Forced Czech workers who managed to escape to Sweden found help in the country, both from the Swedish authorities and from diplomats and officials of the Czechoslovak government-in-exile who worked in Sweden semi-legally. The Swedish authorities cooperated with them unofficially and, for example, tolerated Czechoslovak passports and certificates issued on behalf of exiled Czechoslovak authorities.
Refugees from forced deployment had to submit to military conscription if they were interested in the help of Czechoslovak officials. It was not just an administrative formality, as over time a way was found to transport the recruited volunteers to Great Britain, where Czechoslovak military units operated.
Sweden, as a neutral country, maintained sporadic air links with the free world throughout the war. Of course, only to the extent that both warring parties were willing to tolerate. Thus, soldiers, members of the secret services, couriers and merchants competed for rare tickets. Nevertheless, this way managed to get to Britain about a hundred volunteers for service in the Czechoslovak army.
Among all 95 Czechoslovak volunteers documented so far, transported by air from Sweden to Britain during the war, 25 persons registered in the Organisation Todt file in Norway were documented.
The first five arrived in Britain in October and November 1944. After the necessary administrative actions, they were all enlisted in the Czechoslovak army. They underwent basic training, followed by assignment to specific units. Two of them, Jan Jansa and Mojmír Genzer, were selected for service with ground personnel of the Air Force at the very beginning of January 1945, the other three reached the Czechoslovak Republic in the spring of 1945. a separate armored brigade (ČSOB), which besieged the besieged German garrison of the port of Dunkirk on the shores of the English Channel. The remaining 19 "Norwegians" arrived from Sweden to Britain at the end of April and during May 1945 - too late to catch up with the combat deployment.
After the war, the "Norwegians" in the ranks of their troops gradually returned to their homeland, where most of them were released into civilian life by the end of 1945.
List of Czechoslovaks from forced labor in Norway who was deployed to Czechoslovak army in Britain.
Příjmení | Jméno | Rok | Místo narození | odlet ze Švédska do Británie | prezentace u čs. armády | zařazení k operační jednotce |
Bastl | Rudolf | 1922 | Řevnice, okres Praha | 28.4.1945 | 7.5.1945 | |
Bayer | Václav | 1922 | Bernartice nad Odrou, okres Nový Jičín | 8.5.1945 | 16.5.1945 | |
Berný | Josef | 1922 | Vysoké Veselí, okres Nový Bydžov | 29.11.1944 | 14.12.1944 | ČSOB, III. artillery troop; 5.3.1945 |
Čejka | Miloslav | 1910 | Kolín, okres Kolín | 10.5.1945 | 19.5.1945 | |
Genzer | Mojmír | 1923 | Tichá, okres Místek | 26.10.1944 | 13.11.1944 | Air Force group; 311. peruť, 7.3.1945 |
Houska | Václav | 1921 | Žehušice, okres Čáslav | 28.4.1945 | 7.5.1945 | |
Houska | Vojtěch | 1919 | Tučapy, okres Tábor | 12.5.1945 | 28.5.1945 | |
Jansa | Jan | 1923 | Cizkrajov, okres Slavonice | 24.10.1944 | 8.11.1944 | Air Force group; 311. peruť, 7.3.1945 |
Jirásko | Ladislav | 1922 | Nová Paka | 8.5.1945 | 15.5.1945 | |
Klč | František | 1921 | Břeclav, okres Hodonín | 1945 | 19.5.1945 | |
Kolář | Karel | 1922 | Michálkovice, okres Frýdek | 9.5.1945 | 24.5.1945 | |
Kozler | Václav | 1920 | Zderaz, okres Podbořany | 12.5.1945 | 28.5.1945 | |
Kučera | Josef | 1922 | Brno-Židenice | 5.5.1945 | 15.5.1945 | |
Matuška | Josef | 1920 | Rodov, okres Dvůr Králové nad Labem | ? 1944 | 13.11.1944 | ČSOB, Engineer company; 18.4.1945 |
Orság | Rostislav | 1922 | Žádovice, okres Kyjov | 5.5.1945 | 15.5.1945 | |
Ožana | Miroslav | 1923 | Michálkovice, okres Frýdek | 5.5.1945 | 15.5.1945 | |
Pačes | Vilém | 1911 | Vyžlovka, okres Český Brod | 9.5.1945 | 24.5.1945 | |
Plavec | Jaroslav | 1914 | Kněžice, okres Jihlava | 8.5.1945 | 17.5.1945 | |
Polák | Lev | 1923 | Opava, okres Opava | 10.5.1945 | 24.5.1945 | |
Sluka | Antonín | 1906 | Syrovín, okres Kyjov | 8.5.1945 | 19.5.1945 | |
Šustr | Karel | 1921 | Křetín, okres Boskovice | 5.5.1945 | 15.5.1945 | |
Václavínek | Ludvík | 1926 | Ostravice, okres Místek | 5.5.1945 | 15.5.1945 | |
Vaněk | Antonín | 1922 | Bělice, okres Benešov | 29.11.1944 | 14.12.1944 | ČSOB, III. artillery troup; 5.3.1945 |
Voler | Josef | 1921 | Líně, okres Stříbro | 4.5.1945 | 24.5.1945 |
Other materials and resources:
A record of the service of Genzer Mojmír at Czechoslovakia. Air Force (so-called Air Card). Military Central Archive.
Noraci.cz website: “Jan Jansa from his deployment in Norway to Czechoslovakia. Army in Britain ”July 26, 2020
Biographical data Václav Bayer. Website Noraci.cz, Database of persons, 2021.
Edited by: dr. Zdenko Maršálek