left their good positions behind the Angara River at Baikal as well as the town of Irkutsk. They retreated to the high and inaccessible Baikal Mountains at Kultuk. The upcoming battles around Baikal should be deemed the most desperate battles in Siberia on both lines. The railway around Baikal was the only way to the east for us and for the Bolsheviks it was a vantage point, almost a fortress. If they had managed to blow up some of those 39 tunnels, numerous traverses and bridges on the Circum-Baikal railway, our departure to Vladivostok would have been threatened and the Bolsheviks

16

would have had more time to organize better behind Baikal and, consequently, threaten our troops because Manchuria railway was the only channel of supply for all our army in Siberia.

The Bolsheviks knew about this strategic position very well and they used all the possible means for their protection: they recruited Hungarians and German POWs and they also armed the best Baikal warships „Angara“ and „ Baikal“, which they used to threaten us from the lake. Their positions in the mountains were prepared very well. Front attack would have been almost impossible for the victims it could have required. And even if this had happened, success would still have been doubtful. Therefore, it was necessary to make a plan for flanking manoeuvre supported by a front attack. At the beginning of July, the small Russian volunteer detachment left Irkutsk; this detachment attacked and totally destroyed the Bolshevik technical detachment and the train with explosives at the station in Baikal and it advanced further, assisted by our troops.

The Bolsheviks did not know about destruction of their detachment at Baikal station at all. Therefore, they were absolutely shocked when, out of a sudden, they spotted the Czechoslovak troops, which left Irkutsk on July 13. On July 17, our improvised armoured train with the 1st Platoon of the 7th Regiment collided with the Bolshevik armoured train and its unit at the 19th tunnel, which the Bolsheviks had planned to blow up. Fortunately, the tunnel was saved thanks to one Russian railwayman and our vanguard advanced further under the enemy artillery fire up to the traverse No 14 right outside Kultuk. At this spot our armoured train was replaced by the quick-firing gun, which started to shoot unexpectedly at the Bolshevik positions near Kultuk. At this moment, the Bolsheviks realized how the situation was serious. As a result, they sent a squad through the lake to the tunnel No 19 in order to replace the technical unit destroyed at Baikal and with an intention to blow up this tunnel. However, the boat squad was observed and spotted and its crew was shot all to death.

KULTUK

From the 38th tunnel, right outside the town of Kultuk, our two companies, jointly with several units of Russian volunteers commanded by Capt Kadlec, set off for outflanking manoeuvre through the Baikal Mountains towards Kultuk. It was an unbelievably exhausting advance in the dark and rainy night throughout the wildwood. At night, there was a ranging battle between the Bolsheviks and our outflanking unit of the strike battalion at Moscow-Irkutsk Mountain Pass; the situation was clear only in the morning. These two outflanking units merged and they advanced towards Mongolian valleys with an intention to break into the enemy’s rear positions and to occupy the station at Sludanka, situated 7 km behind Kultuk.

»When planning the outflanking manoeuvre directed at the station in Kultuk, our troops supposed that there would certainly be the Bolshevik forces deployed from the station in Irkutsk up to the station in Baikal. However, they did not expect the presence of Bolshevik forces in Kultuk which was supposed to be attacked by the company under the command of Capt Dvorák. As a result, the company of Czechoslovak legionaries got into big trouble. Fortunately, the legionaries attacked also the station in Baikal in order to detract the enemy’s attention. They managed to get into the rear positions of the Bolshevik troops in Kultuk and, as a result, they could effectively help the company commanded by Capt Dvorák«.

17

SLUDANKA

On July 19, after a raging battle of our outflanking unit assisted by the frontal unit, during which our improvised armoured train was damaged, the station at Kultuk was seized and the Bolsheviks started to run away in panic from the pressure made by our outflanking group. However, they still managed to burn three smaller bridges down and, therefore, our armoured train was delayed for some time. The Bolsheviks were still threatened and they soon left Sludanka after they had blown up the part of the 39th tunnel behind Sludanka in the direction of Chita.

Their casualties must have been numerous because there were about 500 soldiers injured in the first battle at Sludanka, hospitalized at the hospital in Sludanka. Besides this, there were approximately 300 dead soldiers on the road to Kultuk. And it is impossible to specify the number of dead and injured soldiers in inaccessible Baikal forests.

After the tunnel had been blown up, our troops were forced to conduct internal activities because it was impossible to carry out military operations without supplies and each outflanking unit would have starved. This was because there was not other way than this railway. Besides this, the Bolsheviks managed to organize and improve their operational base Tanchoj (about 100 km east of Sludanka). Their armed ships worried us. Our troops had to limit their operations only to small local raids. In this time, our troops were joined also by the trains left behind on the Belaya River because the bridge over this river had already been repaired. On August 1, 1918, following the quick repair of the 39th tunnel, our troops set off again towards the east to join the Russian volunteer units which had been sent as vanguard. Later, they divided into an outflanking unit under the command of Russian Col Pepelajev and a frontal unit commanded by Col Gajda. As scheduled, the outflanking unit withdrew approximately 4 km southwest from Murino to the mountains and the frontal group started to simulate retreat very well. As a result, the Bolsheviks got caught in a trap and they started to pursue the frontal unit, gathering their recce sections, armoured train, cavalry, infantry in the trains as well as their medical and supply trains on the railway line. Even though our outflanking unit was revealed by an early shot fired by one of its patrols, the situation was saved in the nick of time by a joint operation signal. Following this signal, our frontal unit struck against the Bolsheviks and the outflanking unit was saved from the superior force, which was sent by the Bolsheviks after hearing the early signal. Our 1,300 men were facing several thousand enemies, including 2,000 Hungarians and Germans. However, the Bolsheviks were defeated by the joint attack of the outflanking and frontal units; they were mostly killed by bayonet attacks. One of our patrols took the railway track to pieces in their rear position; as a result, their supply train derailed and thus blocked the track and the way back for other Bolshevik trains. The warship „Angara“ attempted to change the situation by its operation, but it was useless. In the following raging battle, the Bolsheviks were defeated and they fled away in panic. Their casualties were numerous because of panic collision of several trains and the remaining soldiers either surrendered or retreated on foot to their positions on the river Murino.

MURINO

However, the Bolsheviks could not stay here and they soon retreated further towards Tanchoj, haunted by our troops. Those who could not save their skin by retreat, ran up to the mountains or got drowned in Lake Baikal while trying to save their lives. Our booty at Murin included: 2 fully armoured trains, 4 cannons, 7 train sets, approximately 2,500 POWs as well as plenty of armament and ammunition.

18

Unfortunately, our troops also suffered some losses. Dead soldiers were transported to Irkutsk, where they were also buried.

Our units together with Russian volunteer troops then pursued the Bolsheviks towards Tanchoj, where they concentrated. In this place, they had their good positions and well concentrated forces, consisting mainly of Hungarians and Germans. The fight for the remaining position which reminded of a fortress was about to begin. Our troops had only a narrow valley outside the station at Tanchoj, protected by rocky mountains. The town of Tanchoj was guarded by the Bolshevik Baikal warships.

TANCHOJ

In order to prevent unnecessary losses, our troops were supposed to conduct an outflanking manoeuvre with support of the frontal unit. The decision was made that the outflanking unit had to conduct an outflanking manoeuvre through Lake Baikal on small steamboats, which the Bolsheviks left for us as they did not need them anymore. It was a very risky plan because even the Russians who knew the lake very well tried to discourage our troops from this operation. But they did not have another choice. If this manoeuvre had not been conducted, the Bolsheviks could have destroyed the railway track up to Manchuria even in case of our frontal success; moreover, our troops very interested mainly in a big bridge over the Selenga River near Divizionnaja. Our small steamships would have been almost powerless if they had been attacked by the Bolshevik ships »Baikal« and »Angara« because of their low speed and lack of armament. Besides this, there were frequent storms on the lake in that time and our steamboats would have certainly become the victims of huge waves.

In spite of this fact, the unit started the outflanking manoeuvre under the command of Russian Colonel Ushakov. The unit consisted of the 1st Company of the 7th Regiment and some Russian volunteer units, including overall 1,070 men, 6 cannons on the steamboats and several barges.

POSOLSKAJA

On July 16, 1918, the unit reached the station at Posolskaja (about 98 km east of Tanchoj) where it went ashore. The soldiers took only one cannon with them and the rest of them was left on the steamboats because they were needed for the operation on the lake. When leaving the weak patrols behind, they went to the railway track. Since our soldiers had hidden their Czechoslovak cap badges, the Bolsheviks at the station in Posolskaja were deceived and easily disarmed. After out troops had managed to seize the surroundings and the station itself, they advance towards the enemy’s rear positions. Meanwhile, our steamboats came across the Bolshevik ships but they managed to chase them away. The attack conducted by our frontal unit pushed the Bolsheviks back and the station Kedrovaja was seized in a battle. However, the Bolsheviks came across the outflanking unit commanded by Col Ushakov between Posolskaja and Bojarskaja. Then the raging battle between the Russian volunteer units and the Bolsheviks took place; it was because our outflanking unit was forced to retreat a bit from the superior force desperately fleeing from our frontal unit. This retreat, however, was conducted unknown to Col Ushakov. As a result, he was captured and tortured to death in a brutal way. The outflanking unit was torn into 3 small groups without mutual communication. The battles on both sides were conducted mercilessly, at their last gasp. When the outflanking unit got into the biggest danger facing the Bolshevik Germans, Hungarians and Chinese, they could hear a signal from the Baikal Mountains sent by the 7th

19

Regiment, which presaged their liberation. It was already the second time the signal sent by the 7th Regiment „Spejme dál (Let us advance further!)“ had advised liberation from the worst situation (the first signal resounded near Murino). The Bolsheviks, who were fighting against the outflanking and frontal units at their last gasp, surrendered and thus the last Bolshevik bastion at Baikal, Posolskaja, was seized. It was also due to the fact that the frontal unit had already conquered Tanchoj on August, 16 and Mysova on August, 17. The huge booty consisting of 50 trains with food supplies, medical equipment and ammunition, staffs and a large number of POWs showed evidence of how superior was the force fighting against us. Our casualties included about 120 dead soldiers (both Russian and Czechoslovak) and we had 330 injured soldiers. The Bolshevik Baikal ships surrendered as well. The huge number of dead bodies of the Bolshevik soldiers was being taken out of the woods and buried.

I have described the battles in Baikal more extensively because these were the battles which decided about existence of our forces in Siberia and the existence of Bolshevik power. In case of our defeat, the only path to our base in Vladivostok would have been blocked forever. Our troops would have struggled along or slowly disappeared in Siberia provided there had not been any other liberation. What is more, our 1st Division would have suffered as well because it had been engaged in fights in Ural until that time. As a result of our defeat in Baikal, the situation in our rear positions would have changed in a negative way due to decay in moral power of Russian citizens who still sympathized with us. However, the Russian support and help was not that big and secure. The majority of Russians were astonished by the Revolution and its events and they just waited helplessly how these events would end.

This last battle in Baikal, which would deserve much more attention that our historians have paid to it so far, opened up the gate to our final destination. The Bolsheviks in Siberia were defeated for a very long time and their scattered units became nothing but robbers and bandits who destroyed our railway track and burnt the bridges and stations down. Out of Berezovka, we had to face a small Chinese Bolshevik unit but we managed to chase it away easily. On the run, the Bolsheviks met the troops commanded by Russian Ataman Semenov out of Cita and they quickly retreated to Armur railway. During their pursuit, our troops were replaced by Russian volunteer units. On August 31, 1918, our Siberia units (the unit commanded by Col Gajda) joined the Vladivostok unit (Gen Diterichs) at the station Olovjannaja. The Vladivostok group had been resting in Manchuria until then.

Subsequently, our rear was formed and the whole 7th regiment concentrated in Irkutsk under the command of Capt Jancík who replaced Col Kadlec, who was commander of the 2nd Czechoslovak Division.

Now we should get back to our 1st Division who was still fighting in Ural. It desperately needed help because the Russian volunteer units were too weak and, besides this, the Russian commanders of anti-Bolshevik volunteers had personal arguments and had to face protectionist economy. In contrary, in European Russia, the Bolshevik government was getting stronger and the army had already been well organized and armed.

Gen Gajda, commander of Yekaterinburg Front (in Ural), issued an order to transport the reorganized troops from Siberia to the Ural front as soon as possible.

URAL

On October 6 and 7, 1918, the regiment left Irkutsk in several train cars and on October, 16, it got off its trains on the Perm railway outside Kungur. In this part of the front they could experience the raging battles with varying success and in the impassable terrain. To make matters worse, the frost was getting more and more severe. Our troops were not

20

prepared for such conditions and, as well as this, we could feel the hatred among the Russian anti-Bolshevik volunteers because the Russian commanders did not find our command appropriate.

From October 19 to 27, 1918, another battles at Molebsky plant and Tatarskaja Birma took place. After these battles, the regiment was replaced and sent to Tyumen in order to rest and get armament. In this place, Maj Vána took command of the regiment on November 9, and on the following day, Maj Papež took charge of the regimental flag on behalf of the unit commander and with the help of the 1st and the 7th Companies in Yekaterinburg. On November 15, he presented the flag to the regiment on the snow-covered plains near Yegorshina.

The flag presentation ceremony was of a great moral importance in the time when the Czechoslovak Republic had already been declared and the battles in the Central Fronts in Europe had ended. Our army was the only one who was waiting in Siberia to get back home, but its tasks had not been fulfilled yet. Our brotherly Russia was still suffering due to Bolshevik terror.

FLAG RECEIPT CEREMONY

The flag presentation ceremony day was one of the most beautiful days for the members of the 7th Regiment in Russia. For the first time, the regimental flag was blowing on the snow-white plains with its clear colours: on one side there was a white lion in a red field and on the other side of the flag was the Slovak coat of arms in a white field; both sides were lined with our national embroidery motives and ornaments. This moment was recorded by one member of the regiment in the regimental chronicle: „In our minds, we have the memories of our killed brothers, we can see the scenes of bloody battles; but when you turn your eyes at the blowing flag, you will recall your dear ones, free Czechoslovakia and you will feel high respect for your brothers who died in war and then you realize the victims were not and will not be useless. The tender melody of the anthem, torn by the wind, sounded like a prayer for our killed brothers today. You could hear suppressed crying of the lost hope and then again the burning desire and appeal to withstand and come back with all honours. “

Why did this soldier mention “lost hope” and “the burning desire and appeal to withstand”? In fact, we were informed of the Central Powers capitulation already in October when we set off to the Ural front and our country was free. Everybody was craving for going home and seeing their dear ones as soon as possible, but they just felt the moral duty to help their Slavonic brothers so that they could free of the unwanted government which was devastating their country in that time. Our 1st Division had been engaged in raging battles in Ural until then and there was at least a small gleam of hope that the true Russian patriots would show their conscience. But this hope was lost because the anti-Bolshevik Russians were dispersed and they just waited devoutly. As a result, it was obvious that the Czechoslovak volunteers, who had been fighting for so long and without any reinforcement, lost their patience and trust in the Russian anti-Bolshevik troops. Our volunteers pictured the future in which the Russian anti-Bolshevik elements do not join and the Bolsheviks just take advantage of this. Apparently, our soldiers started to feel that our victims, who died for Russia, were useless. However, some dissatisfied volunteers among our legions started to use this despair in order to agitate and sometimes they were successful.

Now I would like to get back to the regimental flag, the symbol of national impendence and famous battles conducted by the 7th Regiment, which does not earn the respect from the civilians as it really deserves. The Slovak and Czech women living in Moscow, who keenly made this flag, must have felt higher esteem for it. Mr Ország and his

21

wife, the leader of the Russian Slovaks – colonists, contributed most to this gorgeous piece of work. There are three ribbons on the flag, the white, blue and red one; they contain the following inscriptions: »For Our Slovak Language« (white letters on the blue ribbon), »The 7th Czechoslovak Tatranský Regiment« (red letters on the white ribbon) and »Presented to the Tatranský Regiment by the Slovak and Czech Women Living in Moscow« (white letters on the red ribbon).

Every time we will see this flag, we will remember and commemorate those who fought for its honour and for the regiment’s reputation, those who suffered in raging battles in far-off Siberia – from Ural up to the Pacific Ocean, those who laid down their lives for their country and now they rest in peace in remote Siberian steppes and taiga and never will see their freed country they were craving for and fighting for. Now their graves are not only forgotten, but also devastated by the people who were not able to venerate the dead soldiers due to their national and social hatred and who did not find cruel torturing of POWs and injured soldiers sufficient. Those lucky ones, who are still alive, have never been rewarded in the way their deeds really deserve, and they cannot be rewarded. The Slovaks from Bácka and Banát fought heroically and voluntarily under this flag even though they did not have any chance of being rewarded in free Czechoslovakia because they could not expect that their native county would belong to the Czechoslovak Republic they were fighting for. How many patriots are so self-sacrificing and unselfish like these? j

»The flag presentation ceremony took place on November 10, 1918, at 10.00 hours at Monastyrskaja Square in Yekaterinburg, in a square of the regiments from the 2nd Rifle Division. The invited regiment commanders and flag-bearers kneeled down in front of their flags and kissed them. Then the flag-bearers took over the flags; after a while, Gen Gajda (commander of the 2nd Rifle Division) turned to every commander of the regiment of the 2nd Rifle Division and second in command of the 7th Regiment, saying the following words: »My brother Colonel of the 7th Tatranský Rifle Regiment! I am presenting you this precious gift. You are obliged to keep it as clean as you have received it. Your task is also to ensure that the 7th Regiment under this flag wins the victory which will not be smaller that those you won before, without this flag«. And the second in command of the 7th Regiment replied: »My brother General Major! I am taking this flag for the 7th Tatranský Rifle Regiment and I swear, in the name of our regiment, that I will keep my promise and that we shall bring this flag immaculate to our loved and freed country«.

ARRIVAL OF GENERAL MILAN RASTISLAV ŠTEFÁNIK

Let us get back to the 7th Regiment, which was withdrawn back to the rear after its campaign to Lysvenskaja railroad. This withdrawal was ordered due to political storm, which came with Admiral Kolchak’s government, and which had an impact also on capabilities of our army. In this critical time, General Milan Rastislav Štefánik, the first minister of national defence, came to our regiments in Siberia. On his way, he stopped at the station in Kuzimo to meet the 7th Regiment, where he accepted their deputation, listened to their complaints and explained everything. Thanks to his visit and personality, our troops’ self-confidence and discipline were revived again and their unity was strengthened. And a result, our volunteers were able to withstand the difficulties of new winter operations like real men again. The chronicle of one of he companies in the 7th Regiment reads: „He asked for a four-member deputation from each company. He explained situation to these deputations and listened to their complaints. General Štefánik has made a big impression on our brothers in the

22

company thanks to his unusual energy and deeds. What is more, he has managed to eliminate misunderstanding and miraculously uplift mood, which no one had hoped for.“

After Gen Štefánik left, the regiment was given an order to participate in battles in the Kungur Front with the aim of seizing the town of Kungur. The Bolshevik troops had been already organized, armed and supplied very well in that time. Their army started to be normal and properly manned. The regiment advanced smoothly from 16 to 21 December 1918 in spite of the temperatures below 40 degrees Celsius. However, the troops which rested in Kungur, were encircled by the Bolsheviks the following night. Consequently, the decision was made to break into the circle on December 23. »General Milan Rastislav Štefánik explained the reasons why the Czechoslovak legionnaires should still stay in Siberia even though their country had been liberated. One young Slovak 2Lt asked him this question and the general replied in several points: “1.) If there is no normalcy in Russia, the sparks of anarchy will get even to our country. And our country is small and, after the five-year war, it needs the peaceful development, which is impossible unless the situation in Russia calms down. 2.) Today we belong to the Allies and, therefore, we have to follow the common interests, tasks and objectives. Even tough our country already exists, the advantageous conditions of its development, such as border adjustment, water routes and commercial treaties will be discussed at the Peace Conference. We want Šoporn, Bratislava (Presburg), we want to border upon Romania. If we want the Allies to support our demands, it will be necessary to act in one line with them. 3.) We asked for help and we were given the help. We asked the Allies to give us a dignified place by their side and we got it. Russia was one of the first countries who enabled us to organize. We are simply obliged to help Russia and we cannot refuse to do it. Strong and reborn Russia is of vital importance for us. 4.) We are suffering; we are losing our nerves, but thanks to this suffering and hardship our country can now exist. The world would not have known about us without this suffering and our hardship won sympathy in the world, and particularly among the Allies. 5.) Our military honour does not allow us to give up. Liberation has not been done yet, but it is about to happen. Our honour orders us to finish the revolution honestly and with dignity as it was in the beginning«.

KUNGUR FRONT

The battle was not easy because the Bolsheviks were looking for retreat lines always in several villages; on the contrary, our troops had to advance in the free terrain and in deep snow and severe cold. However, our troops did not fail because the enemy had to retreat constantly. Our firearms literally froze in the open terrain and, therefore, one unit was attacking while the other one tried to warm somewhere in order to heat the arms up. This also happened during attack against the Iren River line, where the Bolsheviks settled throughout the chain of villages Tikhanovo – Suchoj Log – Batrakovo or the villages Žilino – Žoltovo – Malovo.

The Bolsheviks settled in the houses and, therefore, they were much ahead. On the contrary, our units had many frostbitten and injured soldiers and their wounds froze in a few minutes. On December 24 and 25, when our dear ones celebrated their first free Christmas, the battle ceased a bit and the Bolsheviks retreated. Our volunteers spent Christmas Eve in the broad field, eating a piece of frozen bread and a little tea in the remote Ural Mountains. Plenty of them were wounded and the blood in their wounds was freezing. After these battles, the regiment was withdrawn to Kungur in order to rest and refill the supplies because the food

23

and ammunition supplies were exhausted after four days of fighting and the supply was impossible due to disconnected railroad. The reghiment was suffering from hunger and cold.

IREN

But the rest and recreation did not last very long. On January 2, 1919, our regiment had to replace the Russian anti-Bolshevik partisan units on the defence line between villages Karjevo – Zelenkovskaja – Jaberovo on the river Iren. However, the operations were limited only to patrolling from both sides. Our patrols often got into the enemy’s rear, where they destroyed telephone lines, captured the enemy’s supply carriages, etc. Following the failure of the Russian volunteer units in the neighbouring front sectors, the 7th Regiment got an order to retreat to the line of villages Ovcinkovo – Klimichy – Grybany and then further to the line Karjevo – Klimichy – Verch Kungur – Kurilovo. The retreat was conducted without any fighting, with the exception of the second Company, who was engaged in small battles on its section. The situation among the Russian anti-Bolshevik elements was very critical. The Russian anti-Bolshevik units, who had been fighting against the Bolsheviks from the beginning, were completely exhausted. Their rear did not provide them with any supplies and it did not take care of them. On the other hand, the Bolsheviks organized better and better and they supplied their troops very well. Their offensive actions started to be very serious. However, our troops did not want to support egoistic interests of one governmental group. All the troops, including the 7th Regiment, got an order to withdraw from the front to the rear in order to protect the Trans-Siberian Railway. On January 15, 1919, the regiment was replaced by the 27th Russian anti-Bolshevik Regiment. It was one of the first Russian anti-Bolshevik units, which was totally exhausted and dressed only in torn, mainly civilian clothes. Their armament was in the same condition and their casualties after numerous battles were not replaced at all because the reinforcements fled away on their way from the rear and even if they got to the front, the whole groups surrendered.

It was the last stage of the true anti-Bolshevik battles on the side of the Czechoslovak troops. When the Admiral Kolcak’s government came into power, it could be expected that the situation would get better, but the material sacrifice of the Allies was useless. Instead of fighting, the Russian soldiers would look for safer service in various rear offices and institutions; there was speculation with army supplies and the real Russian Army was perishing with hunger and cold; what is more, this army disintegrated due to the Bolshevik propaganda, supported by disorder among the anti-Bolshevik government and its military command.

ON THE TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY

The main task of the Czechoslovak troops now was to maintain order on the Trans-Siberian Railroad and protect it against the Bolshevik partisan units. Our regiment left in train cars for Kuzino and then further to Tomsk in order to protect the railroad from Taiga to Tomsk and later further to Kemerovo, Anžerskaja, Kolcugino and Michelson with the coal mines.

However, it was not the rest and recreation because both left and right wings were against us. The right-wingers were angry because we had left the front they had to take care of on their own now and the left-wingers were against us because we hindered their activities in the rear of the anti-Bolshevik troops. The difficulty of this situation for us can be proved by one incident which happened soon after we arrived in Tomsk. Our sentry patrolling in the

24

town was treacherously attacked and shot during its patrol. There were many cases like this one and very often our troops were forced to conduct a campaign in the railroad surroundings.

Our volunteers suffered physically and mentally because the reinforcement the allies had promised was not coming at all and the Kolchak government supported the Bolshevik elements. In this situation, our soldiers realized and knew that they were useless here, that our country was freed and it needed help. What is more, some unsatisfied soldiers used this situation for their propaganda in which they tried to persuade our soldiers that Russia should be left at the mercy of its destiny and that our troops should go home as soon as possible. However, we were still reliant upon the allied ships in Vladivostok, which still had not arrived. To make matters worse, our soldiers were informed of the death of General M. R. Štefánik. Here is another citation from one regimental chronicles:“...We cannot believe this news we could hear on the Omsk radio. He died near Bratislava, when he was flying home from Italy. The man who sacrificed everything for us, who was physically destroyed, set off on a journey from France to Siberia just to get familiar with our situation. And when he learnt that it was serious and desperate, he rushed back in order to inform the authorities. However, his inexorable fate did not allow him to finish his work. We have lost an irreplaceable personality ….“

When the military units got to the railroad, the culture and hobby groups started its activities again. In order to win sympathy of the middle class, these groups started to organise concerts, training, etc. However, they did not manage to win the upper-class because they did not forgive us the fact that they had to take care of themselves now. The Russian Theatre Society performed the historical drama „Jan Hus“ in the Tomsk theatre. Although this play was not a first-class piece of art, it was noteworthy because of its content and author, the Russian poet Capt A. J. Kotomkin-Savinskij, who also devoted his poem „Tatra“ to the 7th Regiment. I cannot present this poem due to technical reasons, but you can see its whole text in the book »Tatranci«, which describes the detailed history of the 7th Regiment and which was published in 1924 in the Czech version. The author of this poem was an eager propagator of the Czechoslovak Sokol movement. Since I knew him personally, I can say that he was too idealistic and he believed in Pan-Slavonism too much.

The Sokol section of the 7th Regiment organized several successful exercises in Tomsk and it also founded the Sokol Union there.

On October 4, 1919, the 7th Regiment in Tomsk was visited by the deputation from our mother country, commanded by F. V. Krejčí. It was not an easy task to calm the Czechoslovak regiments down and explain them the reasons why they had to stay in Siberia despite the forthcoming winter.

The Kolchak’s Army was gradually defeated by the Bolshevik troops. The companies of the 7th Regiment were exhausted by the service in different dangerous sections of the railroad. In fact, the Kolchak’s Government was a real government anymore, its army was unreliable and their deserters crowded the trains. What is more, wounded and injured soldiers were left at the mercy of destiny and the railway staff was indifferent to everything that was going around because they were not paid by the government and they only relied upon our supplies. There was disorder and chaos everywhere and the service in these conditions became even more demanding. The salaries of our officers and soldiers were low in comparison with high prices and, as well as this, our troops lacked clothes for the forthcoming winter.

There was no way how to save Russia because the fall of anti-Bolshevik movement was inevitable. The number of true Russian patriots was decreasing and they were totally forlorn. What is more, no help was coming.

25

LEAVING SIBERIA – THE BEGINNINGS

In this critical situation came good news that the 6th Czechoslovak Regiment, deployed west of our troops, started to advance towards the east and the 7th Regiment set off eastward on November 26, 1919 in order to replace the 4th Regiment on the railroad section Zima –Polovina. In fact, the Czechoslovak regiments were deployed along the Trans-Siberian Railroad from Omsk up to Manchuria and now they were leaving in stages, always replacing some regiments, which were deployed further to the east. They had to pay and support the railwaymen and workers of coal mines who heated their locomotives, provided them with coal supplies and operated the stations. Our labour force, Czechoslovak volunteers and railway attendants worked and helped by whenever it was possible. Meanwhile, the Kolchak’s Government had collapsed. As a result, the area up to Irkutsk was without any government and in some places newly-formed local governments were more or less on our side. The Bolsheviks did not take over the places where our troops were deployed, but after we had left, it happened immediately.

From December 14, 1919 to February 5, 1920, the regiment was deployed in the section Zima – Polovina, near the Ceremchov coal mines which were of great importance. In that time, we got the news that the first ships for our troops had already been in Vladivostok and that others would be provided as well. However, evacuation of our troops from Siberia was very complicated because the workers in coal mines went often on strike. Besides this, the coal supplies were insufficient and the Ataman Semenov’s Government with the headquarters in Chita and its units delayed our evacuation with different obstacles so that they were covered with our troops against the Bolsheviks from the west as long as possible. These were the obstacles our 1st Czechoslovak Division had to dispose of even with weapons.

After our regiment was replaced by the 9th Regiment, the 7th Regiment was moved a bit further towards the east, into the area of coal mines Petrov plant – Chilok. Finally, on March 18, 1920, the train for staff headquarters and other train cars had already reached the station in Manchuria, which was a bit calmer section. On March 25, 1920, they left for Vladivostok through the area ruled by Japanese. It was possible to feel that Manchuria had already been under the thumb of Japanese military command. Therefore, we were reliant upon them and, of course, they took care of their troops at first. But when they saw that the Kolchak’s Government collapsed and that they could not do without our troops in order to safeguard the Japanese interests in Manchuria, they started to care for our trains as well.

The area around Vladivostok was completely under the thumb of Japanese command and the only safe section for our troops was Pogranicnaja – Vladivostok. The regiment stayed on the section Pogranicnaja – Grodekovo –Chorvatovo for several days. While our troops stayed there, the Russian left-winged partisan units left us alone but they wanted to see our train leaving for Vladivostok as soon as possible. The Russians hated the Japanese and they did harm to them every time and everywhere they could. Our trains moved with the raised red and white flag so that the rebels could distinguish them from the trains of the Japanese Army.

CLOSE TO FINAL DESTINATION

Finally, on April 24, 1920, our trains reached the longed-for destination – Vladivostok. On their way there, our troops were preparing everything for embarkation: the field kitchens, bakeries, the remaining armament and equipment, horses, cannons, etc. were handed over in order to make embarkation as fast as possible.

At the same time, the ship »President Grant« was being loaded, including embarkation of the 3rd Gun Company, Cart Company and the part of the 2nd Company of the 7th Regiment,

26

which left Vladivostok on April 27, 1920. It was the beginning of our departure from Russia. These units left Vladivostok on April 24 and they voyaged through Singapore, Colombo, Aden and Port Said. On June 17, 1920, they reached Terst, from which they continued travelling in trains and got to the Czechoslovak Republic on June 18, 1920 without any obstacles.

DEPARTURE TO MOTHERLAND

Meanwhile, the biggest part of the regiment was waiting for the ship „Ixion“ on a Russian island in the former Russian barracks. On May 22, 1920, our troops started to embark and on May 23, the ship left the Asian coast while the national anthem resounded for the last time in the Russian territory. On the same day, the ship voyaged through the Sungari Channel into the Pacific Ocean towards the Canadian harbour in Vancouver. We are parting with the mainland, with our dear, devastated and bleeding Russia! We have left a lot of our companions, who rest in peace in cold Siberia, behind! There are so many beautiful dreams of free Russia buried there! But our beloved motherland is waiting for us, our parents, wives and children for whom we were fighting for are waiting as well. We are carrying the message from our killed brothers so that their dear ones at home and the whole nation did not forget their sacrifice and continued their enthusiastic work in order to maintain freedom that our brothers died for.

We still have to come through 8,150 km to get to our first destination – Vancouver. This voyage was very unpleasant; there was no land anywhere and the weather was constantly foggy and stormy. After the 15-day voyage, on June 6, 1920, the ship reached Vancouver. Our load was disembarked in two hours, which was the speed we were not used to after such a long time of disorder. Our troops went through the city, accompanied by music, towards the station where they got on the passenger trains, which were prepared for them. The inhabitants of the city, who were expecting disorganized and undisciplined remains of some army from the Bolshevik Russia, were surprised when they saw the disciplined and neat army rows instead. In the harbour, we were welcomed by the Czechs and Slovaks who lived in Vancouver. At night, the trains left the station and continued along the Northern Canadian Pacific Railway towards the east of Quebec. The journey was pleasant and fast. We had travelled 5,000 km through the mainland in 7 days and when we got off in Quebec, we marched to the Valcartier Summer Camp.

It was the military camp in the middle of woods of the beautiful country. It used to be the place where the Canadian forces were concentrated and trained before they left for the European battlefield. This camp was properly equipped with showers, sewage, water pipeline, kitchens – simply everything a civilized man needed. And now this camp consisted of 9,000 men of the Czechoslovak Army from Russia, who were quartered in tents, which were tastefully decorated with flower beds. On June 18, the Canadian Governor General, Duke of Devonshire, inspected our troops, which admired not only by Canadian officers, but also by the citizens who came to the camp just out of curiosity. The Czechoslovak volunteers tried to promote a good reputation of our troops and nation and to show the foreigners only the best traits of the Czechoslovak citizens. And they managed to make a good impression which can be proved also by a fact that the Quebec Women’s Association invited our troops to Quebec and covered all the expenses related to transport by passenger trains. The women form this association prepared some food and entertainment for our soldiers.

Although the stay in Canada was very pleasant, all the soldiers were waiting for the ships which were supposed to carry us home. Finally, on July 8, 1920, the 1st Battalion and the part of the 2nd Battalion left Quebec on the ship „Czaritza“ and they continued towards

27

Cuxhaven, where they disembarked again on July 19, 1920. Then they travelled in trains through Halle – Leipzig – Dresden to Podmoklie and further to Nitra through Prague. Meanwhile, the rest of the regiment left Quebec on the train to Halifax. On July 15, 1920, the soldiers from the remaining part of the regiment embarked and left on the ship „Belgic“ to Cuxhaven, where they got on the German trains on July 25, 1920. After overcoming obstacles, which were put by angry German citizens into our way home, we finally got through Jena – Nuremberg to our border station in Brody n.L.

As soon as they entered Europe, our volunteers were informed of how the Germans understood brotherhood of nations. Thanks to the critical judgement of our volunteers, there were not serious encounters when the German citizens wanted to grasp for the regimental flag. On July 28, 1920, the volunteers were warmly welcomed by the inhabitants of frontier villages of Česká Kubice, Stankov and Domažlice. Our train then continued through Plzeň – Jihlava – Brno – to Nitra, the regiment’s garrison, when it arrived on July 31, 1920. However, the citizens did not welcome us warmly at all despite our expectations. This cold and quiet greeting corresponded with the national and cultural situation in “Old-Slovak” Nitra. All members of the regiment were quartered in the present-day Masaryk barracks and then they went on a deserved three-month vacation.

HOME 7th (113th) REGIMENT - FORMER HONVÉD REGIMENT

Now I would like to introduce briefly the history of that part of the regiment, which was positioned in Nitra before our arrival and with which the legionnaire regiment was joint.

There was nothing left from the former14th Honvéd Regiment in Nitra, but only the devastated, dirty barracks and the messy and mostly ravaged archive. It took a lot of effort to put this archive in order again because the 7th Regiment needed the list and the records of the 14th Honved Regiment members, who were going to get under the command of the regiment. On the basis of these records, the former members of the 14th Regiment were called up to the substitute unit in Nitra. This happened at the beginning of the year 1919, and the unit was called „Substitute Battalion No 4 of the Czechoslovak Rifle Regiment“. It was commanded by Lt Col J. Černý, and the 4th Regiment was commanded by Lt Col Skára. It is obvious that plenty of these men simply did not come because almost all the citizens became avowed opponents of the military idea due to strong Hungarian propaganda, repugnance towards the military service after the World War and, last but not least, the nationality and education. And those who came voluntarily or forcefully took the equipment and went home again. The Slovak troops could not count with such a unit for military operations in Slovakia.

On March 25, 1919, this unit was reinforced by one hundredth (about 800 men) of the 1st Slovak Regiment in Ružomberok. At the end of April, the 1st Field Battalion was formed out of this unit and, at the end of May, it was posted to Josefov without any armament. In fact, we cannot talk about a regular battalion here because it lacked mostly commissioned and non-commissioned officers. Since June 1, 1919, the battalion was commanded by Maj Holek because Lt Col Černý was assigned to the 67th Infantry Regiment.

After the military evacuation from the town of Nitra, which took place on June 2, 1919, only 80 more reliable men remained in the garrison there; the substitute battalion was evacuated to Hodonín and further manned by soldiers from Slovakia; however, this unit was not reliable and aware of its nationality. On June 10, 1919, the 2nd Field Battalion was formed from a similar unit and on July 3, 1919, it was sent to Nemecký Brod, where it joined the 112th Infantry Regiment of the 11th Slovak Brigade. On June 8, 1919, the Substitute Battalion was evacuated to Čáslav and on July 6, 1919, Lt Col Černý took its command again. In July, the 3rd Field Battalion was formed within the substitute regiment and it was sent to Jihlava;

28

the stage unit, the labour company and later also the 2nd substitute hundredth were sent to Nová Ves in Slovakia.

Since the middle of July, the 1st and 2nd Battalions had been stationed in Nemecký Brod and on August 6, 1919, the both battalions were sent to Olomouc and Prerov to join the 113th Infantry Regiment, which consisted also of 1/16 Field Battalion belonging to Jihlava. There was also the 3./4. Battalion in Jihlava. In August 1919, the headquarters of the 4th Infantry Regiment and 1./4. and 1./19. Field Battalion were stationed in Olomouc and command was taken by Lt Col Bräunlich. On August 30, 1919, 1./4. Field Battalion left for Prerov.

On September 13, 1919, the regimental large unit in Olomouc was reinforced by 3./4. Battalion from Jihlava and 1./16. Field Battalion was detached from the regimental large unit and sent to Jihlava. On the same day, the substitute battalion from Nitra came back.

On September 9, 1919, the stage hundredth was sent to the 6th Stage Battalion in Trenčín and on October 1, 1919, the 1st Company was sent to Lipník due to military and safety reasons.

On October 2, 1919, the first regular recruits joined the service and they were trained according to the Sokol rules.

On October 25, 1919, the substitute battalion from Nitra sent the first reinforcements to the field battalions, of which the 1st and the 2nd Battalions were stationed in Olomouc and the 3rd Battalion in Prerov, all marked with the 4th Regiment. On January 15, 1920, three gun hundredths were formed in the substitute battalion and on March 2 they were sent to the regimental field battalions.

On January 15, 1920, the substitute battalion of the 4th Regiment was renamed to the Substitute Battalion of the 7th regiment and subordinated to the 10th Infantry Division due to the rename of the 4th Regiment to the 7th Regiment. Its commander was Maj Dvorák, who later died in a car accident.

On July 20, 1920, 1./7. Battalion returned to its regiment in Olomouc, which was temporarily detached in Šumperk because of safety reasons and on July 22, 1920, the whole 7th (113th) Regiment commanded by Lt Col František Maglena moved to Nitra in order to welcome the units of the 7th Czechoslovak Legionary Regiment from Russia.

IN NITRA

The 7th Czechoslovak Legionary Regiment from Russia took over the devastated and, in fact, not existing property of the home 7th Regiment (113th) stationed in Nitra; the companies of the 7th Legionary Regiment merged with the companies of this regiment and the command of this joint regiment was taken by the commander of the 7th Legionary Regiment Lt Col Jozef Vána.

The 1st and the Substitute Battalions stayed in Nitra and the headquarters of the regiment and the 2nd Battalion was moved to Levice; the 3rd Battalion was stationed in the frontier villages Santov, Maďarovce and Demandice because of tactical reasons. At the beginning of the 1921, the definite dislocation of the regimental units was finished, e. i. the regiment’s headquarters, the 1st and 2nd Substitute Battalions, the technical and the supporting companies in Nitra as well as the 3rd Battalion in Levice.

And now I would like to finish the description of the history of the 7th Tatranský Regiment.

*

29

We reminisce about all the deeds of the former regiment members with thanks; they tell us that they sacrificed their lives for us and for our better future. Their graves throughout Siberia are devastated and forgotten and nobody will come to see them in such a distance. Those who were lucky to survive and got home after a long journey round the world would certainly tell you how famous the 7th Tatranský Regiment was and how it promoted good reputation and honour of our nation. We should not forget that among them were the natives of Nitra, Prietrž, Pezinok, Považská Bystrica, Šurany, Štiavnica, Nové Sady, Horné Lefantovce, Trnovec, Trstín, etc. Our companions from the 7th Regiment, who were lucky to get home, put the names of their killed comrades on the monument of their beloved leader, Tomáš Garyk Masaryk; this monument used to stand at the Hall of Justice in Nitra.

Let us commemorate these heroes and let us teach our children not to forget about them; let us show them how to continue their work full of great love for our motherland.

»The 7th Czechoslovak Tatranský Regiment was located in Nitra during the whole period of the First Republic, where it also ceased to exist in the summer 1939. The 7th Infantry Regiment was reformed again after the World War II. The regiment was seated in Nitra and on March 3, 1948, President Beneš granted this regiment the name »Tatranský« again. In the late 40s, the regiment moved to Senica nad Myjavou and, in the spring 1951, it moved to Hodonín, which was connected with its transformation to the 7th Mechanized Regiment. In 1955, it was declared the continuing unit of the 4th Field Battalion of the 3rd Czechoslovak Brigade in the Soviet Union. As a result, it was renamed to the 4th »Prešovský« Mechanized Regiment. In 1958, the regiment was transformed to the Motorized Rifle Regiment and, in 1991, it was changed into the mechanized regiment again. During the transformation of the Czechoslovak Army and later the Czech Army in the autumn 1994, the 71st Mechanised Battalion and the 72nd Training Centre were formed. In 1997, the 71st Mechanised Battalion moved to the garrison in Hranice na Morave. The training centre stayed in the garrison, but it was detached from the 7th Mechanised Brigade and subordinated to the headquarters of the 6th Training Centre and the mobilization base, which was also connected with its renumbering to the 61st Training Centre. The 7th Mechanised Brigade was reinforced by the 61st Mechanised Battalion, which was moved from Mikulov to Hranice na Morave and renumbered to the 72nd Mechanised Battalion, which ceased to exist at the end of 1999.

The battle flag of the 7th Czechoslovak Tatranský Regiment is situated in the Army Museum in Žižkov, Prague.«

30

LIST OF DIED BROTHERS FROM 7. CS. SHOOTING REGIMENT „TATRANSKÝ“

ADÁMEK Štefan, rifle of 11. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 18.12.1889 in Nitra – Vagna. In cs. legion from 3.10.1917. Missing from 12.8.1918 after battle near Kaul. Probably fell in battle. The place of his last rest is unknown. ANDACHT Václav, corporal of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 8.12.1896 in Hradec Králové. He was moarded by bolsheviks 1.8.1918 near Kaul, after that he was shake-down in battle. Intermented probably near Kaul. ARBET Ján, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 31.3.1887 in Nové Sady near Nitra. He was moarded by bolsheviks 1.8.1918 near Kaul, after that he was shake-down in battle. Intermented probably near Kaul. BAJER Josef, rifle of 11. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 4.3.1889 in Plzeň. He fell in battle 25.10.1918 near Lebedevka. Intermented in Russia Birma. BARTOŠ Rudolf, rifle of 1. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 29.1.1897 in Luhačovice. In cs. legion from 17.12.1917. He fell 18.8.1918 in battle near Posolskoj. Intermented on battlefield near Posolskoj. BELER Josef, rifle of 1. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 19.8.1895 in České Budějovice. He fell 18.8.1918 in battle near Posolskoj. Intermented near Posolskoj next to railway´s bridge. BENEŠ František, rifle of 8. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 2.4.1882 in Libice, Chotěboř. Died 21.3.1920 on sickness. Intermented in Charbin (new cemetary section for railway personal, 3. range, grave Nr. 24). BERAN Rudolf, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 20.4.1895 in Pardubice. He fell 10.3.1918 near Bachmač. The place of his last rest is unknown. BÍLEK Alois, corporal of maschine-gunn company »Maxim« 7. shoot. regiment. Born 17.5.1897 in Palkovice, Místek. In cs. legion from 26.6.1916. He died 3.10.1917 (suicide). Intermented in Berezaň. BLAŽEK Václav, rifle of 7. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 9.9.1889 in Dobrá Voda, Pelhřimov. In cs. legion from 3.6.1918. He fell 19.7.1918 in battle near Kultuk. Intermented near Kultuk. BLEŠA Josef, rifle of 10. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 9.3.1887 in Mokronice near Kroměříř. He died 10.3.1918 on wound from battle near Bachmač. Intermented in Voronež. BRNA Silvester, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 31.12.1892 in Hiadel near Zvolen. He fell 10.3.1918 near Bachmač. The place of his last rest is unknown. BROUČEK Karel, rifle of maschine-gunn company »Kolta« 7. shot. regimet. Born 23.8.1896 in Česká Třebová. Missing durring battle naer Bachmač on 10.3.1918. The place of his last rest is unknown. BRUDHANS Vladimír Ladislav, rifle of 1. maschine-gunn company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 10.2.1895 in Vrbčany near Kolín. In cs. legion from 14.8.1917. He fell durrin battles in days 19.10. – 20.10.1918 near Tatárska Birma. The place of his last rest is unknown. BUDIŠ Eduard, second-lieutenant of 3. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 20.11.1893, in Mariánske hory. In cs. legion from 28.7.1917. He died 11.7.1919 in Sludjanka (suicide). Intermented in Sludjanka. BURDEL Rudolf, rifle of 10. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in year 1894. In cs. legion from 8.3.1918. He fell 10.3.1918 in battle by Bachmač. Intermented on battle field by Bachmač. BUREŠ Jaroslav, corporal of 1. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 24.9.1885 in Malá Chýška near Milovsko. In cs. legion from 26.7.1917. He fell 6.7.1918 in battle on river Bela. Intermented in Polovina.

31

BURSA Stanislav, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 2.2.1887 in Huntýřov near Železný Brod. In cs. legion from 1.8.1917. He was moarded by bolsheviks 1.8.1918 near Kaul, after that he was shake-down in battle. Intermented probably near Kaul. CETL Jan, rifle of 5. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 18.7.1890 in Vochozi near Nasavrky. Died 7.2.1919 by accident. Intermented in Jekaterinburg. CHRAMEC Štefan, rifle of 8. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 21.8.1891 in Brezno - Bansko. He fell 15.6.1918 on railaw N. Nikolajevsk – Barnaul. Intermented in Barnaul. CINEK Rudolf, rifle of 6. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 19.5.1887 in Mladá Boleslav. Died 16.12.1919 on typhus. Intermented in Krasnojarsk. COPLÁK Štefan, rifle of 11. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 21.1.1886 in Štiavnické Bane - Hontianska stolica. In cs. legion from 11.10.1917. He fell 6.8.1918 by Murino. Intermented in Irkutsk. CYPRIÁN František, rifle of 1. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 21.2.1893 in Kráľovské Vinohrady. In cs. legion from 20.3.1917. Missing in battle by Posolskoj 18.8.1918. The place of his last rest is unknown. DAŠKA František, rifle of 6. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 17.12.1883 in Prostějov. In cs. legion from 28.7.1917. He died 2.8.1918 durring transport to military hospital on wound from battle near Kaul. Intermented in Vladivostok. DOČKAL Matěj, rifle of 7. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 13.2.1889 in Domaninka near Moravské Budějovice. He fell 19.7.1918 in battle by Kultuk. Intermented near Kultuk. DOLEJŠKA Jan Gustav, rifle of ?. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 13.9.1890 in Prague. In cs. legion from 29.11.1917. Died 14.12.1918 on typhus. Intermented in Krasnojarsk. DOLEŽAL Bohumil, rifle of 7. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 8.11.1893 in Žitná near Pelhřimov. In cs. legion from 29.7.1917. He fell 19.7.1918 in battle by Kultuk. Intermented by Kultuk. DOLEŽAL Jan, rifle of 6. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 26.6.1897 in Nemecký Brod. He fell 1.8.1918 by Kaul. The place of his last rest is unknown. DOSTÁL Ladislav, corporal of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 28.6.1889 in Jeseník near Nymburk. In cs. legion from 28.7.1917 He was moarded by bolsheviks 1.8.1918 near Kaul, after that he was shake-down in battle. Intermented probably near Kaul. DRBAL Josef, rifle of 10. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 31.1.1886 in Lidmany near Kamenica. He fell 24.6.1918 in battle by Nižne Udinsk. Intermented in Nižne Udinsk. DREKSLER Václav, rifle of military band 7. shoot. regiment. Born 1.10.1886 in Krupa near Rakovník. Died in spring 1918 on wounds from battle by Bachmač. Intermented in Konotopy. DURGUT Tomáš, rifle of reserve company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 18.1.1887 in Horné Lefantovce near Nitra. In cs. legion from 9.11.1917. Died on sickness 22.1.1918. Intermented in Berezaň. DURIŠ Ján, rifle of 11. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 2.2.1895 in Opatová near Trenčín. In cs. legion from 7.7.1917. Missing at battle by Kaul 12.8.1918. The place of his last rest is unknown. DUŠEK Gustav, corporal of 2. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 30.8.1891 in Vlkov near Josefov. In cs. legion from 28.7.1917. He fell 6.7.1918 in battle on bridge through river Belá. Intermented in Polovina. DVOŘÁK Bohuslav, rifle of 2. company artillery support 7. shoot. regiment. Born 27.8.1895 in Tišnov. He fell 10.3.1918 in battle by Bachmač. Intermented on battlefield by Bachmač. DVOŘÁK František, rifle of ?. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 30.8.1889 in Hlavečník, Nový Býdžov. In cs. legion from 25.8.1917. He died 26.8.1920. Intermented in homeland.

32

ČERMÁK František, rifle of 1. company artillery support 7. shoot. regiment. Born 3.9.1896 in Souš, near Most. Missing from 10.3.1918 at battle by Bachmač (Doč). Capcured by ukrainian soldiers, he returns home after first war. ČERNÍK Andrej, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 22.9.1897 in Temeš - Vukovar, Banát - Yugoslavia. In cs. legion from 23.10.1917 He was moarded by bolsheviks 1.8.1918 near Kaul, after that he was shake-down in battle. Intermented probably near Kaul. ČERNÍK Bohumil, lance-corporal of 6. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 29.6.1896 in Libišany near Pardubice. In cs. legion from 28.7.1917. Died 6.8.1918 in japanies hospital on wounds from battle by Kaul. Intermented in Vladivostok. ČIPKA Ján Gustav, second-lieutenant of 12. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 28.9.1881 in Tisovec at Gemer - Slovakia. In cs. legion from 24.7.1917. He died 1.6.1918 on accident consequence in Tomsk (he dropped down under train). Intermented in Tomsk. ČTVRTEČKA Antonín (Pers. Nr. 28872), rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 20.4.1893 in Sněžné near Nové Mesto nad Metují. In civilian life worker. In cs. legion from 30.7.1917. He fell 1.8.1918 by Kaul. The place of his last rest is unknown. EIS František, rifle of 1. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 5.9.1896 in Frantál. Missing in battles near Tatárska Birma in days 19.10. – 20.10.1918. Probably death. The place of his last rest is unknown. FALTA Rudolf, rifle of 1. maschine-gunn company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 10.8.1887 in Pardubicie. Died 1.11.1918 in Jekaterinburg on wounds from battles by Tatárska Birma. Intermented in Jekaterinburg. FERSÍK Rudolf, rifle of 1. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 30.3.1893 in Jindřichov Hradec. In cs. legion from 20.10.1917. He fell 18.8.1918 in battle by Posolskoj. Intermented by Posolskoj near railway´s bridge. FIALA Josef, rifle of 3. maschine-gunn company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 16.9.1890 in Plzeň. Died 18.7.1919 on typhus. Intermented in Tomsk. FIKEJS Ferdinand, rifle of 10. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 11.1.1890 in Litomýšl. He fell 10.3.1918 by Bachmač. Intermented by Bachmač. FISCHER Rudolf, rifle of 5. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1891 in Hrbovo, Polná. Died 1.6.1918 in Mariinsk on TBC. Intermented in Mariinsk. FIŠER Karel, rifle of 3. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 15.7.1890 in Zdíchovice near Pardubice. In cs. legion from 1.7.1917. He fell 1.8.1918 in battle by Kaul. The place of his last rest is unknown. FOLTÝN Viktor, rifle of 7. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 12.1.1897 in Kroměříž. In cs. legion from 5.8.1917. Died in June 1918 in Čeljabinsk hospital. Intermented in Čeljabinsk. FRANĚK Dominik, rifle of maschine-gunn company »Kolta« 7. shoot. regiment. Born 9.8.1888 in Nový Jáchymov. He fell 10.3.1918 in battle by Bachmač. The place of his last rest is unknown. FRIDRICH Josef (Pers. Nr. 30296), rifle of 1. maschine-gunn company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 11.4.1886 in Záměli. In civilian life worker. In cs. legion from 12.9.1917. Died 11.2.1919 on poisoning, at station Kuzino. Intermented in Jekaterinburg. GARAJ Jozef, rifle of conecting company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 19.3.1895 in Trstín near Trenčín. Missing at battle by Bachmač 10.3.1918. The place of his last rest is unknown. GOLC Viktor, rifle of 10. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 15.3.1895 in Příbor near Nový Jičín. He fell 24.6.1918 in battle by Nižne Udinsk. Intermented in Nižne Udinsk. GREGOR Andrej, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 20.11.1887 in Hornejsa in Tekov. In cs. legion from 25.10.1917. He was moarded by bolsheviks 1.8.1918 near Kaul, after that he was shake-down in battle. Intermented probably near Kaul.

33

HÁČEK Jindřich, sergeant of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 1.5.1884 in Rakovník. In cs. legion from 28.7.1917. Missing at battle by Doč 10.3.1918. Probably death. The place of his last rest is unknown. HANUŠ Karel, corporal of 4. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 25.10.1890 in Velvary. In cs. legion from 6.9.1917. Died 2.8.1918 on wounds from battle by Kaul. Intermented in Jevgenevka-Spasskoje. HATALA Dušan, second-lieutenant of 10. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 1.12.1893 in Veľká Prietrž, district Nitra. He fell 10.3.1918 in battle by Bachmač (Doč). Intermented on battlefield by Doč. HAVEL Josef, sergeant of 1. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 30.11.1883 in Prague. Died 16.6.1918 in Mariinsk. He has been shot - accident. Intermented in Mariinsk. HAVEL Otakar, sergeant of 1. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 8.7.1885 in Hořice. He fell 6.7.1918 in battle on river Belá. Intermented in Polovina. HAVLÍČEK Oldřich, warrant officer of 2. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 2.2.1890 in Kolovraty near Říčany. In cs. legion from 6.8.1917. He died 11.3.1919 before transport to homeland on old head wound from battle by Marrinsk 16.6.1918. Intermented in Vladivostok. HEBÍK František, rifle of 10. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 4.8.1877 in Kočín district Písek. In cs. legion from 9.6.1918. He turns to homeland 17.4.1920. HEJCMAN František, lance-corporal of 5. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 3.3.1897 in Jasená near Jaroměř. Died 23.12.1919 on typhus. Intermented 4.1.1920 in Polovina. HEJČ Jan, rifle of 1. maschine-gunn company of 7. shoot. regiment. Born 19.12.1893 in Hořice. In cs. legion from 20.7.1917. He died 22.11.1918 by station Un by train accident. Intermented in Un. HENDRYCH Petr, lance-corporal of 3. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 1.4.1897 in Horné Štěpanice near Jilemnica. He fell 1.8.1918 in battle by Kaul. The place of his last rest is unknown. HERČÍK František, lance-corporal of 8. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 11.11.1892 in Nymburk. In cs. legion from 20.10.1917. He fell 23.12.1918 by village Krestovozdvizenskoje near Spassk monastery. Intermented in Kungur. HLAVAČKA Imrich, rifle of 11. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1893 in Šurany near Nitra. He fell 1.6.1918 in battle by Mariinsk. Intermented in Mariinsk. HOLEČEK Josef, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 1.11.1896 in Duchcov. In cs. legion from 9.10.1917. He was moarded by bolsheviks 1.8.1918 near Kaul, after that he was shake-down in battle. Intermented probably near Kaul. HOLEČEK Otakar, rifle of 8. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 14.8.1876. In cs. legion from 24.4.1918. He died 21.5.1918 in N. Nikolajevsk on typhus. Intermented in N. Nikolajevsk. HOLÍK Antonín, rifle of 10. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 8.5.1893 in Lukovo near Holešov. In cs. legion from 26.9.1917. He fell 24.6.1918 by Nižne Udinsk. Intermented in Nižne Udinsk. HOLÍK František, rifle of 10. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 10.10.1889 in Dolní Sokolovsi near Chotěboř. In cs. legion from 20.4.1918. He fell 24.6.1918 by Nižne Udinsk. Intermented in Nižne Udinsk. HOLOUBEK František (Pers. Nr. 28979), rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 8.8.1886 in Vamberk. In civilian life stonecutter. In cs. legion from 22.10.1917. Died 14.7.1918 in cs. hospital in Vladivostok on TBC. Intermented in Vladivostok. HOLUB Jaroslav, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 4.4.1894 in Prague. He fell 1.8.1918 in battle by Kaul. Intermented by Kaul.

34

HOPSÁK Bedřich, rifle of maschine-gunn company »Kolta« 7. shoot. regiment. Born 7.7.1898 in Jindřichov Hradec. Missing at battle by Bachmač 10.3.1918. The place of his last rest is unknown. HORA František, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 2.2.1895 in Lešín near Valašské Meziříčí. Missing at battle by Bachmač 10.3.1918. The place of his last rest is unknown. HORÁK Jindřich, rifle of maschine-gunn company »Kolta« 7. shoot. regiment. Born 9.3.1890 in Komárno near Holešov. He fell 10.3.1918 in battle by Bachmač. Intermented on battlefield by Bachmač. HOŠŤÁLEK Václav, rifle of 11. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 18.4.1887 in Beroun. In cs. legion from 24.6.1918. He fell 6.8.1918 by Murino. Intermented in Irkutsk. HRDÝ František, rifle of 7. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 6.9.1887 in Klokočov near Chotěboř. In cs. legion from 2.8.1917. He fell 3.6.1918 on part of railway Jurga – Kolčugino. Intermented in Šašin. HRŮŠA Vincenc, rifle of 3. maschine-gunn company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 1896 in Voleč, Přelouč. He died 20.4.1919 on sickness. Intermented in Tomsk. HUDEČEK František, rifle of 2. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 1.8.1892 in Březnice, Leletice. In cs. legion from 28.7.1917. He died 17.6.1918 on wounds from battle. Intermented in Mariinsk. JAKAB Jozef, rifle of 12. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 29.10.1890 in Chtelnica near Nitra. Missing at battle by Kaul 12.8.1918. The place of his last rest is unknown. JEDLIČKA Josef, rifle of maschine-gunn company »Kolta« 7. shoot. regiment. Born 4.5.1893 in Kateřinka near Opava. He fell 10.3.1918 in battle by Bachmač. Intermented on battlefield by Bachmač. JIRÁČEK Josef, rifle of 10. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 6.4.1893 in Nová Ves near Litomyšl. In cs. legion from 20.7.1917. He fell 1.8.1918 by Kaul. The place of his last rest is unknown. JIRÁK Jan, rifle of 5. company 7. shoot. regiment.. Born 19.4.1889 in Leštín near Nemecký Brod. He died 17.12.1919 on typhus. Intermented in Polovina. JUDAS František, rifle of 8. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 5.8.1893 in Morkovice near Kroměříž. He died 27.5.1918 killed by explosion of hand-grenade (accident). Intermented in N. Nikolajevsk. KAIL Matěj, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 28.10.1889 in Chrást near Plzeň. He fell 10.3.1918 in battle by Bachmač. Intermented on battlefield by Bachmač. KAŇÁK Juraj, rifle of 11. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 19.4.1880 in Prosná, Považská Bystrica. In cs. legion from October 1917. He fell 22.10.1918 by Išimovka. Intermented in Išimovka. KAPLAN Štěpán, rifle of 10. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 20.10.1893 in Ústí nad Orlicí. He fell 10.3.1918 in battle by Bachmač. Intermented on battlefield by Bachmač. KAPRÁL Jan, lance-corporal of 3. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 24.4.1882 in Nadějkov near Tábor. In cs. legion from 20.8.1917. He fell 1.8.1918 by Kaul. The place of his last rest is unknown. KASÁK Viktor, rifle of ?. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 29.3.1894 in Dolné Pole, district Trenčín. In cs. legion from 26.2.1918. He died 14.7.1918 in Vladivostok on TBC. Intermented in Vladivostok. KEPRTA František, rifle of 2. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 24.6.1886 in Kunvald. He died 5.9.1918 in military hospital in Irkutsk on wounds from battle by Nižne Udinsk from 26.6.1918. Intermented in Irkutsk. KLABAN Rudolf, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 7.11.1895 in Chocen. He died 1.8.1918 by transport to hospital on wounds from battle by Kaul. Intermented in Jevgenevka. KLASOVITÝ Daniel, corporal of 12. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 23.12.1893 in Pezinok. In cs. legion from 1.11.1916. He died on TBC end of May 1918 durring transport to military hospital in Irkutsk. Intermented probably in Irkutsk.

35

KLEMENT Václav, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 14.5.1894 in Vysoké Mýto. He fell 1.8.1918 by Kaul. The place of his last rest is unknown. KLIMEŠ Adolf, lieutenant of ?. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 17.10.1892 in Opatov, Polička. In cs. legion from 22.8.1916. He was moarded by bolsheviks 25.5.1918 near Mariinsk, after that he was shake-down in battle. Intermented probably near Mariinsk. KOČEVARA Vilém, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 13.5.1895 in Prague. He fell 10.3.1918 by Bachmač. Intermented on battlefield by Bachmač. KOLÁŘ Václav, rifle of support company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 27.7.1888 in Koloděj, Týn nad Vltavou. In cs. legion from 8.10.1917. Died 5.1.1919 on typhus. The place of his last rest is unknown. KOLLÁR Ján, rifle of 11. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 9.1.1882 in Šahy, district Hont. In cs. legion from 1.5.1918. He died 22.1.1920 on sickness. Intermented in Innokentevskaja. KOMÁROVSKÝ Štefan, rifle of 4. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 11.11.1895 in Rozvady – district Trenčín. In cs. legion from 15.5.1917. Missing from battle by Kaule 1.8.1918. The place of his last rest is unknown. KOMOSNÝ Jakub, lance-corporal of 2. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 4.8.1889 in Malé Starvičky near Hustopeče. In cs. legion from 21.9.1917. Killed by explosion of hand-grenade at station Tyret 5.7.1918. Intermented in Nižne Udinsk. KŐNIG Vilém, rifle of support company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in year 1888 in Flotnany n. Vez. Died 28.3.1919 in Tomsk. Intermented probably in Tomsk. KOPŘIVA František, rifle of 1. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 2.4.1894 in Nemčičky near Hustopeče. In cs. legion from 15.12.1917. Missing at battle by Tatárska Birma in days 19.10. – 20.10.1918. Probably death. The place of his last rest is unknown. KORDÍK Jaroslav, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 14.12.1891 in Klečany near Kyjov. In cs. legion from 13.9.1917. He fell 1.8.1918. The place of his last rest is unknown. KOŘÍNEK Josef, rifle of 7. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in year 1895 in Vesky. He fell 19.7.1918 by Kultuk. Intermented in Kultuk. KRAUS Jan, rifle of ?. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 8.3.1896 in V. Oujezd district Hranice (maybe Prague). He fell durring battles by Bachmač 10. - 13.3.1918. The place of his last rest is unknown. KRÁLIK Ján, rifle of 12. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 1.1.1893 in Okoličná near Liptovský Mikuláš. In cs. legion from 2.5.1918. He died 26.10.1918 on wounds from battle by Tatárska Birma. Intermented by Moleb factory. His grave was marked with cross and name. KRÁLIK Ondrej, rifle of connecting company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 9.9.1890 in Vrútky near Martin. In cs. legion from 27.9.1917. He died 5.4.1918 by accident, explosion of hand-grenade. Intermented in Balašov. KRESL (GRASL) František, rifle of 10. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 23.5.1888 in Stražov near Klatovy. He died 1.8.1919 on typhus. Intermented in Tomsk. KRUPKA Václav, rifle of 3. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 14.11.1890 in Pěčice near Nymburk. He fell durring battles by Tatárska Birma in days 19.10. – 20.10.1918. The place of his last rest is unknown. KUBÁLEK Karel, rifle of 2. maschine-gunn company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 30.4.1890 in Chlistovice near Kutna Hora. In cs. legion from 28.7.1917. He died 28.5.1919 on TBC. Intermented in Tomsk. KUBÍČEK Tomáš, rifle of 1. maschine-gunn company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 29.10.1896 in Hostkovice near Olomouc. In cs. legion from 18.7.1917. He died 22.11.1918 by crash of trains at station Uň. Intermented in Uň.

36

KUBĚNA Alois, lieutenant of 1. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 3.1.1890 in Větřkovice near Nový Jičín. In cs. legion from 12.6.1917. He fell 20.10.1918 by Išimovka. Intermented by Išimovka. KUDLIČKA Blahoslav Antonín, rifle of support company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 4. 6.1895 v Brno. Missing at battle by Bachmač 11.3.1918. The place of his last rest is unknown. KUČERA Josef, rifle of 1. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 7.2.1897 in Brno. In cs. legion from 25.9.1917. Murded by bolsheviks durring his watch service in Tomsk 18.3.1919. Intermented in Tomsk. KUNDELÁSEK František, rifle of 11. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 1.2.1890 in Unhošť near Chrášťany. In cs. legion form 26.4.1918. Died 25.5.1918 on wounds from battle. Intermented in Mariinsk. KUNČÍK František, lance-corporal of 8. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 1.1.1895 in Nivnica near Uherský Brod. In cs. legion from 7.11.1917. He died on sicknees 10.4.1920 in hospital wagon Nr. 5. The place of his last rest is unknown. KŮRKA Alois, rifle of 11. company of regiment artillery 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1892 in Stratov near Nové Benátky. Died on typhus 7.2.1920 in hospital wagon Nr. 3. Intermented in Polovina. KVAPIL Josef, rifle of 1. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 9.10.1880 in Kalište near Litomýšl. Murded by bolsheviks durring his watch service in Tomsk 18.3.1919. Intermented in Tomsk. LÁSKA Václav, lieutenant of support company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1890. He fell 5.6.1918 in sector of railway Barnaul – N. Nikolajevsk. Intermented in N. Nikolajevsk. LÁZNIČKA Tomáš, rifle of 7. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1886 in Valašské Meziříči. He fell 3.6.1918 in sector of railway Jurga – Koľčugino. Intermented in Šašina. LOMBART Štefan, rifle of 12. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 1884 in Mníšok district Spiš. He died in 1918 by accident on railway. Intermented in Irkutsk. LUDAČKA Václav Vojtech, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 20.3.1885 in Žernovica near Netolice. In cs. legion from 20.4.1918. Missing in battle by Kaul 1.8.1918. The place of his last rest is unknown. LUPÍNEK Bedřich, rifle of 11. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 6.7.1893 in Malešov near Zděslavice. In cs. legion 3.5.1918. He fell 6.8.1918 by Murino. Intermented in Irkutsk. MÁCHA Antonín, lance-corporal of 3. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1893 in Dožice near Blatná. He fell durring battles by Tatárska Birma in days 19.10. – 20.10.1918. His body stayed in hands of enemy. The place of his last rest is unknown. MACHÁT Eduard, sergeant of 3. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 11.3.1897 in Horke nad Moravou near Olomouc. In cs. legion from 18.7.1917. . His body stayed in hands of enemy. The place of his last rest is unknown (probably Tatárska Birma). MACKŮ František, corporal of 3. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 27.9.1896 in Tišnov. In cs. legion from 31.7.1917. Missing at battle by Kaul 1.8.1918. The place of his last rest is unknown. MÁLEK Antonín, rifle of 1. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 13.1.1891 in Nový Bydžov. He get drowned in river Tom near Tatalska in 1919. The body was lost. The place of his last rest is unknown. MAREČEK Antonín, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 27.10.1895 in Brandýs nad Labem, Sluhy. In cs. legion from 26.7.1917. Missing at battle by Kaul 1.8.1918. The place of his last rest is unknown. MARJÁK Juraj, rifle of 9. company-police section of 7. shoot. regiment. Born 12.3.1883 in Makov near Trenčín. In cs. legion from 3.7.1917. Died 12.5.1918 in N. Nikolajevsk on Vitium cordis. Intermented in N. Nikolajevsk.

37

MARTÍNEK Ján, rifle of 4. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1890 in Bohdanec near Nové Mesto. Died 26.7.1918 on sickness. Intermented in Omsk. MATOUŠ František, corporal of 3. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 20.4.1897 in Bradlecká Lhota. He fell durring battles by Tatárska Birma in days 19.10. – 20.10.1918. The place of his last rest is unknown. MAZANEC Jiří, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 24.4.1879 in Dlažďov near Nova Kdyňa. Missing at battle by Kaul 1.8.1918. The place of his last rest is unknown. MAŠEK Vincenc, rifle of 1. maschine-gunn company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 4.4.1889 in Přeštice. In cs. legion from 1.3.1917. Missing at battles by Tatárska Birma in days 19.10. – 20.10.1918. The place of his last rest is unknown. MELICHAR Jan, rifle of 1. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 20.8.1897 in Zbraslava near Valašské Meziříčí. He fell 6.7.1918 in battle on river Belá. Intermented in Polovina. MELLENBERK Nikolaj, rifle of 10. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 26.1.1902 in Vladivostok. Died 25.4.1919 in Tomsk on sickness. Intermented in Tomsk. MIKSA Václav, rifle of 6. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1893 in Prague. He fell 1.8.1918 by Kaul. The place of his last rest is unknown. MIKUNDA Miloš, rifle of ?. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 29.9.1898 in Třebíč. He died in 1918 on sickness in hospital of Vladivostok. Intermented in Vladivostok. MILOTA Karel, lance-corporal of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 26.10.1891 in Ronov near Čáslav. He was moarded by bolsheviks 1.8.1918 near Kaul, after that he was shake-down in battle. Intermented probably near Kaul. MLEZIVA František, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 23.11.1891 in Prague. He died 15.11.1917 in Berezaň on sickness. Intermented in Berezaň. MONFORT František, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1893 in Vyšehrad. He was moarded by bolsheviks 1.8.1918 near Kaul, after that he was shake-down in battle. Intermented probably near Kaul. MOTAŠ Juraj, rifle of 5. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1890 in Štiavnik near Trenčín. He died 16.5.1918 on sickness. Intermented in Innokentevskaja. NEBL Gustav, rifle of maschine-gunn company »Kolta« 7. shoot. regiment. Born 28.7.1894 in Šlapanice near Brno. He fell 10.3.1918 by Bachmač. The place of his last rest is unknown. NEDVÍDEK František, sergeant of 4. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 15.1.1896 in Černá nad Orlicí. He died 6.1.1920 in Innokentevskaja (suicide). Intermented in Innokentevskaja. NĚMEC Jan, rifle of support company of 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1891 in Bližejov near Horný Týn. He fell 5.6.1918 in railway sector N. Nikolajevsk – Barnaul. Intermented in N. Nikolajevsk. NIKODÉM Josef, rifle of 3. company 7. shoot. Born 1.1.1891 in Záhřice near Strakonice. In cs. legion from 29.7.1917. He fell 1.8.1918 by Kaul. The place of his last rest is unknown. NĚMEC František, rifle of maschine-gunn company »Kolta« 7. shoot. regiment. Born 5.1.1883 in Hříšt near Přibyslav. Missing at battle by Bachmač 10.3.1918. The place of his last rest is unknown. NĚMEJC Václav, second-lieutenant of 5. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1884 in Královice near Plzeň. He fell 19.7.1918 by Kultuk. Intermented in Kultuk. NOVÁK Alois, rifle of 10. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 27.1.1893 in Pučery, district Kolín. In cs. legion from 26.7.1917. He fell 10.3.1918 by Bachmač. Intermented on battlefield by Bachmač.

38

NOVÁK Antonín, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 3.12.1893 in Lubečnice near Olomouc. In cs. legion from 2.8.1917. Missing at battle by Kaul 1.8.1918. The place of his last rest is unknown. OMELKA František, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1894 in Popovice. Died 12.8.1918 on wounds from battle by Kaul. Intermented in Kaul. PAČES František, rifle of 10. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 10.2.1896 in Přistoupím near Český Brod. He fell 10.3.1918 by Bachmač. The place of his last rest is unknown. PAČÍSTKA František, rifle of 7. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 17.2.1897 in Mostište near Valašské Meziříčí. He fell 19.7.1918 by Kultuk. Intermented by Kultuk. PALATÝ Jaroslav, rifle of maschine-gunn company »Kolta« 7. shoot. regiment. Born 17.5.1894 in Velký Lukov near Holešov. Missing at battle by Bachmač 10.3.1918. Probably death. The place of his last rest is unknown. PCHÁLEK Ludvík, rifle of maschine-gunn company »Kolta« 7. shoot. regiment. Born 11.11.1892 in Budišovice near Opava. Missing at battle by Bachmač 10.3.1918. Probably death. The place of his last rest is unknown. PEŠL Jan, rifle of 2. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 2.6.1895 in Staré Svojanovo near Poličky. In cs. legion from 27.9.1917. He fell 16.6.1918 by Mariinsk. The place of his last rest is unknown. PIDA Ferdinand, sergeant of 1. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1894 in Hulín near Kroměříž. He fell 18.8.1918 by Posolskoj. Intermented in Posolskoj near railway bridge. PIŠAN Rudolf, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1878 in Plzeň. Missing at battle by Kaul in August 1918. Probably death. The place of his last rest is unknown. PIŠTĚK Severín, lance-corporal of 3. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 6.10.1892 in Domanín near Bzence. In cs. legion from 18.10.1917. He fell durring battles by Tatárska Birma in days 19. – 20.10.1918. His body stayed in enemys hands. The place of his last rest is unknown. PLACHÝ Augustín, rifle of 5. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 2.2.1885 in Náchod. In cs. legion from 7.11.1917. He fell 26.5.1918 by N. Nikolajevsk. Intermented in N. Nikolajevsk. POSÍŘIL Vítězslav, rifle of 4. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 10.2.1890 in Mladá Boleslav. In cs. legion from 13.11.1917. He died 25.2.1919 on wounds from battle by Kaul. Intermented in Vladivostok on cemetery “Ulis“. RATHOUSKÝ Karel, rifle of 1. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 7.3.1895 in Jeseník near Nymburk. In cs. legion from 31.10.1917. He died 28.8.1919 (poisoning). Intermented in Tomsk. RAZTOCHA Leopold, rifle of 2. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 1895 in Jihlava. He fell duriing battles by Tatárska Birma in days 19.10. – 20.10.1918. His body stayed in enemys hands. The place of his last rest is unknown. REMEŠ Jan, rifle of 3. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 3.5.1882 in Nasavrky near Valašské Meziříčí. He died 13.12.1918 on influenc. Intermented in Tjumen. REINNOLD Štefan, rifle of 6. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born ?. Died in 1919 in Tomsk. Intermented probably in Tomsk. RICHTER Viktor, rifle of support company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 13.7.1895 in Studénka near Bílovec. He died 14.8.1918 on dysentery. Intermented in Irkutsk. ŘÍHA Antonín, rifle of 3. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1893 Telce - Skály near Louny. He fell 1.8.1918 by Kaul. The place of his last rest is unknown.

39

ROČÁREK Jan, rifle of support company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 14.5.1896 in Chrudim. He fell 10.3.1918 by Bachmač. Intermented on battlefield by Bachmač. RŮŽIČKA Ján, rifle of support company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 7.11.1888 in Trnovec near Skalica. He died 13.5.1918 in N. Nikolajevsk on TBC. Intermented in N. Nikolajevsk. RŮŽIČKA Josef, rifle of maschine-gunn company »Kolta« 7. shoot. regiment. Born 2.6.1897 in Brtnice near Jihlava. He died 27.5.1918 on wounds from battle by Bachmač. Intermented in Krasnojarsk. RŮŽIČKA Rudolf, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 1885 in Petrovice near Rakovník. Missing at battle by Kaul in August 1918. Probably death. The place of his last rest is unknown. RYBA Oto, rifle of 3. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 6.5.1892 in Prague. Missing at battles by Tatárska Birma in days 19.10. – 20.10.1918. Probably death. The place of his last rest is unknown. SCHŰCH Vojtěch, second-lieutenant of 6. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 20.4.1894 in Malonín near Jevička. In cs. legion from 21.5.1918. He died 15.4.1920 on typhus. The place of his last rest is unknown. SEHNAL Josef, rifle of 3. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 2.3.1895 in Habrůvka near Brno. Missing at battle by Kaul 1.8.1918. Probably death. The place of his last rest is unknown. SENKO Jozef, rifle of 11. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 15.4.1893 in Banská Štiavnica, district Hont. He fell 1.6.1918 in battle by Mariinsk. Intermented in Mariinsk. SLAVÍK Dominik, sergeant of 1. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 20.5.1887 in Pěčím near Žamberk. He fell durring battles by Tatárska Birma in days 19.10. – 20.10.1918. His body stayed in hands of enemy. The place of his last rest is unknown. SMETÁNKA František, rifle of 10. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born – unknown. In cs. legion from 8.3.1918. He fell 10.3.1918 by Bachmač. Intermented on battlefield by Bachmač. SMILAUER Ferdinand, rifle of 8. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1888 Prague - Žižkov. He fell 26.5.1918 by N. Nikolajevsk. Intermented in N. Nikolajevsk. SOUČEK Petr, rifle of 1. maschine-gunn company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 19.10.1887 in Domanín near Bzenec nad Moravou. In cs. legion from 3.10.1917. He died in 1919 (suicide). Intermented in Bolotna. STEIN Otto, second-lieutenant of 7. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1896 in Terešov. He died 29.5.1918 in Tajga. Accident by manipulation with gun. Intermented in Tajga. STOLÍN Josef, rifle of maschine-gunn company »Maxim« 7. shoot. regiment. Born 12.3.1895 in Bohuslavice near Nové Mesto nad Metují. In cs. legion from 6.12.1917. He fell 16.6.1918 by Mariinsk. Intermented in Mariinsk. SVITÁK Július, rifle of 10. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 2.2.1893 in Dolná Lhotka near Holešov. In cs. legion from 25.8.1917. He fell 10.3.1918 by Bachmač. The place of his last rest is unknown. SVOBODA Václav, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 1.1.1889 in Tytre near Rakovník. . Missing at battle by Kaul in August 1.8.1918. Probably death. The place of his last rest is unknown. ŠENKÝŘ František, rifle of 2. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1890 in Mirochov. He fell in battle 2.6.1918 in sector of railway N. Nikolajevsk – Barabinsk. Intermented in Barabinsku. ŠIMEK Eduard, rifle of 1. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1894 in Zbečník near Náchod. Murded by bolsheviks durring his watch service in Tomsk 18.3.1919. Intermented in Tomsk. ŠNEPERGER Josef, rifle of 3. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1883 in Plzeň. He fell 1.8.1918 by Kaul. The place of his last rest is unknown.

40

ŠPERKA Adam, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 1.1.1890 in Staškov district Trenčín. In cs. legion from 13.12.1917. He fell 10.3.1918 by Bachmač. Intermented on battlefield by Bachmač. ŠPIRK Tomáš, rifle of maschine-gunn company »Chauchaut« 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1891 in Pardubice. He fell 27.10.1918 by Tatárska Birma. Intermented by Tatárska Birma. ŠTÁDLER Eduard, rifle of 8. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1883 in Žižkov. He died 24.4.1918 in N. Nikolajevsk on TBC. Intermented in N. Nikolajevsk. ŠTĚPÁN František, rifle of 10. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 1894 in Ladkyren near Obsdorf, High Austria. Died 26.2.1917 in Jagotín on typhus. Intermented in Jagotín. ŠTĚPÁNEK Josef, rifle of 8. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 17.2.1893 in Javornice near Rychnov. He died 25.1.1918 (suicide). Intermented in Berezaň. ŠTRBÁK Ján František, rifle of 11. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 15.10.1894 in Krasno district Trenčín. In cs. legion from 26.8.1917. He fell 22.10.1918 in battle by Tatárska Birma. The place of his last rest is unknown. ŠUPÁK Andrej, rifle of 10. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 29.6.1896 v Stráni. In cs. legion from 19.7.1917. He died 16.10.1917 in Kyjev hospital. Intermented in Kyjev. ŠŤASTNÝ František, rifle of 10. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born ?. In cs. legion from 8.3.1918. He fell 10.3.1918 by Bachmač. Intermented on battlefield by Bachmač. TESAŘ Kvirín, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 25.11.1896 in Louka near Most. In cs. legion from 15.9.1917. He fell 1.8.1918 by Kaul. The place of his last rest is unknown. TRUNDA František, rifle of 8. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born ?. He died 15.9.1917 on old wounds from battle. Intermented in Berezaň. TŮMA Antonín, rifle of 6. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1897 in Ústí near Nová Paka. He died 4.5.1918 on sickness in Krasnojarsk. Intermented in Krasnojarsk. TŰRNER František, rifle of 3. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1883 in Hradenín near Kolín. He fell 1.8.1918 by Kaul. The place of his last rest is unknown. URBAN Vilém, rifle of 10. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 30.4.1894 in Rakovník. He fell 24.6.1918 by Nižne Udinsk. Intermented by Nižne Udinsk. VACEK Václav, rifle of 10. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 11.11.1887 in Německý Brod. He died 6.3.1920 on influence. Intermented in Manchuria. VAŇÁK Štefan, rifle of 12. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 27.11.1893 in Zlechov near Trenčín. In cs. legion from 20.9.1917. He died 10.10.1917 in Berezaň, poisoning with carbon dioxide. Intermented in Berezaň. VELICH Jan, rifle of 7. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 8.6.1891 in Hořice. He died 4.1.1920 on typhus. The body was transported to russian military hospital in Innokentevskaja. Intermented in Innokentevskaja. VITOVEC Jindřich, rifle of 7. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1896 in Bavorove near Písek. He fell 25.10.1918 by Lebedevka. Intermented in Lebedevka. VLAŠIČ Adam, rifle of 7. company of captain school of 7. shoot. regiment. Born 24.12.1891 in Devínska Nová Ves near Bratislava. In cs. legion from 8.11.1917. He died 3.4.1919 on sickness in Tokyo Japan. Intermented in Tokyo - Japan. VLČEK Tomáš, lance-corporal of 1. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 8.12.1890 in Velké Oslavice near Valašské Meziříčí. He fell 18.8.1918 by Posolskoj. Intermented by railway bridge by Posolskoj.

41

VOBOŘIL Václav, rifle of 2. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 9.12.1892 in Chvaletice near Pardubice. In cs. legion from 3.11.1917. Killed by bolsheviks 6.6.1918 at station Trutnovskoje after he was captive. Intermented in Barabinsk. VONDRÁČEK Václav, rifle of 3. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 8.8.1896 in Kostelec nad Černými Lesy, Český Brod. In cs. legion from 4.9.1917. He fell durring battles by Tatárska Birma in days 19.10. – 20.10.1918. The place of his last rest is unknown. VORÁČEK Jan, rifle of 3. scout riders company of 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1889 in Tábor. He died 24.11.1917 accident by manipulation with gun of one of brothers. Intermented in Berezaň. VRBA Josef, rifle of maschine-gunn company »Kolta« 7. shoot. regiment. Born 27.11.1896 in Ničím near Příbram. Missing at battle by Bachmač 10.3.1918. Probably death. The place of his last rest is unknown. VYČÍTAL Jan, rifle of 9. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 4.3.1886 in Vlhošt near Jičín. In cs. legion from 9.10.1917. Died 14.4.1919 on typhus in Jekaterinburg. ZAJÍČEK Antonín, rifle of 7. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 24.6.1888 in Hronětice near Nymburk. In cs. legion from 3.7.1918. He died 6.10.1918 on influence. Intermented in Irkutsk – Glazkov. ZMEK Antonín, rifle of 11. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 10.3.1894 in Chotěboř. He fell 6.8.1918 by Murino. Intermented in Irkutsk. ZMRHAL Jaroslav, rifle of ?. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 24.1.1888 in Vranicie, district. Kutná Hora. He died 7.7.1918 in Vladivostok on TBC. Intermented in Vladivostok. ŽABOKRTSKÝ Alois, rifle of 1. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born 27.6.1893 in Mast near Dobruška. He died 4.6.1918 on typhus. Intermented by Kargat. ŽÁK Bedřich, rifle of 7. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1893 in Brtnica near Jihlava. He fell 30.5.1918 by station Jaškino. Intermented in Tajga. WASSERBAUER Jan, lance-corporal of 3. company 7. shoot. regiment. Born in 1896 in Polná near Německý Brod. Missing at battles by Tatárska Birma in days 19. – 20.10.1918. Probably death. The place of his last rest is unknown.