Czech Btn in Tobruk

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Andy H
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Czech Btn in Tobruk

#1

Post by Andy H » 11 May 2003, 18:35

Looking for information concerning the Czechoslovakian unit that served during the Tobruk siege?

Andy

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#2

Post by daveh » 11 May 2003, 20:56

206 Czechs from were stranded in Beirut at the time of the French surrender. On June 29 they moved to a camp near Tel Aviv with British help. Here a Czech unit was formed and was originally designated the 4th Czechoslovak Infantry Regiment, under Col. J Kores. Its 1st battalion (1st - 4th co.) was commanded by Lt Col Klapalek.. It was commanded by Colonel Klapalek.

On 1/11/40 this Czech unit was designated Czech Infantry Battalion No. 11/east with 1st Inf, 2nd &3rd cadre, 4th officers co.

Feb 41 battalion moved to the Egpytian coast at Mersa Matruh.
15/6/41 advanced with 23 Inf Bde (4th Indian Div) into Libya as part of Operation Battleaxe

23 Inf Brigade including the Czechs shifted to Lebanon mid July 1941 as part of 6th Infantry Division

Garrison duties in Aleppo until October 14. After requests for a more active role it moved to Tobruk.

The Czech infantry battalion was one of the units that replaced the Australian 9th Division in Tobruk Other units were the British 70th Division and the Polish Carpathian Brigade. It arrived as part of Operation Cultivate (15th - 25th October).

It was now 785 men strong with 4 companies. It manned the western perimeter of Tobruk with the Poles.

10/12/41 seige lifted, Czech 2nd co. acts as XXX corps protection during advance to Antelate.

7/4/42 battalion returns to Palestine

22/5/42 becomes 200th Czechoslovakian Light AA Regiment -east, serving in Haifa and Beriral.

According to one source early in 1942 it suffered heavy losses in an air raid and was therefore pulled back in April.


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Andy H
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#3

Post by Andy H » 11 May 2003, 21:07

Thank you Dave

Andy

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Andy H
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#4

Post by Andy H » 13 Jun 2003, 00:13


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Jiri
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#5

Post by Jiri » 21 Jul 2006, 15:24

daveh wrote: 22/5/42 becomes 200th Czechoslovakian Light AA Regiment -east, serving in Haifa and Beriral.

According to one source early in 1942 it suffered heavy losses in an air raid and was therefore pulled back in April.
200th Czechoslovakian Light Anti Aircraft Regiment (Eastern) actually defended port of Haifa (it's 500th Bn) and Beirut (501st Bn) first, and later the regiment served as part of anti aircraft defense of Tobruk since december 1942 till june 12 1943, and then it was withdrawn to Egypt, and disbanded there, because of need of men to reinforce 1st Czechoslovakian independent infantry brigade in United Kingdom, which permanently suffered of manpower lack.

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#6

Post by Andy H » 21 Jul 2006, 15:37

Jiri wrote:
daveh wrote: 22/5/42 becomes 200th Czechoslovakian Light AA Regiment -east, serving in Haifa and Beriral.

According to one source early in 1942 it suffered heavy losses in an air raid and was therefore pulled back in April.
200th Czechoslovakian Light Anti Aircraft Regiment (Eastern) actually defended port of Haifa (it's 500th Bn) and Beirut (501st Bn) first, and later the regiment served as part of anti aircraft defense of Tobruk since december 1942 till june 12 1943, and then it was withdrawn to Egypt, and disbanded there, because of need of men to reinforce 1st Czechoslovakian independent infantry brigade in United Kingdom, which permanently suffered of manpower lack.
Hi Jiri

Was the 500th & 501st Btn's the only sub units of the 200th or were there others?

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Andy H

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Jiri
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#7

Post by Jiri » 21 Jul 2006, 16:29

Andy H wrote: Hi Jiri

Was the 500th & 501st Btn's the only sub units of the 200th or were there others?

Regards

Andy H
Hi Andy
The other sub-unit was 502nd Bn, but I don't know, what was 502nd Bn deployment during service of the regiment in Palestine and Lebanon. Jiri

Here's also link to brief article in english about Czechoslovak forces in the Middle East http://www.geocities.com/nasenoviny/Fre ... astEN.html and colonel Klapalek's biography http://www.geocities.com/nasenoviny/KKlapalekEN.html.

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#8

Post by Andy H » 21 Jul 2006, 16:53

Jiri wrote:
Andy H wrote: Hi Jiri

Was the 500th & 501st Btn's the only sub units of the 200th or were there others?

Regards

Andy H
Hi Andy
The other sub-unit was 502nd Bn, but I don't know, what was 502nd Bn deployment during service of the regiment in Palestine and Lebanon. Jiri

Here's also link to brief article in english about Czechoslovak forces in the Middle East http://www.geocities.com/nasenoviny/Fre ... astEN.html and colonel Klapalek's biography http://www.geocities.com/nasenoviny/KKlapalekEN.html.
Thanks for the added information and links.

Welcome to the AHF

Regards

Andy H

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#9

Post by KACKO » 26 Jul 2006, 23:08

It was unit of Czechoslovak army, so it was Czechoslovak battalion.

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Jiri
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#10

Post by Jiri » 02 May 2007, 13:36

daveh wrote: 22/5/42 becomes 200th Czechoslovakian Light AA Regiment -east, serving in Haifa and Beriral.

According to one source early in 1942 it suffered heavy losses in an air raid and was therefore pulled back in April.

I have recently found the book "U děla na středním východě" (At the gun in Middle East"), which is first unit history (published in 1944) and only casualties mentioned in this chronicle of the regiment is one soldier killed and three others wounded during German air raid on Tobruk on February 21 1943.


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David W
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Re: Czech Btn in Tobruk

#12

Post by David W » 29 Jan 2009, 12:18

An English translation would be great.

Some good photos.

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Re: Czech Btn in Tobruk

#13

Post by KACKO » 29 Jan 2009, 15:01

David W wrote:An English translation would be great.

Some good photos.
What exactly do you need to translate?

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David W
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Re: Czech Btn in Tobruk

#14

Post by David W » 29 Jan 2009, 16:12

The text on the site.

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IvanSR
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Re:

#15

Post by IvanSR » 29 Jan 2009, 16:39

KACKO wrote:It was unit of Czechoslovak army, so it was Czechoslovak battalion.
Yeah, part of the troops were of Slovak origin!

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