Rudolf Viest

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Rudolf Viest (* 24 September 1890, Revúca, † 1945, Flossenburg, Germany), was Slovak division general, commander of the partisan army during the Slovak National Uprising and the only Slovak general during the interwar period in the first Czechoslovak republic.

[edit] Life

[edit] Interwar period

In the years 1920-1939 he was commissioned officer, at the diplomatic and commanding services. In 1933 he was promoted to the position of brigadier general and in 1938 to division general.

[edit] World War Two

In 1939, he was serviceman in the Slovak army, belonging to the group of anti-Fascist officers, and was against the break-up of Czechoslovakia into Slovakia and the protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. He was keeping contact with the Czechoslovak government-in-exile in London. He emigrated into France via Hungary, where he became a member of Czechoslovak national committee in Paris and commander of the exile Czechoslovak army. Since 1 January 1940 commander of the 1st Czechoslovak division in France. After the Nazi occupation of France in June 1940, he moved to Britain and became a minister of Czechoslovak government-in-exile. On August 1944, he flew with the Czechoslovak delegation to the Soviet Union and from there to Banská Bystrica on October 1944 to help the partisans fighting during the Slovak National Uprising, where with Ján Golian became the commander of the 1st Czechoslovak Army in Slovakia. The Czechoslovak government-in-exile tried to gain influence in the army and the Slovak national uprising through Viest, but the situation for the partisan troops was worsening, with Viest issuing final order during the night from 27 to 28 October in Donovaly: „Boj za slobodu Česko-Slovenska sa nekončí, bude pokračovať v horách“ (Struggle for the freedom of Czechoslovakia doesn't end, it will continue in the mountains). On 3 November 1944, he was captured with Golian in Pohronský Bukovec, taken to Berlin in Germany, sentenced to death, and executed in the Flossenbürg concentration camp in 1945.

After his death, he was honoured in memoriam with the Order of Slovak national uprising 1st class (1945), Czechoslovak military cross (1945), as well with many other Czechoslovak or foreign medals. In 1945, he was promoted in memoriam to the position of army general.