Alois Liška
Encyclopedia
Alois Liška was a Czech army officer who served in both World Wars, ultimately as a Brigade General
commanding the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade at Dunkirk in 1944/45. He was born on 20 November 1895 in Záborčí, some 17 kilometres south east of Liberec
, and died on 7 February 1977 in Putney
, London.
.
, Liška was conscripted into the Austro–Hungarian Army and posted to the Russian front
. He was taken prisoner of war
(one source says that he defected) in 1916 on the Russian front
and in 1917 he volunteered to join the Czechoslovak Legions
in Russia
and served with the artillery
.
After his return, in 1920, to Czechoslovakia, he joined the Army as a professional officer and served with the 51st Artillery Regiment at Stara Boleslav, rising from a company commander to commanding the regiment. When Germany occupied the Czech lands
in 1939, he escaped the country.
During the Battle of France
, he commanded the 1st Artillery Regiment and, after the collapse of Allied forces in 1940, he and his regiment were evacuated to Britain. In 1943, Liška was promoted to Brigadier General
and, from March 1943, he commanded the Czechoslovak Independent Brigade, which subsequently converted to armour as the Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade Group, which subsequently became the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade. The Brigade was moved to France in August 1944 and Liška commanded the siege of Dunkirk from October 1944 to May 1945, accepting the surrender of the German garrison.
; his son, Jaroslav, and older brother, Josef, had been shot during death marches
. He had been appointed as the Czechoslovak Army's Chief of Staff in April 1945 by President Edvard Beneš
, but this was vetoed by the Soviet authorities and instead he became commander of the Military College and was promoted to General
in 1946. The Communist takeover in 1948
and consequent purges of formerly London-based officers, however, led to his dismissal from the Army and obliged him to leave his country once again, without his family.
Alois Liška died in Putney, London in 1977. He was posthumously awarded the Milan Rastislav Stefanik Order
, 3rd class in 1991.
Brigade General
Brigade General is a rank used in many armies to denote the lowest rank of general, corresponding to command of a brigade. The rank is mostly used in countries where it is used as a modern alternative to a previous older rank of Brigadier or Brigadier General...
commanding the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade at Dunkirk in 1944/45. He was born on 20 November 1895 in Záborčí, some 17 kilometres south east of Liberec
Liberec
Liberec is a city in the Czech Republic. Located on the Lusatian Neisse and surrounded by the Jizera Mountains and Ještěd-Kozákov Ridge, it is the fifth-largest city in the Czech Republic....
, and died on 7 February 1977 in Putney
Putney
Putney is a district in south-west London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, London.
Early life
Liška was one of six siblings. In June 1914, he passed the leaving examination and graduated from Grammar School in TurnovTurnov
Turnov is a town on the Jizera river in the northern Czech Republic. It has about 14,500 inhabitants and lies in the southern part of Liberec Region. It is a traditional center for gemstone polishing, glass craftmanship and arts....
.
Military service
In 1915, during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Liška was conscripted into the Austro–Hungarian Army and posted to the Russian front
Eastern Front (World War I)
The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. The term is in contrast to the Western Front. Despite the geographical separation, the events in the two theatres strongly influenced each other...
. He was taken prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
(one source says that he defected) in 1916 on the Russian front
Eastern Front (World War I)
The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. The term is in contrast to the Western Front. Despite the geographical separation, the events in the two theatres strongly influenced each other...
and in 1917 he volunteered to join the Czechoslovak Legions
Czechoslovak Legions
The Czechoslovak Legions were volunteer armed forces composed predominantly of Czechs and Slovaks fighting together with the Entente powers during World War I...
in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and served with the artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
.
After his return, in 1920, to Czechoslovakia, he joined the Army as a professional officer and served with the 51st Artillery Regiment at Stara Boleslav, rising from a company commander to commanding the regiment. When Germany occupied the Czech lands
Czech lands
Czech lands is an auxiliary term used mainly to describe the combination of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia. Today, those three historic provinces compose the Czech Republic. The Czech lands had been settled by the Celts , then later by various Germanic tribes until the beginning of 7th...
in 1939, he escaped the country.
During the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
, he commanded the 1st Artillery Regiment and, after the collapse of Allied forces in 1940, he and his regiment were evacuated to Britain. In 1943, Liška was promoted to Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
and, from March 1943, he commanded the Czechoslovak Independent Brigade, which subsequently converted to armour as the Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade Group, which subsequently became the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade. The Brigade was moved to France in August 1944 and Liška commanded the siege of Dunkirk from October 1944 to May 1945, accepting the surrender of the German garrison.
Post-war
After the war, Liška returned to Czechoslovakia where he was reunited with his wife and daughter who had been repatriated from concentration campsNazi concentration camps
Nazi Germany maintained concentration camps throughout the territories it controlled. The first Nazi concentration camps set up in Germany were greatly expanded after the Reichstag fire of 1933, and were intended to hold political prisoners and opponents of the regime...
; his son, Jaroslav, and older brother, Josef, had been shot during death marches
Death marches (Holocaust)
The death marches refer to the forcible movement between Autumn 1944 and late April 1945 by Nazi Germany of thousands of prisoners from German concentration camps near the war front to camps inside Germany.-General:...
. He had been appointed as the Czechoslovak Army's Chief of Staff in April 1945 by President Edvard Beneš
Edvard Beneš
Edvard Beneš was a leader of the Czechoslovak independence movement, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the second President of Czechoslovakia. He was known to be a skilled diplomat.- Youth :...
, but this was vetoed by the Soviet authorities and instead he became commander of the Military College and was promoted to General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
in 1946. The Communist takeover in 1948
Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948
The Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948 – in Communist historiography known as "Victorious February" – was an event late that February in which the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, with Soviet backing, assumed undisputed control over the government of Czechoslovakia, ushering in over four decades...
and consequent purges of formerly London-based officers, however, led to his dismissal from the Army and obliged him to leave his country once again, without his family.
Alois Liška died in Putney, London in 1977. He was posthumously awarded the Milan Rastislav Stefanik Order
Milan Rastislav Stefanik Order
The Milan Rastislav Stefanik Order is an award given "to recognize eminent contributions to the defence and security of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic". It was bestowed by the President of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic...
, 3rd class in 1991.