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Rudolf ViestCzechoslovak division general, Slovak by nationality.
Date of Birth: 24.09.1890
Country:  Czech |
Content:
- Rudolf Viest: A Slovak Patriot
- Resistance during World War II
- Exile and the Slovak National Uprising
- Betrayal and Execution
- Legacy and Honors
Rudolf Viest: A Slovak Patriot
Born in modern-day Slovakia, Rudolf Viest was a renowned Czechoslovak military and diplomatic figure. From 1920 to 1939, he served in both the military and diplomatic spheres, rising to the rank of brigadier general in 1933 and divisional general in 1938.
Resistance during World War II
In 1939, Viest became an officer in the Slovak Army, but his anti-fascist sentiments compelled him to join a group of officers who opposed the division of Czechoslovakia into Slovakia and the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. He maintained contact with the exiled Czechoslovak government in London and eventually emigrated to France via Hungary.
In France, Viest became a member of the Czechoslovak National Committee in Paris and assumed command of the Czechoslovak Army in France. From January 1, 1940, he led the 1st Czechoslovak Division.
Exile and the Slovak National Uprising
Following the German occupation of France in June 1940, Viest relocated to the United Kingdom, where he became a minister in the exiled Czechoslovak government. In August 1944, he traveled to the USSR as part of a Czechoslovak delegation and, in October 1944, proceeded to Banská Bystrica, the center of the Slovak National Uprising. Together with Ján Golian, he commanded the 1st Czechoslovak Army in Slovakia.
Betrayal and Execution
The exiled Czechoslovak government sought to exert control over the army and uprising through Viest, but the situation deteriorated for the rebels. On the night of October 27-28, Viest issued a final order, declaring that the fight for Czechoslovak freedom would continue in the mountains.
On November 3, 1944, Viest and Golian were captured in Pohronský Bukovec, taken to Germany, sentenced to death, and executed in the Flossenbürg concentration camp in 1945.
Legacy and Honors
Rudolf Viest was posthumously awarded numerous honors, including the Order of the Slovak National Uprising 1st Class (1945), the Czechoslovak War Cross (1945), and several other Czechoslovak and international decorations. In 1945, he was posthumously promoted to the rank of army general.
