Czechoslovak Army
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| Czechoslovak Army | |
|---|---|
| Československá armáda | |
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| Founded | 1918 |
| Disbanded | 1992 |
| Service branches | Czechoslovak Ground Forces Czechoslovak Naval Forces Czechoslovak Air Force |
| Headquarters | Prague, Czechoslovakia |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | President of Czechoslovakia |
| Minister | Minister of National Defence |
| Chief of Defence | Chief of the General Staff |
| Related articles | |
| Ranks | Czechoslovakian military ranks |
The Czechoslovak Army (Czech and Slovak: Československá armáda) was the name of the armed forces of Czechoslovakia. It was established in 1918 following Czechoslovakia's declaration of independence from Austria-Hungary.
History
[edit]In the first week after the declaration of independence, the Army of the new Czechoslovak state consisted mainly of Czech and Slovak units of the Austro-Hungarian Army, and later incorporated members of the Czechoslovak Legion from Italy and France.[1] that fought alongside the Entente during World War I. The Czechoslovak Army took part in the brief Polish-Czechoslovak War, in which Czechoslovakia annexed the Trans-Olza region from Poland. It also fought a border war with Hungary for control and borders of Slovakia. The Army was modeled after the Austro-Hungarian Army, with the influence of a French military mission. Its initial officers were both former Austro-Hungarian and Legion officers who decided to stay in the active service. The first chief of the Army Staff was French General Maurice Pellé.
In the Interwar period, the force was fairly modern by contemporary standards, with the core of being formed by four fast divisions equipped in the late 1930s with LT vz. 35 tanks, as well as working with an extensive system of border fortifications. Partly mobilized after the German-Austrian Anschluss, and fully mobilized at the time of the Munich Conference, the force did not take part in any organized defense of the country against the invading Germans, due to the international isolation of Czechoslovakia.[2]
The army was disbanded following the German takeover of Czechoslovakia in 1939. During World War II, the Czechoslovak Army was recreated in exile, first in the form of the new Czechoslovak Legion fighting alongside Poland during the invasion of Poland, and then in the form of forces loyal to the London-based Czechoslovak government-in-exile. Czechoslovak formations were also formed on the Eastern Front; the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps in the Soviet Union served alongside the Red Army, and the First Czechoslovak Army in Slovakia claimed the legacy of the Czechoslovak forces during the Slovak National Uprising.
After the war, Czechoslovak units fighting alongside the Allies returned to Czechoslovakia and formed the core of the new, recreated Czechoslovak Army. However, with the Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia, it was Sovietised[3] and in 1954 was formally renamed the Czechoslovak People's Army. The army of Czechoslovakia returned to its former name in 1990, following the Velvet Revolution, but in 1993, following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, it was disbanded and split into the present-day Army of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Armed Forces.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Preclík, Vratislav (2019). Masaryk a legie (in Czech). Paris Karviná in association with the Masaryk Democratic Movement, Prague. pp. 101–201. ISBN 978-80-87173-47-3.
- ^ Šrámek, Pavel (23 February 2009). "Československá armáda na podzim 1938". armada.vojenstvi.cz. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
- ^ Johnstone, Chris (18 August 2010). "The Czechoslovak legions: myth, reality, gold and glory". Czech Radio. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
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