Josef Bryks
Encyclopedia
Flight Lieutenant
Josef Bryks (ˈjozɛf brɪks; 18 March 1916, Lašťany, now Bělkovice-Lašťany
– 11 August 1957, Ostrov nad Ohří) was a Czechoslovak
soldier
and fighter pilot
, who went abroad in the beginning of the Second World War to fight against Nazi Germany
. He served with the Royal Air Force
, but his aircraft was shot down and he was captured
. He tried to escape several times, succeeded three times, but finally was always caught. After the war he was a victim of political repression
in communist Czechoslovakia
, imprisoned and forced to work in uranium mines
. He died of heart attack in the prison hospital. He was rehabilitated
after the fall of communism
in 1989 and posthumously promoted to the rank of Brigadier General
.
and in June 1935 passed his Matura
(final exam of secondary education). In October he entered the Czechoslovak Army. He started his service at a cavalry
regiment in Košice
. At the same time he studied at a school for cavalry officers in Pardubice
until 1936. In 1936–1937 he continued his studies at the Military Academy in Hranice, where he changed his focus from cavalry to air force
s. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant
with the specialization of an aerial observer
. Between 1937 and 1938 he was trained as a pilot in Prostějov
.
he helped to organize escapes of Czechoslovak pilots to Poland
. He married Marie Černá. Their daughter died two days after her birth. On 20 January 1940 Josef Bryks escaped abroad, but he was arrested and for some time imprisoned in Hungary
for illegal entry
from Slovakia, which had separated from Czechoslovakia in 1938. Hungarians extradited
him to Slovak authorities, but he managed to escape and continued through Hungary, Yugoslavia
, Greece
, Turkey
and Syria
into France
. Before he got a chance to fight there, he was evacuated to the United Kingdom
.
Here he joined No. 310 Squadron RAF
for a few days, but there were enough pilots and Bryks was moved to some civilian and logistic departments of the Royal Air Force
. His English was quite fluent thanks to his secondary school studies and this helped him to join No. 242 Squadron RAF
in April 1941. He was trained as a night fighter
pilot, but later his squadron
moved from Stapleford Aerodrome
to North Weald Airfield
where it took part in daytime offensive missions over western Europe
. His aircraft, Hawker Hurricane Mk. IIB
, was shot down near Lille
on 17 June 1941, probably by Adolf Galland
, the most successful Luftwaffe
fighter pilot of those days.
Bryks tried hiding for a short time but then he was arrested by the Nazis. He kept his identity secret and pretended to be British, because Nazis considered Bohemia and Moravia
to be a part of their dominion and would treat him as a traitor
. He tried to escape five times and succeed three times, but finally was always caught. During his second escape he tried to fly away in Messerschmitt Bf 109
modified for night flying. During his third attempt he joined the Polish Armia Krajowa
. He was brutally tortured after he was caught this time and sentenced to death for helping the Polish resistance movement
, but the capital punishment
was not executed. Finally his true identity was revealed when British allies sent to the Nazis a document of his military promotion
that included his real name and nationality. He was sent to Prague gestapo
, but due to intervention of protecting powers he was sent back to the prison camp
again. The Allied Army set him free in 1945. Bryks underwent several surgeries (last of them in summer 1946) due to the injuries from the war.
He received a number of British and Czechoslovak honours.
British honors:
Czechoslovak honors:
He was promoted to the rank of Captain in September 1945, "Headquarter Captain" (Czech: štábní kapitán) in December 1945 and Flight Lieutenant
in May 1946. He became a teacher of English language and aeronautics
at the Secondary School of Aviation in Olomouc.
In 1946, Basil Dearden
directed the British film drama The Captive Heart
based on the real experiences of Josef Bryks.
. He was sent on leave of absence and transferred to the military reserve force
. His political opinions made his superior officer Colonel Václav Fuksa to write that Bryks was "untrustworthy for his political irresponsibility and for the lack of understanding of the ideology of People's Democracy
".
Josef Bryks was arrested for preparation of his escape abroad on the night between 2 and 3 May 1948, about 10 minutes after midnight. He was judged by a military court between 14 and 16 July 1948 and he was found innocent, because Communists had no control over these courts yet. New trial was held on 9 February 1949. Bryks was found guilty and he was unjustifiably sentenced to punishment in prison
for 10 years. Protests by his wife against this miscarriage of justice
were addressed also to the General Secretary
of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
Rudolf Slánský
, but it was a futile protest.
According to a custodial document Bryks tried to escape. He was sentenced to additional 20 years (together 30 years) of prison in another trial between 11 and 12 May 1950. Bryks behaved insubordinate in various prisons in Czechoslovakia. Finally he was moved to Jáchymov
uranium mine "Equality" (Czech: Rovnost) in Ostrov nad Ohří. He started to behave well and worked hard, because he supported his family and his ill father, sending earned money to them. Communists prohibited sending the money to his family in December 1955 and Bryks returned to resistance. His health became worse and he suffered a heart disease. He died of myocardial infarction
in the custodial hospital in Ostrov nad Ohří at 23:00 on 11 August 1957.
His remains were not given to his family and Josef Bryks was secretly buried by communists at a cemetery in Prague
-Motol in 1965.
, his full rehabilitation became complete in 2006.
He also received several posthumous honours:
On 29 May 1991, he was posthumously promoted to the military rank of Colonel
and in 2008 to the rank of Brigadier General
.
A memorial plaque to him was revealed in his birthplace Bělkovice-Lašťany
on 4 June 1994. He was honoured with the Award of the City of Olomouc for "bravery and courage during the Second World War" in 2004.
On 28 October 2006, he was awarded the highest order of the Czech Republic
, the Order of the White Lion
, military division, 2nd class.
The Czech television
made a documentary film Muž, který přecenil českou duši aneb Útěky Josefa Brykse (English: A Man Who Overestimated the Czech Soul or Escapes of Josef Bryks) in 2007.
Two streets in Prague
-Černý Most II. and in Olomouc
-Slavonín were named after him.
In 2009, historians discovered that the funeral urn with the ashes of Josef Bryks was secretly buried by communists at the cemetery in Prague
-Motol in 1965 – eight years after Bryks' death. After this information was published, his widow Gertruda Bryks visited his grave, 52 years after his death.
on 29 October 2009.
(7 November 2003) Letec Bryks: hrdina, či kriminálník? http://www.bryks.cz – website about documentary Muž, který přecenil českou duši aneb Útěky Josefa Brykse film documentary Muž, který přecenil českou duši aneb Útěky Josefa Brykse – film stream on the Czech television
website
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
Josef Bryks (ˈjozɛf brɪks; 18 March 1916, Lašťany, now Bělkovice-Lašťany
Bělkovice-Lašťany
Bělkovice-Lašťany is a village and municipality in Olomouc District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 1,992 ....
– 11 August 1957, Ostrov nad Ohří) was a Czechoslovak
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
and fighter pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
, who went abroad in the beginning of the Second World War to fight against Nazi Germany
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...
. He served with the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, but his aircraft was shot down and he was captured
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
. He tried to escape several times, succeeded three times, but finally was always caught. After the war he was a victim of political repression
Political repression
Political repression is the persecution of an individual or group for political reasons, particularly for the purpose of restricting or preventing their ability to take political life of society....
in communist Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was the official name of Czechoslovakia from 1960 until end of 1989 , a Soviet satellite state of the Eastern Bloc....
, imprisoned and forced to work in uranium mines
Uranium mining
Uranium mining is the process of extraction of uranium ore from the ground. The worldwide production of uranium in 2009 amounted to 50,572 tonnes, of which 27% was mined in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia are the top three producers and together account for 63% of world uranium...
. He died of heart attack in the prison hospital. He was rehabilitated
Political rehabilitation
Political rehabilitation is the process by which a member of a political organization or government who has fallen into disgrace, is restored to public life. It is usually applied to leaders or other prominent individuals who regain their prominence after a period in which they have no influence or...
after the fall of communism
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
in 1989 and posthumously promoted to the rank of Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
.
Before the Second World War
Josef Bryks was the seventh of eight children of farmer František Bryks and his wife Anna Bryks. He studied at the Commercial Academy in OlomoucOlomouc
Olomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia. Nowadays, it is an administrative centre of the Olomouc Region and sixth largest city in the Czech Republic...
and in June 1935 passed his Matura
Matura
Matura or a similar term is the common name for the high-school leaving exam or "maturity exam" in various countries, including Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia,...
(final exam of secondary education). In October he entered the Czechoslovak Army. He started his service at a cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
regiment in Košice
Košice
Košice is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary...
. At the same time he studied at a school for cavalry officers in Pardubice
Pardubice
Pardubice is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the river Elbe, 65 miles east of Prague. Pardubice has an antique centre square and old town, with many restaurants that stay open until late in the evening. There is an old Tower and a recently renovated Castle...
until 1936. In 1936–1937 he continued his studies at the Military Academy in Hranice, where he changed his focus from cavalry to air force
Air force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
s. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
with the specialization of an aerial observer
Aerial observer
Aerial Observer- Air Force Reconnaissance.An Aerial Observer is the functional position of gathering information visually from an airborne platform for use by military or commercial purposes. This history started when the first balloons were flown in Europe...
. Between 1937 and 1938 he was trained as a pilot in Prostějov
Prostejov
Prostějov is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. Today the city is known for its fashion industry and special military forces based there....
.
During the Second World War
At the beginning of the Nazi occupation of CzechoslovakiaGerman occupation of Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia began with the Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia's northern and western border regions, known collectively as the Sudetenland, under terms outlined by the Munich Agreement. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's pretext for this effort was the alleged privations suffered by...
he helped to organize escapes of Czechoslovak pilots to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. He married Marie Černá. Their daughter died two days after her birth. On 20 January 1940 Josef Bryks escaped abroad, but he was arrested and for some time imprisoned in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
for illegal entry
Illegal entry
Illegal entry is the act of foreign nationals arriving in or crossing the borders into a country in violation of its immigration law.Migrants from nations that do not have automatic visa agreements, or who would not otherwise qualify for a visa, often cross the borders illegally in some areas like...
from Slovakia, which had separated from Czechoslovakia in 1938. Hungarians extradited
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
him to Slovak authorities, but he managed to escape and continued through Hungary, Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
into France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Before he got a chance to fight there, he was evacuated to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Here he joined No. 310 Squadron RAF
No. 310 Squadron RAF
No. 310 Squadron RAF was a Czechoslovakian-manned fighter squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War .It was first formed on 10 July 1940 at RAF Duxford, equipped with Hawker Hurricane I fighters and was the first RAF squadron to be raised crewed by foreign nationals, in this case...
for a few days, but there were enough pilots and Bryks was moved to some civilian and logistic departments of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. His English was quite fluent thanks to his secondary school studies and this helped him to join No. 242 Squadron RAF
No. 242 Squadron RAF
No. 242 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron. It flew in many roles during its active service and it is also known for being the first squadron Douglas Bader commanded.-In World War I:No...
in April 1941. He was trained as a night fighter
Night fighter
A night fighter is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility...
pilot, but later his squadron
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
moved from Stapleford Aerodrome
Stapleford Aerodrome
Stapleford Aerodrome is an airfield in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England near to the village of Abridge. It is about south of North Weald Airfield and north of Romford...
to North Weald Airfield
North Weald Airfield
North Weald Airfield is an operational airfield, near the village of North Weald Bassett in Epping Forest, Essex, England. It was an important fighter station during the Battle of Britain, when it was known as the RAF Station RAF North Weald. It is the home of North Weald Airfield Museum...
where it took part in daytime offensive missions over western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
. His aircraft, Hawker Hurricane Mk. IIB
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
, was shot down near Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
on 17 June 1941, probably by Adolf Galland
Adolf Galland
Adolf "Dolfo" Joseph Ferdinand Galland was a German Luftwaffe General and flying ace who served throughout World War II in Europe. He flew 705 combat missions, and fought on the Western and the Defence of the Reich fronts...
, the most successful 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....
fighter pilot of those days.
Bryks tried hiding for a short time but then he was arrested by the Nazis. He kept his identity secret and pretended to be British, because Nazis considered Bohemia and Moravia
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was the majority ethnic-Czech protectorate which Nazi Germany established in the central parts of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia in what is today the Czech Republic...
to be a part of their dominion and would treat him as a traitor
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
. He tried to escape five times and succeed three times, but finally was always caught. During his second escape he tried to fly away in Messerschmitt Bf 109
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
modified for night flying. During his third attempt he joined the Polish Armia Krajowa
Armia Krajowa
The Armia Krajowa , or Home Army, was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the Związek Walki Zbrojnej . Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish underground forces...
. He was brutally tortured after he was caught this time and sentenced to death for helping the Polish resistance movement
Polish resistance movement in World War II
The Polish resistance movement in World War II, with the Home Army at its forefront, was the largest underground resistance in all of Nazi-occupied Europe, covering both German and Soviet zones of occupation. The Polish defence against the Nazi occupation was an important part of the European...
, but the capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
was not executed. Finally his true identity was revealed when British allies sent to the Nazis a document of his military promotion
Promotion (rank)
A promotion is the advancement of an employee's rank or position in an organizational hierarchy system. Promotion may be an employee's reward for good performance i.e. positive appraisal...
that included his real name and nationality. He was sent to Prague gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
, but due to intervention of protecting powers he was sent back to the prison camp
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
again. The Allied Army set him free in 1945. Bryks underwent several surgeries (last of them in summer 1946) due to the injuries from the war.
After the Second World War
Due to injuries sustained as a prisoner Josef Bryks was not able to serve as a pilot again. His wife, who had divorced him and got married again, committed suicide before the end of the war, in April 1945. On 18 June he married English post office clerk Gertruda Rose, the widow of a British pilot, with whom he had corresponded from captivity through the Red Cross. He returned to Czechoslovakia with her on 6 October 1945.He received a number of British and Czechoslovak honours.
British honors:
- Member of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(MBE) - 1939–45 Star
- Air Crew Europe StarAir Crew Europe StarThe Air Crew Europe Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II. Specifically, the medal was awarded to Commonwealth aircrew who participated in operational flights over Europe, from UK bases....
- War Medal 1939–1945War Medal 1939–1945The War Medal 1939–1945 was a British decoration awarded to those who had served in the Armed Forces or Merchant Navy full-time for at least 28 days between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945. In the Merchant Navy, the 28 days must have been served at sea...
.
Czechoslovak honors:
- Czechoslovak War Cross 1939–1945Czechoslovak War Cross 1939-1945The Czechoslovak War Cross 1939-1945 is a military decoration of the former state of Czechoslovakia which was issued for those who had provided great service the Czechoslovak state during the years of World War II.- Description :On December 20, 1940, the Czech government in exile in London ordered...
. He received it three times. - Czechoslovak Medal For Gallantry in the Face of the Enemy (Czech: Československá medaile Za chrabrost před nepřítelem). He received this two times.
- Czechoslovak Military Medal for Merit, 1st class (Czech: Československá medaile Za zásluhy I. stupně)
- Commemorative Medal of the Czechoslovak Army Abroad (Czech: Pamětní medaile čs. zahraniční armády) with plates of Great Britain and France on the ribbon.
He was promoted to the rank of Captain in September 1945, "Headquarter Captain" (Czech: štábní kapitán) in December 1945 and Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
in May 1946. He became a teacher of English language and aeronautics
Aeronautics
Aeronautics is the science involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of airflight-capable machines, or the techniques of operating aircraft and rocketry within the atmosphere...
at the Secondary School of Aviation in Olomouc.
In 1946, Basil Dearden
Basil Dearden
Basil Dearden was an English film director.-Life and career:Dearden was born at Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. He graduated from theatre direction to film, working as an assistant to Basil Dean...
directed the British film drama The Captive Heart
The Captive Heart
The Captive Heart is a 1946 British war drama, directed by Basil Dearden for Ealing Studios. The film was entered into the 1946 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:...
based on the real experiences of Josef Bryks.
Persecution after February 1948
The political situation changed rapidly after the Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948
The Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948 – in Communist historiography known as "Victorious February" – was an event late that February in which the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, with Soviet backing, assumed undisputed control over the government of Czechoslovakia, ushering in over four decades...
. He was sent on leave of absence and transferred to the military reserve force
Military reserve force
A military reserve force is a military organization composed of citizens of a country who combine a military role or career with a civilian career. They are not normally kept under arms and their main role is to be available to fight when a nation mobilizes for total war or to defend against invasion...
. His political opinions made his superior officer Colonel Václav Fuksa to write that Bryks was "untrustworthy for his political irresponsibility and for the lack of understanding of the ideology of People's Democracy
People's Democracy
People's Democracy was a political organisation that, while supporting the campaign for civil rights for Northern Ireland's Catholic minority, stated that such rights could only be achieved through the establishment of a socialist republic for all of Ireland...
".
Josef Bryks was arrested for preparation of his escape abroad on the night between 2 and 3 May 1948, about 10 minutes after midnight. He was judged by a military court between 14 and 16 July 1948 and he was found innocent, because Communists had no control over these courts yet. New trial was held on 9 February 1949. Bryks was found guilty and he was unjustifiably sentenced to punishment in prison
False arrest
False arrest is a common law tort, where a plaintiff alleges they were held in custody without probable cause, or without an order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction...
for 10 years. Protests by his wife against this miscarriage of justice
Miscarriage of justice
A miscarriage of justice primarily is the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. The term can also apply to errors in the other direction—"errors of impunity", and to civil cases. Most criminal justice systems have some means to overturn, or "quash", a wrongful...
were addressed also to the General Secretary
General Secretary
The office of general secretary is staffed by the chief officer of:*The General Secretariat for Macedonia and Thrace, a government agency for the Greek regions of Macedonia and Thrace...
of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, in Czech and in Slovak: Komunistická strana Československa was a Communist and Marxist-Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992....
Rudolf Slánský
Rudolf Slánský
Rudolf Slánský was a Czech Communist politician. Holding the post of the party's General Secretary after World War II, he was one of the leading creators and organizers of Communist rule in Czechoslovakia...
, but it was a futile protest.
According to a custodial document Bryks tried to escape. He was sentenced to additional 20 years (together 30 years) of prison in another trial between 11 and 12 May 1950. Bryks behaved insubordinate in various prisons in Czechoslovakia. Finally he was moved to Jáchymov
Jáchymov
For other places called Joachimsthal, see Joachimsthal Jáchymov . compl: "Sant Joachim's Sthal" is a spa town in north-west Bohemia in the Czech Republic belonging to the Karlovy Vary Region. It is situated at an altitude of 733 m above sea level in the eponymous St...
uranium mine "Equality" (Czech: Rovnost) in Ostrov nad Ohří. He started to behave well and worked hard, because he supported his family and his ill father, sending earned money to them. Communists prohibited sending the money to his family in December 1955 and Bryks returned to resistance. His health became worse and he suffered a heart disease. He died of myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in the custodial hospital in Ostrov nad Ohří at 23:00 on 11 August 1957.
His remains were not given to his family and Josef Bryks was secretly buried by communists at a cemetery in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
-Motol in 1965.
Rehabilitation after 1989
He was partly rehabilitated after the November 1989 Velvet RevolutionVelvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
, his full rehabilitation became complete in 2006.
He also received several posthumous honours:
On 29 May 1991, he was posthumously promoted to the military rank of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
and in 2008 to the rank of Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
.
A memorial plaque to him was revealed in his birthplace Bělkovice-Lašťany
Bělkovice-Lašťany
Bělkovice-Lašťany is a village and municipality in Olomouc District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 1,992 ....
on 4 June 1994. He was honoured with the Award of the City of Olomouc for "bravery and courage during the Second World War" in 2004.
On 28 October 2006, he was awarded the highest order of the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, the Order of the White Lion
Order of the White Lion
The Order of the White Lion is the highest order of the Czech Republic. It continues a Czechoslovak order of the same name created in 1922 as an award for foreigners....
, military division, 2nd class.
The Czech television
Czech television
Czech television may refer to:*Television in the Czech Republic*Česká televize...
made a documentary film Muž, který přecenil českou duši aneb Útěky Josefa Brykse (English: A Man Who Overestimated the Czech Soul or Escapes of Josef Bryks) in 2007.
Two streets in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
-Černý Most II. and in Olomouc
Olomouc
Olomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia. Nowadays, it is an administrative centre of the Olomouc Region and sixth largest city in the Czech Republic...
-Slavonín were named after him.
In 2009, historians discovered that the funeral urn with the ashes of Josef Bryks was secretly buried by communists at the cemetery in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
-Motol in 1965 – eight years after Bryks' death. After this information was published, his widow Gertruda Bryks visited his grave, 52 years after his death.
Reference
This article incorporates CC-BY-SA text from translation Josef Bryks from the Czech WikipediaCzech Wikipedia
Czech Wikipedia is the Czech language edition of Wikipedia.It was created in November 2002 on a request of a Czech editor of the Esperanto Wikipedia. However, at that time, Wikipedia ran on UseMod software. The three pages the Czech version had at the time were lost during the switch to MediaWiki...
on 29 October 2009.
External links
detailed biography (6 March 2006) Josef Bryks — zapomenutý hrdina at Confederation of Political Prisoners of the Czech Republic website Navara L.Ludek Navara
Luděk Navara is a Czech non-fictional author, publicist, scenarist and historian. He graduated at Faculty of Civil Engineering of Brno University of Technology and later in history at Faculty of Philosophy of Masaryk University. Since 1995 he has been editor by newspaper MF Dnes. He cooperates...
(7 November 2003) Letec Bryks: hrdina, či kriminálník? http://www.bryks.cz – website about documentary Muž, který přecenil českou duši aneb Útěky Josefa Brykse film documentary Muž, který přecenil českou duši aneb Útěky Josefa Brykse – film stream on the Czech television
Czech television
Czech television may refer to:*Television in the Czech Republic*Česká televize...
website