Czechoslovak soldiers in North Africa & the Middle East

Czechoslovak soldiers in north Africa & the Middle East

The Free Czechoslovak Army

Infantry Regiment No. 4

The surrender of France in June 1940 caught a group of 206 Czechoslovak volunteers in Beirut, Lebanon, where they were waiting for a transfer to the Czechoslovak 1st Infantry Division in France. Because the territory, on which they happened to be waiting for the said transport, was under French administration and the commander-in-chief of the French Middle East forces, general E. Mittlehauser, swore allegiance to the government in Vichy, the Czechoslovak volunteers were exposed to the very immediate threat of detention or their being handed over to the Germans. Thanks to Honourable J. M. Kadlec, the Czechoslovak consul-general in Jerusalem, this threat was repelled by the granting of British visa for Palestine.

All the volunteers were consequently transferred to the camp at the Palestinian Az Sumeirya, to which more volunteers were gradually coming until the total number of Czechoslovak personnel rose to 280.

The most senior officer at the camp, colonel J. Kores, decided to establish a higher-level unit, the Infantry Regiment No 4, as a part of the Czechoslovak 1st Infantry Division, which withdrew from France to Great Britain. The regiment consisted of a headquarters, a maintenance company and the 1 Infantry Regiment at two complete and two cadre companies.

After that, the soldiers were screened by British secret service, sent to the Gedera camp, equipped with hand guns and tropical equipment and an intensive training programme began at once.

On the 23rd July 1940, the British Government officially recognized the London-based Czechoslovak government-in-exile. By the 14th August 1940, the Czechoslovak Military Mission to the Near and Middle East was established and general O. Mezl (Gak) was appointed head of this institution. On the 28th October 1940, the Czechoslovak Contingent - Middle East was finally formed by the order of general Mezl (Gak) and by the directions issued by the commander-in-chief of the British forces in the Middle East, A. Wavell.

At the same time, the Infantry Regiment was disbanded and Czechoslovak Infantry Battalion No. 11 - East and Czechoslovak Training Depot - East were formed.


Czechoslovak Infantry Battalion No. 11 - East

Lt.-Col. Karel Klapalek was appointed to the office of the commander of the battalion, which consisted of the battalion headquarters, four rifle companies (each at three platoons) and an accompanying arms company (a machine-gun platoon, signal, sapper, repair and transport platoons).

In the beginning of December 1940, the Battalion began its 11 days of acclimatization. A transfer to the Sidi Bishr and Agami camps followed the acclimatization. Here, the Battalion was to perform guard duties until the Spring of 1941, when the missing part of personnel was added and the unit became a part of the British 23rd Infantry Brigade under the command of brigadier A. Galoway. At the time, it was based in the Sidi Hanaism area at Marsamatruh.

In April 1941 the British were forced by the circumstances to the energetical acquiring of Syria, which was under French administration. The Operation Exporter, as this campaign was called, was to check the German advance on the Iraqi oil-fields and refining sites in Syria. In the formation summoned for the purpose of the aforesaid Operation, the Australian 7th Division, the British 1st Cavalry Division and the 6th Division (among other units, the 23rd Infantry Brigade was to fight under its command) were joined by the Indian 5th Brigade and the Free French Brigade.

It had been assumed that the French forces would not put up any resistance and would readily join the ranks of the Free French. However, the assumprect as the French were apparently loyal to marshal Petain and bitter opposition from their side was to be encountered. The Czechoslovak Infantry Battalion No. 11 - East began its advance on the 24th July 1941 as a second-line unit of the 23rd Infantry Brigade. On the 6th July 1941, the first Czechoslovak soldier, private Jiri Haas, fell during a surprise artillery attack. Five days later, on the 11th July 1941, the French surrendered. The 23rd Infantry Brigade was then assigned the task of guarding the Syrian border with Turkey.

In August 1941, the Czechoslovak Ministry of National Defence repeated its request for the battalion to be transferred to the Czechoslovak forces in Great Britain. The British commander-in-chief rejected the request and, after a meeting with Lt.-Col. Klapalek, agreed to transfer the Battalion to the besieged Lybian port of Tobruk, where it was subordinated to the Polish Independent Highland Infantry Brigade. The Czechoslovaks were to maintain a 5,700 metres long line, supported by a system of fortlets and pillboxes.

It was then that the Czechoslovak soldiers became part of the legendary defenders of Tobruk, the so-called 'Tobruk Rats'.

On the 18th November 1941, the British 8th Army commenced the Operation Crusader with a purpose to rout the enemy forces out of Lybia. On the 27th November, a contact was established with the defenders. Tobruk again got close to the front in February 1942, when Rommel's counter-offensive was checked just 75 kilometres off Tobruk.

After 158 days at Tobruk, 51 of which were spent by the soldiers of the Battalion directly engaging the enemy, the unit was withdrawn from its position for convalescence and reorganization. During its time at Tobruk, it had lost 14 soldiers killed and further 81 wounded in action.

200th Czechoslovak Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment - East

In March 1942, the Czechoslovak Infantry Battalion 11 - East was subordinated to the 4th Anti-aircraft Brigade at Haifa and, on 21st April 1942, it was reorganized into the 200th Czechoslovak Light Anti-aircraft Regiment - East.

Due to the proclamation of the Czechoslovak government-in-exile from 29th January 1942 about the general conscription of Czechoslovak citizens abroad, the number of the members of the Regiment rose to 1,547, so that the war strength was complemented and there was a sufficient reserve created to replace casualties.

The Regiment consisted of three battalions, each at four companies, a signal platoon and a repair section. The battalions had numbers 500, 501 and 502 and the companies were assigned numbers from 1 to 12. Again, it was Karel Klapalek, at the time a colonel, who became the commander of the unit. The training and equipment of the Regiment with anti-aircraft guns were very slow and no sooner than on 21st July 1942 was it given the task of the anti-aircraft defence of the port of Haifa, its oil refinery, and the port of Beirut.

In December 1942, the 200th Czechoslovak Light Anti-aircraft Regiment - East was subordinated to the British 17 and, again, transferred to Tobruk. This assignment ended on 23rd July 1943.

Following the leave-taking ceremony given by the commander-in-chief of the British forces in the Middle East, General Sir Henry H. Wilson and the commander of the anti-aircraft defence forces in the Middle East, General A. J. Pollock, the 1,333 Czechoslovak soldiers boarded the Mauretania on 4th July 1943 in the port of Tewfik and left for Great Britain. The Mauretania arrived to Liverpool on 11th August 1943. After that, the Regiment was transferred to a campsite in the park of the Wivenhoe Castle at Colchester.

During the time of the existence of the Czechoslovak units in the Middle East, 38 soldiers were killed in action. The total of 103 soldiers were decorated with Czechoslovak and Allied honours and orders.

Czechoslovak soldiers in north Africa [Archive] - Military Photos

 

Nice article. Other Czech soldiers were trapped in North Africa and could either get to Syria all the way from Algeria or reach Gibraltar. (source Icare magazine 131)

 

Its really interesting when you look at where all the soldiers from the Occupied Countries fought in and from.