Klapalek, Karel

By nationality Czech . From the family of a petty official. After the death of his father and graduation from high school in 1911, he kept his entire family - his mother and three younger brothers and sisters. After the outbreak of World War I in June 1915, he was drafted into the Austro-Hungarian army , into the 8th Infantry Regiment and sent to the Eastern Front . Even in Prague, Klapalek came under strong anti-Austrian influence, therefore, having no desire to fight for the interests of others, he did as many Czechs drafted into the army did - at the first opportunity surrendered to Russian captivity. This happened already in September 1915.

In March 1916 he was enrolled in the Czechoslovak Legion , underwent military training at an officer school and in March 1917 received the first officer rank. In the summer of 1917, he participated in battles on the South-Western Front as the commander of a small platoon and distinguished himself in the Zborovsky battle, which was successful for the Czech units in the summer of 1917 . After the October Revolution, he commanded a company as part of the Czechoslovak Corps , participated in a campaign through Siberia to Vladivostok , and commanded a company and a battalion in the legion. He participated in the events of the civil war in Russia .

In 1920 he returned to Czechoslovakia and was admitted to the Czechoslovak army. He served in the 35th Infantry Regiment in Pilsen , since 1922 - in the 36th Infantry Regiment in Uzhgorod , commanded an infantry company and a battalion . Since 1931 - teacher at the School of Infantry Commanders in Milovice . He graduated from the Military Academy, from 1932 to 1937 he taught tactics in it. Since September 1937 - Deputy Commander of the Jan Hus Infantry Regiment in Budejovice. Since September 1938 - commander of the 51st Infantry Regiment in Southern Bohemia. He had the military rank of lieutenant colonel. After the occupation of Czechoslovakia by the troops of Nazi Germany in July 1939, he was dismissed from the army. He lived in Budejovice, worked as a commercial director in a private company, and joined the underground officer organization People’s Defense . Due to the threat of arrest by the Germans , he fled the country at the beginning of 1940 and traveled through Hungary , Yugoslavia and Turkey to Palestine , where several hundred Czechs and Slovaks were waiting for volunteer units to be sent to France for Czechoslovakia.

These plans were not realized, since in May 1940, France was defeated. Then the formation of the Czechoslovak units engaged in the British. Klapalek was appointed deputy commander of the 4th Infantry Regiment, and since November 1940 he commanded a battalion in the 11th Czechoslovak Infantry Regiment. In May 1941, the regiment received a baptism of fire during the Syrian-Lebanese operation , then was transferred to North Africa and valiantly fought in all the main battles of the North African campaign . Especially the Czechoslovak regiment became famous during the defense of Tobruk . Since 1942 - commander of the 200th anti-aircraft artillery regiment in North Africa. In May 1943, Klapalek was recalled to the UK and in September of that year was appointed deputy commander of the Czechoslovak separate armored brigade. There, he quickly entered into conflict with influential members of the Czechoslovak government in exile. Since he insisted on the active participation of Czechoslovak units in hostilities, including on the territory of the USSR, he gained a reputation as a communist, although he was not.

In the end, Klap nearby gave him the opportunity to take part in the battles and in August 1944 he was sent to the command of the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps , formed and fought on the territory of the USSR . He was immediately appointed commander of the 3rd Infantry Brigade and promoted to Brigadier General . Until the end of the war, he fought in the corps, participated in the liberation of the western regions of Ukraine, in the East Carpathian operation and the assault on the Dukelsky pass , in the winter-spring operations of 1945 to liberate Czechoslovakia from Nazi troops. He was wounded twice in battles. He became a combat associate and personal friend of the corps commander General Ludwik Svoboda . After transferring the latter to promotion, on April 5, 1945, General Klapalek was appointed commander of the Czechoslovak Army Corps, at the head of which he took part in the final hostilities, which in Czechoslovakia were fierce.

After the war he left the service in the Czechoslovak People's Army, in the summer of 1945 he was promoted to division generals . President Benes proposed Klapalek for the post of chief of the General Staff, but this proposal was rejected by Clement Gottwald . Then Klapalek was appointed commander of the 1st Military District (included Prague and the surrounding major industrial areas of the country). Army General of Czechoslovakia (rank awarded by decree of October 25, 1946 with seniority in rank of 10/28/1944). During the February coup of 1948, he supported the Communists and organized the distribution of weapons from military depots to their "working squads".

In 1950 he was removed from the post of commander, and in February 1951 he was dismissed from the army. The reason was Klapalek's correspondence with former front-line comrades in North Africa who remained after the war in Great Britain . In November 1952 he was arrested, and in November 1954 sentenced to 6 years in prison for "sabotage of the Kosice program" and "anti-state propaganda." After the removal of close officials from Clement Gottwald from power in April 1956, Klapalek was released, and after some time he was rehabilitated.

He did not return to the army. He lived in Prague . During the Prague Spring of 1968, the name Klapaleka was very popular as a war hero who suffered from the communist regime. In 1968, his memoirs, Echo of the Battle, was published. By a decree of the President of Czechoslovakia dated May 24, 1968, Army General Karel Klap nearby was awarded the title Hero of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic . He died in Prague at the 92nd year of his life.

At the suggestion of the Minister of National Defense, General Ludwik Svoboda, on April 5, General Karel Klapalek, formerly the commander of the 3rd Brigade, took command of the corps. Wounded at the beginning of the battles for Liptovsky Mikulas and barely recovering, he returned to the corps in early April, catching him up with Ruzomberok.

Klapalek with his ascetically pale face, on which lively calm eyes shone, was a man of cold will. Distinguished by a cautious disposition of character, as a commander, Klapalek knew his job well, quickly assessed the situation and prospects. It was the commander of calculating courage. An exceptional calm, tempered in trials, a pretense of coldness, under whose shell a subtle nature was hidden, a direct slightly ironic look - these qualities were especially liked by soldiers in it.

- Ressel A. On the roads of war: Memoirs / Per. from Czech F. Petrova and S. Sokolov. - M .: Military Publishing, 1978.- 352 p. The circulation of 65,000 copies. // Ressel Alfréd. Mi Cesiy Valkou. - Praha: Mladá fronta, 1975.

Czechoslovakia

• Hero of Czechoslovakia ( May 24, 1968 );
• Order of Clement Gottwald ( 1968 );
• Military Order of the White Lion "For Victory" 1st degree with a star;
• Order of February 25, 1948 ;
• Order of the Red Banner ;
• Order of the Red Star ;
• Order of the Slovak National Uprising of 1 degree;
• The military cross of 1918 ;
• 5 Military Crosses of 1939 ;
• Military medal "For courage before the enemy" ;
• Military Commemorative Medal ;
• Military medal "For Merit" 1st degree:
• Zborovsky commemorative medal ;
• 6 commemorative medals of various regiments.

Czechoslovakia (1920-1939)

• Order of the Falcon with swords;
• Order of Stefanek ;
• Czechoslovak revolutionary medal ;
• Czechoslovak Victory Medal ;
• Memorial sign of Czechoslovak volunteers 1918-1919 ;
• The Cross "For Courage" (1919).

USSR

• Kutuzov Order of the 2nd degree (August 10, 1945),
• medal "For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" ( 1945 );
• medal "For the Liberation of Prague" ( 1945 ).

Poland

• Order of Military Valor
• Order of the “Grunwald Cross” 2nd degree ( 1948 );
• Cross of the Brave .

Yugoslavia

• Order of the Partisan Star of the 1st degree;
• Order of Courage .

France

• Order of the Legion of Honor ;
• Military Cross 1914-1918 ;
• Military Cross 1939-1945 .

UK

• Commander of the Order of the British Empire :
• Order of Distinguished Service ;
• African star ;
• Star "1939-1945" ;
• Medal of Defense .

Romania

• Knight's Cross of the Order of the Crown of Romania .

USA

• Medal of Freedom ^[2]

• Zalessky K. A. Who was who in World War II. Allies of the USSR. - 2004. - T. 1. - S. 254. - ISBN 5-17-025106-8 .
• Armádní generál Karel Klapálek (Czech)
• Karel Klapálek. In: KUX, Jan: Pomníky zůstávají, Fragmenty z výstavy k 60. výročí osvobození. Onufrius Brno, 2005, ISBN 80-903432-2-8
• Karel Klapálek. Ozvěny bojů - vzpomínky z druhé světové války, Naše vojsko 1966, 15000 výtisků
• RSDr. plk. Václav Pejřil - Sborník fotografií a textů k 90-tému výročí narození arm. gen. Karla Klapálka
• ZBOROV - TOBRUK - DUKLA 1893 - 1984 Sborník k 100. Václava Pejřila k tzv. západním - zahraničním bojovníkům a bojům na Středním Východě, zejména historie bojové cesty arm. gen. Karla Klapálka. U této příležitosti byla zásluhou Vladimíra Pejřila - jednatele nadace pro odkaz boje proti fašismu, odhalena na novoměstském nádraží v rodišti gen. Klapálka pamětní deska.
• Armádní generál Karel Klapálek 1893 - 2013 120-té výročí narození. Pamětní sborník návštěv gen. Klapálka v Novém Městě nad Metují - s využitím materiálů a 40-ti leté badatelské práce RSDr. plk. Václava pejřila