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| Slovak machine gun team on the Eastern Front. |
by Franklyn G. Prieskop
On 1 September 1939, Slovakia had been an independent state for less than six months; its army, projected for twenty-seven infantry battalions, was still being assembled. Nevertheless, Slovakia was obliged to accede to Germany’s request that its armed forces participate in the campaign against Poland. By stripping all experienced cadres from the training units, Slovakia was able to assemble two combat groups. The main combat group was of brigade size, consisting of six infantry battalions, two artillery battalions, and a company of combat engineers. A mobile combat force was organized from two reconnaissance battalions and nine motorized artillery batteries. The two Slovakian combat groups penetrated the Nowy Sacz and Dukeilska mountain passes, advancing to Debica and Tarnow in southern Poland.
On 26 June 1941, the Slovakian Expeditionary Army Group (SEA) crossed into the Soviet Union to participate in the “Crusade Against Bolshevism” which had begun four days earlier with Germany’s launching of Operation Barbarossa. The SEA, commanded in person by the Slovakian Defense Minister, General Ferdinand Catlos, contained almost the entire military establishment of Slovakia—some 45,000 men.
Slovakian Expeditionary Army Group Order of Battle, 26 June 1941
1st Infantry Division
1st Infantry Regiment
2nd Infantry Regiment
3rd Alpine Regiment
1st Artillery Regiment
1st Reconnaissance Battalion
1st Engineer Battalion
1st Anti-tank Company
1st Tank Company (16 tanks)
2nd Infantry Division
5th Infantry Regiment
6th Infantry Regiment
4th Alpine Regiment
2nd Artillery Regiment
2nd Reconnaissance Battalion
2nd Engineer Battalion
2nd Anti-tank Company
2nd Tank Company (16 tanks)
Army Troops
11th Motorized Artillery Regiment
12th Artillery Regiment
15th Flak Battalion
11th Engineer Battalion
11th Anti-tank Company
11th Tank Company (16 tanks)
In 1939, when the Czechoslovakian state was dissolved, Germany pre-empted most of the Czechoslovakian Army’s armor, artillery, and motor transport equipment for its own army. The Slovakian state, which was set up as a German protectorate, while furnished with ample supplies of small arms and other equipment, was left woefully short of heavy ordnance and motorized transport vehicles. As an example: Of the more than 420 Czechoslovakian tanks, Slovakia, at the time of the invasion, possessed only forty-eight serviceable vehicles.
The individual Slovakian soldier was considered to be strong, brave, and capable of enduring severe hardships. The weak point in Slovakia’s military was its lack of experienced leadership personnel. Years of discriminatory policies among the Czech-dominated Czechoslovakian armed forces left Slovakia, upon its independence, with only a very small native Slovakian officer corps and pool of trained non-commissioned officers around which to build its new military establishment. Slovakia had been granted only two years of peace since its independence, and in that time, even with the aid of a German military mission, had been unable to correct these deficiencies.
From the first day of the Slovakian participation in the campaign, it was evident that the Slovakian troops’ lack of all but the most rudimentary mechanization would not allow them to keep up with the advancing Germans. For propaganda purposes, General Catlos required that at least a token Slovakian force be kept in the front lines alongside the advancing German columns. He therefore ordered Colonel Pilfousek, the commander of the 2nd Infantry Division, to assemble an ad hoc battlegroup by stripping the motorized units from the two infantry divisions and the motorized artillery regiment. The resultant unit was designated as Brigade “Pilfousek,” but the Germans often referred to it as the “Slovak Mobile Command.”
During the middle of August 1941, General Catlos decided to return to Slovakia, along with approximately one-half of the army group’s personnel. General Catlos, and General Alexander Cunderlik, the commander of the Slovakian Army, reorganized the remaining forces into two commands which would be better suited to their assigned roles in the campaign. They negotiated an agreement with the German military to re-supply the divisions as needed to replace any combat losses of equipment.
The two units, designated as the 1st (Mobile) Infantry Division and the 2nd (Security) Infantry Division, were formed by combining the best personnel and equipment from the entire army group. All of the remaining motor transport vehicles were utilized to motorize three additional infantry battalions for the mobile division. The anti-tank companies and one of the two reconnaissance battalions were broken up to provide heavy weapons for the two newly-formed motorized infantry regiments, the tank companies were merged into the remaining reconnaissance, and all of the new formations were given new unit designations.
Slovakian Forces on the Eastern Front, Order of Battle, 3 September 1941
1st (Mobile) Infantry Division
20th Motorized Infantry Regiment
21st Motorized Infantry Regiment
11th Motorized Artillery Regiment
5th Reconnaissance Battalion
13th Flak Battalion
14th Motorized Engineer Battalion
2nd (Security) Infantry Division
101st Infantry Regiment
102nd Infantry Regiment
31st Artillery Regiment
1st Field Training Battalion
The Slovakian mobile division, formed around the staff of the old 1st Infantry Division, was placed under the command of Colonel Peknik. Colonel Pilfousek resumed his post as commander of the 2nd (Security) Infantry Division. An ethnic German from Slovakia, Colonel Pilfousek was highly respected by the German military commanders, and, on 14 August 1941, was decorated with the Iron Cross, First Class.
By the beginning of winter, the mobile division had advanced by way of Kiev to the Mius River positions on the Sea of Azov. During the spring of 1942, Lieutenant General Gustav Malar took over operational control of the mobile division, and led an attack in July which played a decisive role in the capture of Rostov and the crossing of the Don River. In late summer, Lieutenant General Jozef Turanec took control of the division and led it in the advance across the Kuban River to the northern edge of the Caucasus Mountains in the vicinity of Taupze. For their actions in the advance to the Caucasus, both Generals Malar and Turanec were decorated with the German Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross.
Slovakian Field Formations Arms and Equipment, 10 June 1943
1st (Mobile) Infantry Division
473 light machine guns
80 × heavy machine guns
60 × 50-mm mortars
40 × 80-mm mortars
27 × 37-mm anti-tank guns
6 × 50-mm anti-tank guns
36 light field howitzers
2 × 105-mm guns
8 ×20-mm anti-aircraft guns
4 × 80-mm guns
16 German PzKpfw. II tanks
58 tanks (mixture of PzKpfw. III, LT 35, LT 38 and LT 40)
70 motorcycles
2nd (Security) Infantry Division
180 light machine guns
52 heavy machine guns
60 × 50-mm mortars
26 × 80-mm mortars
27 × 37-mm anti-tank guns
6 × 50-mm anti-tank guns
6 light field howitzers
8 × 20-mm anti-aircraft guns
After the German defeat at Stalingrad, the Slovakians showed increasing signs of exhaustion and a decreasing willingness to fight with the Germans. In the general withdrawal, the Slovakian Mobile Division, now being commanded by Lieutenant General Jurech, crossed the Kerch Straits into the Crimea, covered the retreat over the Sivash and Perekop land bridges, and was employed to guard the shore of the Black Sea south of Kherson. When the Soviets broke through the German lines on the Tauric Steppes, the division was caught off guard. In a surprise attack, the Slovakians were panicked and routed.
On 20 September 1943, Colonel Elemir Lendvay took command of the scattered division. The Slovakian soldiers still willing to continue fighting were formed into a combat group consisting of the 20th Motorized Infantry Regiment and the first battalion of the 11th Motorized Artillery Regiment. The combat group, under the command of Colonel Stafan Tartarko, participated in the defense of the Crimea. The rest of the division was relegated to line-of-communications duties in the Ukraine. The morale of the Slovakians continued to fall, and by March of 1944, over 2,000 soldiers had deserted from the Mobile Division. Because of its increasing unreliability, the division was disarmed on 13 June 1944 and converted into a construction brigade for fortress construction in Rumania.
The Slovakian Security Division, throughout 1941, continued to be employed to mop up by-passed pockets of Soviet troops, until they reached the area north of Zhitomir; thereafter, the division was assigned to anti-partisan duties. At first, the Slovakians performed well. However, following Stalingrad, desertions increased, and the fighting quality of the unit decreased. The Security Division was transferred to a quieter sector near Minsk. Their performance did not improve, and, on 1 November 1943, the division was disarmed and converted to a construction brigade under Colonel Bodicky, assigned to build fortifications near Ravenna in Italy.
Another Slovakian unit made its appearance on the Eastern Front when Soviet partisan activities increased against the Axis’ vital railroad supply lines. In March of 1943, the Slovakian 12th Engineer Battalion was assigned to the Eastern Front, where it remained in service until 3 June 1944, at which time it was combined with the Mobile Division in forming a construction brigade.
In March 1944 two new infantry divisions were formed for the defense of Slovakia under Colonels Markus and Zverin. The Slovakian Army at this time consisted of 50,750 men: 10,950 men in the field forces at the front, 7,500 men with the construction brigade in Italy, and 32,300 men in the home army.
Slovakian Home Army Order of Battle, 15 March 1944
1st Infantry Division
1st Infantry Regiment
2nd Infantry Regiment
3rd Infantry Regiment
1st Artillery Regiment
1st Cavalry Battalion
1st Motorized Flak Battalion
1st Engineer Battalion
2nd Infantry Division
4th Infantry Regiment
5th Infantry Regiment
6th Infantry Regiment
2nd Artillery Regiment
2nd Cavalry Battalion
2nd Motorized Flak Battalion
2nd Engineer Battalion
Army Troops
1st Tank Regiment
12th Artillery Regiment
11th Flak Battalion
12th Flak Battalion
11th Engineer Battalion
On 12 August 1944, with Soviet troops closing upon her borders, Slovakia attempted to follow the example of Italy and Rumania by revolting against the Axis alliance. For five or six days, elements of the Slovakian Home Army, led by a small group of Slovakian officers, conducted military operations against the Germans. The swift movement of German troops into Slovakia quickly ended Slovakia’s abortive attempt to withdraw from the Axis alliance. The two divisions of the Home Army, formed for the defense of Slovakia against the approaching Soviet Army, never saw combat service against the Soviets. Upon the occupation of Slovakia, the divisions were disarmed and converted to construction brigades to build fortifications along the Carpathian frontier. Thus Slovakia, which began the campaign with such enthusiasm, ended it as an occupied state.
Slovakia’s contribution to the military situation on the Eastern Front appears to have been extremely negligible when compared with the millions of men fielded by Germany and the Soviet Union. To Slovakia, however, the fielding of two divisions for three years of combat meant that the entire Slovakian Army saw service on the Eastern Front and incurred some 6,867 casualties (1,179 killed, 2,969 wounded, and 2,719 missing), which represented about fifteen per cent of the entire Slovakian Army personnel.
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| 18th Anti Aircraft Artillery Battery, that took part in Slovak National Uprising in autumn 1944. |
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| Slovakian officers in Ukraine. Civilians and German Feldgendarmerie (military police) in the background. |
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| Slovakian sentry, 1943. |
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| Soldiers of the Carpathian German Freiwillige Schutzstaffek being decorated by Slovakian General Catlos in September 1939. |
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| Boys and bombs. Little Zdzisek (nickname from Zdzisław) Beksiński (right) and his friend play in the rubble of a destroyed Soviet bunker after the Slovak-German offensive on the Molotov Line in summer 1941. |
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| Molotov Line, summer 1941. |
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| Soldiers of the Slovak Mobile Division on the Eastern Front. The man in front is equipped with a captured Russian PPSh submachine gun, the men behind is ready to throw a German Stielhandgranate. |
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| Ex-Czech LT vz.38 tanks (PzKpfw 38(t)) of the Slovak Army with the post-1942 shield markings. The crew wear Czech overalls. |
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| LT-35. Note German style three-digit turret marking and Slovak cross (red with white outline). |
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| LT-38 with German style three-digit turret marking and Slovak cross. |
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| OA vz 30 Armored Cars. Based on a six-wheeled truck chassis with a hull mounted machine gun forward and a simple cylindrical turret also mounting a machine gun. |
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| LT-40 Tank. The LT-40 was a slightly scaled down version of the LT-38. |
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| Slovak artillery in action. |
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| Slovak artillery in action. |
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| Slovak mortar crew in action. |
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| Slovak soldier throwing a hand grenade on the Eastern Front. |
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| Slovak soldiers. The soldier on the left is placing the bayonet on his rifle. |
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| Slovaks meet Italians in Novomoskovsk, Ukrainian SSR. The Holy Trinity Cathedral is in the background. |
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| Slovak officers on the eastern front. Left to right: Golian, Lisický, Jurech. |
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| Slovak armored column in the early weeks of Operation Barbarossa. |
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| Slovak soldiers on the Eastern Front. |
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| Slovak soldiers observing a damaged Soviet anti-aircraft gun on the Eastern Front. |
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| Elements of the Slovak Fast Division advancing on the Eastern Front. |
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| Slovak soldier entertaining a couple of Ukrainian girls. |
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| Red Army captives photographed by a Slovak war reporter. |
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| Faces of the Red Army photographed by a Slovak war reporter. |
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| Weeping Ukrainian women photographed by a Slovak war reporter. |
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| Slovak and German soldiers observe a Ukrainian folk dance performed by women. |
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| Slovak and German soldiers celebrate accompanied by Ukrainian women. |
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| General Ferdinand Čatloš with Ukrainian peasants in Komancza. |
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| Slovak trucks advancing on the Eastern Front. |
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| Columns of the Slovak army advancing on the Eastern Front. |
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| Flag carrying Slovak soldier and Ukrainian peasants. |
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| Slovak soldiers sweeping up a train station at Polohy, Ukraine. |
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| Slovak pioneers with flamethrower on the Eastern Front. |
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| Fallen Slovak soldier. Lypovets, 1941. |
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| Slovak soldiers stop for a refreshment on their way to the Eastern Front. |
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| Slovak soldiers proceeding through Ukrainian fields with caution. |
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| Slovak soldiers sniping in tall grass on the Eastern Front. |
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| Slovak soldiers in rye around Lypovets. |
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| Slovak soldiers around Lypovets. |
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| Slovak pioneers crossing Dnieper as part of the operation to conquer Kiev. |
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| Slovak soldiers strutting through a conquered Ukrainian town. |
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| Slovak soldier carrying ammo boxes running for cover on the Eastern Front. |
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| Charge of the Slovak cavalry captured on the Eastern Front. |
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| Slovak soldiers advancing on the Eastern Front. |
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| General Ferdinand Čatloš awarding Slovak soldiers after the battle of Rostov-on-Don. |