Battle in Slovakia

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gabriel pagliarani
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Borders

#31

Post by gabriel pagliarani » 04 Feb 2003, 17:23

Victor wrote:
gabriel pagliarani wrote: Coming from Kosice Mesto towards Ukrainian border, after about 50 km ...
By looking at the map I noticed that the Dukla Pass is on the border with Poland (altitude 502 m), not the Ukraine.

Anyway I am also interested to know more about this battle, since it took place close to the area of operations of the Romanian armies in late 1944 and early 1945. The high number of casualties can be easily explained by the difficult terrain in that part of Slovakia, which favors a determined defense.
The site I have seen and the tanks That I touched were between Uzgorod (UKR)and Kosice (SK). But the site I have seen was quite different from the photos above sticked: the main road passed thru dense forests on flat hills. The problem is that I have no confidence with Slovak road-plates and I don't speak Slovnik. :oops: But, if I am not completely mad, another battlefield had to be southern respect with Dukla Pass, as consequence! I have touched a T-34 and a tank "turretless"
rusting one right-side the road, the other left-side.

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#32

Post by josef » 04 Feb 2003, 19:33

Hello Gabriel, there is armour all over that country, all along the eastern borders with Poland and the Ukraine. I have travelled around Kosice also and likely seen what you decribe. I have been to the Dukla Pass numerous times, and am most familiar with this area. The German cemetaries in the area are meticulously maintained, very beautiful in the peaceful countryside. I notice the Soviet cemetaires are generally in bad shape and do require alot of maintenance, obviously neglected (money shortages I presume). Unfortunate.


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Benoit Douville
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#33

Post by Benoit Douville » 12 Feb 2005, 22:24

Let's continue to talk about Slovakia during World War II. Here is the Battle for Bratislava in April 1945 the capital of Slovakia. General Malinovskii struck out for Bratislava, on this front, Soviet troops were astride the river Vah on april 1 1945 and Pliev mobile group pressed on to Trnava and the "little Carapathians." While Pliev moved on Malacky and the Morava, swinging and encircling arm round Bratislava fron the west, two Soviet Divisions (409th Rifle/4th Guards Parachute/25th Guards Rifle Corps) closed in on Bratislava from the North-East, followed on 3 April by 23rd Rifle Corps and 19th Rifle Corps attacking from the East. During the night of 4 April Soviet riflemen and paratroopers began their final assault, joined in the morning by 23rd Corps and 19th Rifle Division moving along the bank of the Danube supported by the gunboats of the Danube Flotilla. At 18:00 hours of 4 April what remained of the German garrison abandonned Bratislava and fell back behind the river Morava.

I tought it would interest someone.

Source: The Road to Berlin by John Erickson

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Victor
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#34

Post by Victor » 13 Feb 2005, 09:50

The 409th Rifle Division was supported during the assault on Bratislava by the Romanian 2nd Tank Regiment in the following manner: the regiment of the division's left wing (the 684th) by the 2nd Tank Battalion and the Recon Group, the regiment in the center by the 1st Tank Company/1st Tank Battalion and the regiment on the right by the 2nd and 3rd Assault Gun Companies/1st Tank Battalion.

Browsing through the memoirs of lt. Ion S. Dumitru, part of the 1st Tank Company/1st Tank Battalion, I managed to find out some details on how the Soviet rifle regiment he was assigned to planned the attack on 4 April 1945. It had a narrow front comprising of 7 streets coming from the outskirts of the city to the main boulevard. Thus seven assault groups were created, made up of a rifle paltoon strengthened with HMG sections, 82 mm sections, pioneers and tank hunters. Assault groups no. 2, 4 and 6 received each in support two tanks (Dumitru was with no. 6). The rest received instead 45 mm AT guns sections.

The tank regiment din not sustain any losses during the attack and the casualties of the 409th Division seem to have been light. The only serious obstacle lt. Dumitru mentions were two AT guns he took out in cooperation with the tank commanded by his close friend plut. Cojocaru.

At the of the day, the 2nd Tank Regiment was cited for the third time by the Soviet High Command (Order of the Day no. 330/04.04.1945).
Last edited by Victor on 13 Feb 2005, 19:35, edited 1 time in total.

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Benoit Douville
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#35

Post by Benoit Douville » 13 Feb 2005, 19:09

Victor,

I wonder why Erickson forgot to mentioned the Romanian 2nd Tank Regiment?

Regards

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KACKO
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Re: Borders

#36

Post by KACKO » 26 May 2005, 16:50

[quote="gabriel pagliarani"][quote="Victor"][quote="gabriel pagliarani"] Coming from Kosice Mesto towards Ukrainian border, after about 50 km ...[/quote]

By looking at the map I noticed that the Dukla Pass is on the border with Poland (altitude 502 m), not the Ukraine.

Anyway I am also interested to know more about this battle, since it took place close to the area of operations of the Romanian armies in late 1944 and early 1945. The high number of casualties can be easily explained by the difficult terrain in that part of Slovakia, which favors a determined defense.[/quote]

The site I have seen and the tanks That I touched were between Uzgorod (UKR)and Kosice (SK). But the site I have seen was quite different from the photos above sticked: the main road passed thru dense forests on flat hills. The problem is that I have no confidence with Slovak road-plates and I don't speak Slovnik. :oops: But, if I am not completely mad, another battlefield had to be southern respect with Dukla Pass, as consequence! I have touched a T-34 and a tank "turretless"
rusting one right-side the road, the other left-side.[/quote]

Gabriel , If the tanks you saw were app. 50 km from town of Kosice on your route to Uzhorod(SK name) -Uzgorod, that mean only one thing.
You'e seen Dargov pass, where was heavy figting during winter 1944. There is tank T-34 and "turretless" tank is russian SU-85. From eastern side of the Dargov pass is village Dargov, which was burned down by germans in 26th November 1944. 1. czechoslovak corps in Soviet union took part in battle for Dargov pass in the end of 1944.

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KACKO
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#37

Post by KACKO » 26 May 2005, 20:43

1st Czechoslovak Fighter Regiment had czech and slovak pilots. Slovak pilots were deserters from 13 Staffel slowakei of JG 52.
They operated from field airport Zolna and from airport Try Duby. From airport Tri duby also flight rest of former Slovak air force. Pilot Cyprich shot down with his Avia B-534 Hungarian Ju-52. It was last bi plane victory in wwII.

Assasination of Heydrich, one of the attackers was Slovak Jozef Gabcik. He fled Slovakia in 1939 and joined Czechoslovak army in France and later in England.

Slovakia indeed attacked Poland together with Germeny, but in 1938, after Munich crisis, when Germeny took part of Czech Sudetland, Poland and Hungary joined Germany and got part of Czechoslovakia too. So, who was first aggressor?
At least, I can understand Hungarians, there were around 500 000 Hungarians in Slovakia, but in part of Slovakia Poland took people thought about themself that they are Slovaks.

I am sorry, I made mistake, "turettless" tank at Dargov Pass isn't SU-85, it's tank destroyer SU-100.

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Re: Battle in Slovakia

#38

Post by welsh bri » 23 Aug 2016, 02:11

hi a bit late to jump in this thread but I've just come back from visiting Dukla didn't get chance to see the museum in svidnik but a amazing place which is worth a visit

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Re: Battle in Slovakia

#39

Post by georgica » 07 Jan 2017, 02:53

My father was listed in 1-st Army and fought in Cheko-Slovakia a very vicious battle where he lost the Identification tube necklace. Because this was found on the battle field He was presumed dead and MIA status was send to his family in Romania.
Short after that he fell prisoner to Germans and while he was in prison camp , a memorial stone was placed there with all the fallen soldiers and among them is also my father name.
My father was released from camp by Americans and surprized all home that he was still alive.
In his return home journey he stopped and saw the memorial monument with his name there. This is in middle of nowhere he said and hard to find.
Myself , I would like to find and see this monument and take photo ! but how i go about since Chekoslovakia is split now in 2 countries?? and where this monument is now?? How to find it?
Anybody's ideas here?? Greatly appreciated.

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KACKO
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Re: Battle in Slovakia

#40

Post by KACKO » 27 Jan 2017, 17:54

georgica wrote:My father was listed in 1-st Army and fought in Cheko-Slovakia a very vicious battle where he lost the Identification tube necklace. Because this was found on the battle field He was presumed dead and MIA status was send to his family in Romania.
Short after that he fell prisoner to Germans and while he was in prison camp , a memorial stone was placed there with all the fallen soldiers and among them is also my father name.
My father was released from camp by Americans and surprized all home that he was still alive.
In his return home journey he stopped and saw the memorial monument with his name there. This is in middle of nowhere he said and hard to find.
Myself , I would like to find and see this monument and take photo ! but how i go about since Chekoslovakia is split now in 2 countries?? and where this monument is now?? How to find it?
Anybody's ideas here?? Greatly appreciated.
Do you know date when your father was captured? App. up to April 1945 Romanians fighting in Czechoslovakia were mostly on Slovak territory. Most of Romanian casualties happened on Slovak territory.
I believe I had book about Romanian memorials in Czechoslovakia but I am not sure I will be able to locate it.

Here is picture of one of biggest memorials built to Romanian KIA
http://zvolen.virtualne.sk/pamatnik-na- ... ml?idf=915

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KACKO
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Re: Battle in Slovakia

#41

Post by KACKO » 27 Jan 2017, 17:59

However Military Cemeteries of Romania soldiers were after war centralized. Biggest in Slovakia is Zvolen, where 10 500 Romanian KIA were laid down. There is Slovak web page which got if information available names of military personnel from WWI and WWII buried on territory of Slovakia. Unfortunately can't post link now.

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Re: Battle in Slovakia

#42

Post by georgica » 27 Jan 2017, 22:47

Great info KACKO , Thanks .

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KACKO
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Re: Battle in Slovakia

#43

Post by KACKO » 28 Jan 2017, 00:09

georgica wrote:Great info KACKO , Thanks .
No problem. If you want to sent me name of your father and date when he was captured through PM, I can try to browse through some Slovak sites for you.

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Re: Battle in Slovakia

#44

Post by georgica » 28 Jan 2017, 16:17

Name: Nicolae Borcean , rank : soldat infantry division .Not sure when captured, fall 1944 ? or spring 1945 ?

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KACKO
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Re: Battle in Slovakia

#45

Post by KACKO » 28 Jan 2017, 19:53

georgica wrote:Name: Nicolae Borcean , rank : soldat infantry division .Not sure when captured, fall 1944 ? or spring 1945 ?
Either they figure out what happened and the name is not listed or there was mistake with spelling of the name.

I found database with known names of soldiers buried on territory of Slovakia (war graves)
http://www.vs.sk/uevh/obet_detail.aspx?ID=114556

There is name Borceanu listed, KIA in Silicka Jablonica close to Roznava. But Roznava was taken by troops of Romania 4th Army.
I found Romanian pdf booklet about Romanian death during liberation of Czechoslovakia in my computer I downloaded years ago. Text is both in Romanian and English. There are some pictures of memorials from various Slovak and Czech towns and villages. If interested, PM me your e-mail and I will sent it.

1/3 of Slovakia was liberated by Romanian soldiers. Romanian casualties on territory of Slovakia reached 65 000, of these over 11 000 were killed. Most of them were laid to centralized Romanian war Cemetery in Zvolen.

Do you know division in which your father served?
1st army consisted of 2nd and 3rd Mountain D, 9 cavalry, 1st, 19th and 21st.
But that's probably about it I can find.

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