Deník Československé legie v Polsku 1939 – Říha Martin (2024)

The Czechoslovak resistance in Poland was formed in 1939 under very difficult conditions and in an atmosphere that initially did not favor the renewal of foreign units modeled after the legions of the First World War. Nevertheless, dozens of volunteers managed to establish the first informal unit called the Czechoslovak Foreign Military Group on April 30, 1939, which gradually grew and was transformed into the Czechoslovak Legion by a decree from the Polish president on September 3, 1939. This book is an edition of its diary, which records its development day by day, daily increases in volunteers, life in Polish Krakow and in the camp of Malé Bronowice, difficult negotiations, but also the dramatic period following the invasion of Poland after September 1, 1939. The diary also recounts the first combat, albeit symbolic, deployment of the legion members near Tarnopol, the first fallen, the wounded, and the plans of the legion's commander, Army General Lev Prchala, to establish the so-called Slavic Corps. The book also includes detailed explanations of the mentioned events, biographies of individuals, and a report by Captain Divoký on the journey of his group across Poland to Romania and France. The diary pages are supplemented with more than 100 archival photographs and documents.