Otakar Jaroš
Encyclopedia
Otakar Jaroš (ˈotakar ˈjaroʃ; 1 August 1912 – 8 March 1943) was a Czech officer in the Czechoslovak forces in the Soviet Union
. He was killed in the Battle of Sokolovo
and became the second foreigner decorated with the highest Soviet decoration, Hero of the Soviet Union
.
, Bohemia
(Austria-Hungary
, today the Czech Republic
) into the family of a Czech railway engineer. When he was nine months old, his father was transferred to Mělník
and the family followed him. Jaroš spent his childhood in Mělník and joined the Sokol
and Scout
organisations. These two organisations formed his physical skills and later fighting spirit.
. He attended the non-commissioned officers school for a year and finished as a corporal
. Jaroš went on to attend the school for reserve officers in Turnov
. Following the advice of his uncle, Colonel František Konopásek, Jaroš entered the military academy in Hranice
. On 29 August 1937 he was appointed to the rank of sub-lieutenant. He served as the commander of a signals
platoon in Prešov for a year.
, Czechoslovakia
was disunited. Jaroš returned to Mělník where the municipal office asked him to be the chief of police, which he refused. Instead, he worked for the post office in Náchod
.
, and in the summer of 1939 he escaped to Poland
where he joined a Czechoslovak Legion in Krakow
under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Ludvík Svoboda
. When Poland was defeated by the Nazis
and its eastern parts were occupied by the Soviet Union
, the legion fell on 17 September into Soviet captivity.
In the Soviet internment
, Jaroš led the signals platoon and also the officer's school. In January 1940 he began serving as the radio operator of the Czechoslovak military mission, Moscow
.
After the German assault on the Soviet Union, the situation changed radically. In the rank of lieutenant (since October 1941), Jaroš, together with other Czech officers, became a constituent member of the First Czechoslovak Independent Field Battalion
in Buzuluk
in 1942. He was made First Lieutenant and was in command of 1st Company (February 7, 1942).
in February 1943, the Czechoslovak battalion was ordered to defend the frozen river in the vicinity of Kharkov. Jaroš's strengthened 1st Company took position in front of the river in the village of Sokolovo; the rest of the battalion and supporting Soviet units stayed behind the river. On the afternoon of 8 March, German armored troops with at least 14 tanks launched two attacks on Sokolovo. In the ensuing battle, 1st Company was almost annihilated, and Jaroš was killed. They were ordered to remain until reinforcements could arrive, but the supporting tanks could not cross the thawing river (the battalion's commander had neglected to take into account the terrain). Not until late that night were the remnants of 1st Company ordered to retreat, the further defence of Sokolovo having lost any value, as the unfrozen river no longer provided an avenue for the Germans to advance.
, the first member of a foreign army to be so honoured.
Other decorations:
Czechoslovak military units on Eastern front
The 1st Independent Field Battalion, which was formed in Buzuluk, in the Urals, was the first Allied unit fighting alongside the Red Army in Soviet territory...
. He was killed in the Battle of Sokolovo
Battle of Sokolovo
The Battle of Sokolovo took place on March 8 and 9, 1943 near the town of Sokolovo near Kharkiv in Ukraine when the on-going attack of the Wehrmacht was halted by joint Soviet and Czechoslovak forces. It was the first time that a foreign military unit, the First Czechoslovak Independent Field...
and became the second foreigner decorated with the highest Soviet decoration, Hero of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
.
Early life
Otakar Jaroš was born in LounyLouny
Louny is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It is situated on the River Ohře.-History:The city was founded in the 12th century . The Church of St Peter stands on the site of the original fort...
, Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
(Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
, today 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....
) into the family of a Czech railway engineer. When he was nine months old, his father was transferred to Mělník
Melnik
-Places:Bulgaria* Melnik, Bulgaria, a town in Bulgaria* Shiroka Melnishka Losa, a Bulgarian wine grape also known as MelnikCzech Republic* Mělník, a townUnited States* Melnik, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community...
and the family followed him. Jaroš spent his childhood in Mělník and joined the Sokol
Sokol
The Sokol movement is a youth sport movement and gymnastics organization first founded in Czech region of Austria-Hungary, Prague, in 1862 by Miroslav Tyrš and Jindřich Fügner...
and Scout
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
organisations. These two organisations formed his physical skills and later fighting spirit.
Military career
Following Czech independence in 1918, Jaroš studied in grammar school, but he left and attended high school in electrotechnics. After graduation, he was drafted and served his basic military service in the 3rd Signals Brigade in TrnavaTrnava
Trnava is a city in western Slovakia, 47 km to the north-east of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of a kraj and of an okres . It was the seat of a Roman Catholic archbishopric . The city has a historic center...
. He attended the non-commissioned officers school for a year and finished as a corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
. Jaroš went on to attend the school for reserve officers in Turnov
Turnov
Turnov is a town on the Jizera river in the northern Czech Republic. It has about 14,500 inhabitants and lies in the southern part of Liberec Region. It is a traditional center for gemstone polishing, glass craftmanship and arts....
. Following the advice of his uncle, Colonel František Konopásek, Jaroš entered the military academy in Hranice
Hranice
Hranice may refer to several towns in the Czech Republic:* Hranice , town in Moravia; see: Hranice * Hranice , town in northern Bohemia; see: Hranice u Aše...
. On 29 August 1937 he was appointed to the rank of sub-lieutenant. He served as the commander of a signals
Military communications
Historically, the first military communications had the form of sending/receiving simple signals . Respectively, the first distinctive tactics of military communications were called Signals, while units specializing in those tactics received the Signal Corps name...
platoon in Prešov for a year.
Life in the Protectorate
After the 1938 Munich AgreementMunich Agreement
The Munich Pact was an agreement permitting the Nazi German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders, mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe without...
, Czechoslovakia
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...
was disunited. Jaroš returned to Mělník where the municipal office asked him to be the chief of police, which he refused. Instead, he worked for the post office in Náchod
Náchod
Náchod -History:Náchod was founded in 14th century by knight Hron of Načeradice, who founded a castle on a strategical place, where local trade road reaches the defile called Branka. The first written note dates back to 1254.-Castle:...
.
World War II
Jaroš did not accept the German 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...
, and in the summer of 1939 he escaped to Poland
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
where he joined a Czechoslovak Legion in Krakow
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Ludvík Svoboda
Ludvík Svoboda
thumb|Svoboda and [[I Corps |I Czechoslovak Army Corps]]Ludvík Svoboda was a Czechoslovak general and politician...
. When Poland was defeated by the Nazis
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...
and its eastern parts were occupied by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, the legion fell on 17 September into Soviet captivity.
In the Soviet internment
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
, Jaroš led the signals platoon and also the officer's school. In January 1940 he began serving as the radio operator of the Czechoslovak military mission, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
After the German assault on the Soviet Union, the situation changed radically. In the rank of lieutenant (since October 1941), Jaroš, together with other Czech officers, became a constituent member of the First Czechoslovak Independent Field Battalion
First Czechoslovak Independent Field Battalion
The First Czechoslovak Independent Field Battalion was a Czechoslovak government-in-exile military organization in World War II fighting alongside the Red Army on the East Front, notably in the battle of Sokolovo...
in Buzuluk
Buzuluk
Buzuluk is a town in Orenburg Oblast, Russia, located on the Samara, Buzuluk, and Domashka Rivers northwest of Orenburg. Population: It was founded in 1736 as the fortress of Buzulukskaya on the Samara River near the mouth of the Buzuluk River along Russia's southern frontier. It was later moved...
in 1942. He was made First Lieutenant and was in command of 1st Company (February 7, 1942).
Death
During a German counteroffensiveThird Battle of Kharkov
The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of offensive operations on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by the German Army Group South against the Red Army, around the city of Kharkov , between 19 February and 15 March 1943...
in February 1943, the Czechoslovak battalion was ordered to defend the frozen river in the vicinity of Kharkov. Jaroš's strengthened 1st Company took position in front of the river in the village of Sokolovo; the rest of the battalion and supporting Soviet units stayed behind the river. On the afternoon of 8 March, German armored troops with at least 14 tanks launched two attacks on Sokolovo. In the ensuing battle, 1st Company was almost annihilated, and Jaroš was killed. They were ordered to remain until reinforcements could arrive, but the supporting tanks could not cross the thawing river (the battalion's commander had neglected to take into account the terrain). Not until late that night were the remnants of 1st Company ordered to retreat, the further defence of Sokolovo having lost any value, as the unfrozen river no longer provided an avenue for the Germans to advance.
Decorations
For his heroism Otakar Jaroš was posthumously promoted to captain, and on 17 April 1943 he was decorated with the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet UnionHero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
, the first member of a foreign army to be so honoured.
Other decorations:
- Československý válečný kříž 1939 (Czechoslovak Military Cross), 13.3.1943
- Order of LeninOrder of LeninThe Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
, 17.4.1943 - Sokolovská pamětní medaile (Commemorative medal of Sokolovo), 8.3.1948