Armored train Štefánik

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The Armored train Štefánik was a military train used during World War II (during the Slovak National Uprising) in Slovakia.

The building of the armored train started on September 4, 1944. It was finished on September 18, 1944 in a Railway Manufacture in Zvolen, Slovakia.

It was equipped with:

• the Czechoslovak mountain cannon vz. 15 of calibre 75 mm in a cannon carriage
• 2 cannons of a 37 mm calibre in a tank carriage
• 10 heavy machineguns of a 7,92 mm calibre

The commander of the train was Captain F. Adam, and his assistant was npor. A. Tököly. The crew was 70 men. Its first action was on September 27, 1944 at the line Hronská Dúbrava – Kremnica. Near Stará Kremnička it was fighting against a German army advancing to Zvolen. When moving to Hronská Dúbrava, the German Luftwaffe destroyed the train's engine. After repair, it successfully fought at Žiar nad Hronom, Jalná and Hronská Dúbrava, from where it moved on October 18, 1944 to Krupina, where it fought against SS Schill. Two days later, it moved to Dobrá Niva, where it was attacked several times by the German Luftwaffe. After a German attack on October 25, 1944 it left Zvolen as the last train, moved to Banská Bystrica and then moved to Ulmanka, where it was blocked by a retired train. After discarding all weapons the crew continued fighting as a partisan battalion.