Private (ret.) František Václavík

* 1922

Veteran of WW2, eastern front, Forced labour during the WW2, Slovak army soldier during 1939 - 1945
1944 - 1945 - The liberation of Czechoslovakia
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    An accident with horse

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    (Mr. Václavík had an accident – the carriage separated from the team of horses.) “So I shouted at them and they came. They had to carry me up including the carriage because I went down the hillside. The hillsides there are very deep and quite long, so I just passed through among the trees. I always took off with my legs and then I stopped. I stood at a stump and they carried me with the carriage up and sat me to the horse. A peg fell off and it separated and the carriage went down. I managed to take off. Then I slid down a steep hill and I was alright, I stayed there sitting.”

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    František Václavík - uprising in farmer

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    (The witness worked on a farm) “There was a rebellion, a German... came for us, he was a fair guy, he minded us Czechs. We revolted, we were about to leave him. Only one stayed, he was a Hungarian. He could speak Slovak but he was Hungarian. They came for us with sticks and Franzhofmeister came to us: 'Careful with them, they're Czechs.' He helped us. He came with a truck and drove us to Peleberg.”

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    Escape to the Russians

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    (The reporter asked whether the witness fought against the Soviets in the uniform of the Slovak Army.) “We joined in but we didn't fight much because we immediately transferred to the Russians. We transferred at Kachovka. We were against Hitler. We deserted. We transferred as soon as we could.”

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    Introduction

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    duration: 00:45
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    “My Dad was actually born in Moravia so I'm Moravian, really. But as a founder he went to work to Komárno. He worked at Ipovic there so we got on an island where Szeged is. It is very close to the Hungarian border.”

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    Assault by the Germans

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    Was there a threat of boming? (The witness guarded the arsenals with munition against the Germans.) “We were assaulted once, we defended ourselves. We shot them all dead. We got to know is was a platoon which got into our lap. We took defense. We were over 40. It was a company. We were always separated. A half went with them and a half with us.”

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    Neznámo, 31.07.2008

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    duration: 35:50
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It is important to value your own life and the lives of others.

vojak_vychod_studebacker.jpg (historic)
Private (ret.) František Václavík

The soldier in retirement Václavík František - was born in Sereď nad Váhom in 1922. His family had to flee during the Hungarian occupation in 1938. They moved from the Hungary-Slovak borderland to Trnava. The German Reich needed labour force and Totaleinsatz did not avoid him either. He served by a peasant on a farm. During Totaleinsatz Mr. Václavík returned to Slovakia in 1942 and joined the Slovak Army. The Slovak Army started to activate and the military campaign to the USSR was launched. “We took part in the action but not much. We went over to the Russians, it was at Kachovka.” Checking trustworthiness never occurred, that is why he joined the Czechoslovak Army. Mr. Václavík was advancing in rear till liberation. The end of war met him in Krosna. He was demobilized in 1945. Then he earned his living as a locksmith in West Bohemia until he retired. He had no problems during the Communist regime.

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