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Martin DzurCzechoslovak military and statesman, army general.
Date of Birth: 12.07.1917
Country:  Czech |
Content:
- Biography of Martin Dzur
- Early Life and Military Service
- Service in the Czechoslovak Army
- Post-War Career
- Martin Dzur was the father-in-law of geographer Dagmar Dzurova.
Biography of Martin Dzur
Martin Dzur was a Czechoslovak military and political figure, and a general in the army. He was of Slovak nationality.
Early Life and Military Service
After the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany in 1939, a puppet state called the Slovak Republic was formed on Slovak lands. Shortly after Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union, the government of the Slovak Republic sent the so-called "Fast Division" to the Soviet-German front. Dzur was conscripted into the Slovak army and joined this division on the Soviet-German front. Like most Slovak conscripts, he did not want to fight on Hitler's side, and in January 1943, he defected to the Red Army with his weapon, expressing his desire to fight against Nazi Germany. He initially served as a private in the Red Army and participated in battles.
Service in the Czechoslovak Army
In July 1943, Dzur was transferred to the 1st Czechoslovak Separate Infantry Brigade (later developed into the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps), which was formed in the USSR. He fought as a soldier, squad commander, staff officer, and political worker within this brigade. He participated in the Kyiv offensive and the Kyiv defensive operations at the end of 1943, the East Carpathian operation and the assault on the Dukla Pass, and the winter-spring operations of 1945 to liberate Czechoslovakia from German fascist forces. He took part in the battle to liberate his hometown. Dzur joined the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia in 1943.
Post-War Career
After the war, Dzur remained in the Czechoslovak People's Army and held command and staff positions. He graduated from the Soviet Military Academy of Rear Services and Transportation in 1952, the Higher Academic Courses in 1956, and the Military Academy of the General Staff in 1966. In 1961 (according to other sources, in 1958), he was appointed Deputy Minister of National Defense of Czechoslovakia. In April 1968, he became the Minister of National Defense. During the Prague Spring events, he made great efforts to keep the army out of politics. During the entry of Warsaw Pact troops into Czechoslovakia in August 1968, he issued orders to prevent resistance. The new leadership of Czechoslovakia appreciated Dzur's loyalty and he remained in his post as minister until his death. In 1972, he was awarded the rank of General of the Czechoslovak Army. He was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and a deputy of the Federal Assembly of Czechoslovakia (1971-1985). Dzur received orders and medals from Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union, and other socialist states.
