Miroslav Stárek

"The war was over. The Russians tried to persuade us to return back home to Ukraine. They were treating us like their citizens although we were Czechs and fought in Czechoslovak army. To them, we were Russians. The war ended and of course we were full of joy that we will go back home now. But this lasted only for few days. Then we have found out that Ukraine belongs to Russia powered by President Stalin. That upset us and thought - now what do we do? The Russians were persuading us. We, the young ones, who were single didn’t go home. Usually the older ones with families, the dads who had old parents waiting for them went home. Or those who had kids went home too. Also the farmers went home saying: ´If the Soviets install the same regime as it was from 1939 to 1941, we’ll be fain, because we’re not that rich for them to take us out to Siberia. We’ll manage somehow...´ And we, who already knew that nothing good is waiting for us, like for an example they promised us that when we come back home we’ll be demobilized right away - we didn’t believe that, because the Japan - Russia war wasn’t over yet, we just said: ´We’ll go past our homes but we never make it home.´ That was one thing. And the other thing was: What can we expect now? Siberia. And that’s what we were afraid of."

"Our troop commander, captain Lvovka called me and told me: ´You’ll go back and report you to the guard commander. Then you’ll tell him: ((You have to evacuate everything that we left behind like all supplies, components, all of the farming parts, all groceries, clothing, all the fuel right, evacuate everything. And if you won’t have time to do so, then burn it.))´ Now what? I walked those two and a half kilometers watching like everyone is on the run, everybody was leaving - only I was going back. It’s only me and the order. I arrived and reported myself to the commander. Then I gave him my weapon and we started to loading up everything we could so we could take it with us. Before the morning came we managed to evacuate everything. In the meantime the Red army bet back the attack and came at about 4.30am. Then captain Lvovka sent two of my friends to come and check where I was and if everything was Ok. Of course they found me, so I told them everything what happened. What can I tell you-we were all so happy to see each other again. After they came we talked for a while and then we all headed back to our troop."

"I didn’t have any problems with communist regime. I never talked bad about communists, because I thought about it as about the history of our country. I didn’t see it as some kind of phrase, or some kind of joke or anything. It was simply a process in our history, right. But I didn’t fancy the communists. I never fought against them, never became member of the communist party, never agreed with their laws. But I have never directly solicited against them."

"It was exactly in April of 1945, the beginning of April, when the Hungarian front hit us. We were backing off at that time. I never wish for anyone... to experience what is going on during the retreat. I don’t want anyone to tell me about some bravery or about some...it’s just complete mess. Nobody can imagine that. Bravery is that we fulfilled orders we were given, or being determinate for our thing. We were brave for not stepping back even if it meant to jeopardize our lives. But when the retreat comes, we have to go back to save ourselves so we’ll be able to go to the battle later again. You can’t even imagine how nervous and terrified we all were. General Klapálek was so right when he said after they asked him after the Velvet revolution (the contemporary is wrong, because General Klapálek died already in 1984 - editor’s note): ´And what about you, General, were you afraid or not? ´ He answered: ´I was afraid in deed. Everybody was.´"