Armored train Štefánik
Encyclopedia
The Armored train Štefánik was a military train used during World War II
(during the Slovak National Uprising
) in Slovakia
.
The building of the armored train started on September 4, 1944. It was finished on September 18, 1944 in a Railway Manufacture in Zvolen
, Slovakia
.
It was equipped with:
The commander
of the train was Captain F. Adam, and his assistant was npor. A. Tököly. The crew
was 70 men. Its first action was on September 27, 1944 at the line Hronská Dúbrava
– Kremnica
. Near Stará Kremnička
it was fighting against a German
army advancing to Zvolen
. When moving to Hronská Dúbrava
, the German Luftwaffe
destroyed the train's engine
. After repair, it successfully fought at Žiar nad Hronom
, Jalná
and Hronská Dúbrava
, from where it moved on October 18, 1944 to Krupina
, where it fought against SS Schill. Two days later, it moved to Dobrá Niva
, where it was attacked several times by the German Luftwaffe
. After a German attack on October 25, 1944 it left Zvolen
as the last train, moved to Banská Bystrica
and then moved to Ulmanka, where it was blocked by a retired train. After discarding all weapons the crew continued fighting as a partisan
battalion.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(during the Slovak National Uprising
Slovak National Uprising
The Slovak National Uprising or 1944 Uprising was an armed insurrection organized by the Slovak resistance movement during World War II. It was launched on August 29 1944 from Banská Bystrica in an attempt to overthrow the collaborationist Slovak State of Jozef Tiso...
) in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
.
The building of the armored train started on September 4, 1944. It was finished on September 18, 1944 in a Railway Manufacture in Zvolen
Zvolen
Zvolen |Slatina]] rivers, close to Banská Bystrica. With its ancient castle, the town has a historical center, which represents the seat of an okres .-History:...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
.
It was equipped with:
- the Czechoslovak mountain cannonCannonA cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
vz. 15 of caliber 75 mm in a cannon carriage - 2 cannonCannonA cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
s of a 37 mm caliber in a tank carriage - 10 machineguns of a 7,92 mm caliber
The commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
of the train was Captain F. Adam, and his assistant was npor. A. Tököly. The crew
Crew
A crew is a body or a class of people who work at a common activity, generally in a structured or hierarchical organization. A location in which a crew works is called a crewyard or a workyard...
was 70 men. Its first action was on September 27, 1944 at the line Hronská Dúbrava
Hronská Dúbrava
Hronská Dúbrava is a village and municipality in Žiar nad Hronom District in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia....
– Kremnica
Kremnica
Kremnica is a town in central Slovakia. It has some 5,700 inhabitants. The well-preserved medieval town built above important gold mines is the site of the oldest still-working mint in the world.-History:...
. Near Stará Kremnička
Stará Kremnicka
Stará Kremnička is a village and municipality in Žiar nad Hronom District in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia....
it was fighting against a German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
army advancing to Zvolen
Zvolen
Zvolen |Slatina]] rivers, close to Banská Bystrica. With its ancient castle, the town has a historical center, which represents the seat of an okres .-History:...
. When moving to Hronská Dúbrava
Hronská Dúbrava
Hronská Dúbrava is a village and municipality in Žiar nad Hronom District in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia....
, the German Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
destroyed the train's engine
Engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...
. After repair, it successfully fought at Žiar nad Hronom
Žiar nad Hronom
Žiar nad Hronom is a town in Banská Bystrica Region, Slovakia.-Geography:It is located in the Žiar Basin, on the Hron river, around 40 km from Banská Bystrica and 170 km from Bratislava...
, Jalná
Jalna
Jalna may refer to:*Jalna district, an administrative district in the state of Maharashtra in western India*Jalna , a city and a municipal council in Jalna district*Jalna , a Lok Sabha parliamentary constituency of Maharashtra...
and Hronská Dúbrava
Hronská Dúbrava
Hronská Dúbrava is a village and municipality in Žiar nad Hronom District in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia....
, from where it moved on October 18, 1944 to Krupina
Krupina
Krupina is a town in southern central Slovakia. It is part of the Banská Bystrica Region and has 7,812 inhabitants as of 2005.-History:The territory of modern day Krupina was inhabited since the Neolithic, based on archaeological findings from the Bronze Age. The first written reference to the...
, where it fought against SS Schill. Two days later, it moved to Dobrá Niva
Dobrá Niva
Dobrá Niva is a village and municipality of the Zvolen District in the Banská Bystrica Region of Slovakia. The village has a castle.-History:...
, where it was attacked several times by the German Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
. After a German attack on October 25, 1944 it left Zvolen
Zvolen
Zvolen |Slatina]] rivers, close to Banská Bystrica. With its ancient castle, the town has a historical center, which represents the seat of an okres .-History:...
as the last train, moved to Banská Bystrica
Banská Bystrica
Banská Bystrica is a key city in central Slovakia located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Veľká Fatra, and the Kremnica Mountains. With 81,281 inhabitants, Banská Bystrica is the sixth most populous municipality in Slovakia...
and then moved to Ulmanka, where it was blocked by a retired train. After discarding all weapons the crew continued fighting as a partisan
Partisan (military)
A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity...
battalion.