“We realized what was going only on 27th May 1942, when Reinhard Heydrich had been assassinated. I was in Prague on the day. Prague was closed immediately. Railroads were blocked as anything else. I decided to walk to Čakovice across a field. I Čakovice I got on the train to Mělník. I made a stop by Gustav Rebec to talk about what would happen after the assassination: ‘A lot of people would pay for it...,’ he said. The poor guy didn’t know he and his whole family would suffer as well.
Only when Čurda had betrayed his comrades, Gestapo had learned the paratroopers were hiding in The Orthodox Schrine of Cyril and Metod in Resslova Street. On 18th of June the unfortunate paratroopers were eliminated, but the Gestapo lacked a link to others involved. The only clue they had was a bicycle left by one of the paratroopers near a Bata factory and a report this guy had a face injury. Someone unfortunately reported that the bicycle took away a girl. She was Jindřiška Nováková, a daughter of Václav Novák. The Gestapo then checked all possible girls of the supposed age around but figured out nothing. Finally the Gestapo succeeded when they concluded the link must lead to border area.”
“We have tried to seize the local armory with our poor weaponry of rifles. At first we had failed and we were forced to retreat back to a sugar refinery, but within an hour we have succeeded. We have tried to disarm Germans as well. It had happened on the outskirts of the town. In Vehlovice eight citizens of Mělnik had died. Dr. Turek, one of our Sokol members, was fatally wounded and later died in hospital. Some of detained Germanes we put in the sugar refinery into big holes in the ground, some we guarded on loading ramps. There was a bombardment on 9th of May while we were coming from Vehlovice. We forced the Germans to look for unexploded ammunition to tell us which airplanes conducted the air raid. They found the Russian bombs, so it was clear Russian air force was involved that day. The Red Army arrived to Mělník on 10th of May. Fighting was already over here. There were 15-20 thousand prisoners in a nearby detention camp. Russians overtook the prisoners. I have no idea what had happened to them.”
“When we arrived to Mělník, I and Otta Panešovský, I visited a sister of Mareček and sister of Konda. I have informed them we were waiting if others would be released as well, but we had no information about their fate. Few days later the sisters were also detained as relatives and were executed too... It happened in Mauthausen on 24th October 1942, altogether had been executed 252 people. These were really tragic times here in Mělník.”
“After a period of standstill, I had renewed the resistance movement activities. I was warned Germans would keep an eye on us, but I was the only Sokol official who had survived. Our chairman and his secretary were executed in Auschwitz, our chief and his deputy Mareček were tortured to death in Mauthausen. I, as the second deputy, survived so I took over the organization of remaining members of our Sokol group. We started again in 1943. There were several illegal spots in our area. One was The Valley of Kokořín, where people on the run could hide in shelters in woods. We were in contact with these people through my relative Bubeníček, who was a local policeman in Kokořín.”
“They draw back the curtains. Windows were oriented to the yard of The Petchek Palace. The interrogation began. The Gestapo men told me I visited Novak’s family on one certain day with a briefcase and a parcel in my hand. They wanted to know what I knew about the paratroopers for which I brought it. It struck me that I have to deny everything about my illegal activities. I had to find some escape strategy. I proclaimed the parcel was for Novak’s family and that I don’t know anything else. Of course they didn’t believe me and the interrogation continued. Two roughnecks dressed only in short sleeved shirts were involved. When they announced I was kaput I thought I was not... I had to continue to deny everything and resist. In one moment they went next door to eat. The door were opened, I saw cherries on the table. If I was able to stand up again the interrogation continued until I was kaput. How long it continued I don’t know.”
I have no reason to complain, except the fact each day has only 24 hours...
Ing. Bohuslav Bubník
photo: Archiv pamětníka a Jana Černá, Post Bellum
photo: Archiv pamětníka a Jana Černá, Post Bellum
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Bohuslav Bubnik was born on 22nd April in 1918 in Mělník. His father worked as an engine-driver for Czechoslovakian state railways. Bubník graduated in Mělník at local high school. Then he started to study at University of Agriculture in Prague until the Nazis closed the Czech universities. Then he had worked as a controller in Association for Eggs, Poultry and Honey in Mělník and Prague, which meant traveling all around the Protectorate buying and selling goods. When he was five years old, he became a member of The Sokol movement. Through The Sokol organization he joined local resistance movement (in Mělník alone almost hundred people participated in). Bohuslav had access to food and had been constantly traveling around the country which defined his role in the resistance. Later, after The Sokol movement was dissolved, the former head of the local Sokol group contacted Václav Novák, who in the middle of 1941 asked the group to join broader resistance. Bohuslav Bubník worked as a messenger and he collected information about German military movements and supplies. After some time Novak involved the group into actions related to paratroopers. But about the assassination of Heydrich Bubnik learned only after all was over. On 24th July in 1942 Bubník was detained for his involvement in resistance movement. He withstood the interrogation, revealed nothing and was released on 15th August in 1942. (Only two guys were released: Bubník and Otta Paneš, others never returned home.) For some time Bubník remained cautious, but finally he joined the resistance movement again. In woods around Kokořín he had been helping refugees. At the end of the war Bubník collected weapons to help incoming allied armies. After the war he tried to reestablish The Sokol movement, but he failed because of new political environment. In 1953 he started to work in company Vitana, in 1954 he moved to a state farm and finally he find a place at one local agriculture office. During this period he successfully finished his studies. After the velvet revolution in 1989 he strived for reestablishment of The Sokol movement and became a district mayor as well. Because of his age he step down after some time and became a deputy for economical issues. Bubník now heads local organization of the Czech Association of Freedom Fighters He is a member of Czechoslovak Legionary Association as well.
