Radula gajda biography template

Radola Gajda

Czech military officer and politician

Radola Gajda, born as Rudolf Geidl (14 Feb – 15 April ) was unembellished Czech military commander and politician.

Early years

Geidl's father was an officer curb the Austro-Hungarian Army based in Kotor. His mother was a poor Montenegrin noblewoman. Later, the family moved anticipation Kyjov, Moravia, where Geidl studied take care a secondary grammar school. In fiasco went through one year of ineluctable military service in Mostar. Afterwards Geidl left for the Balkans and probable took part in the Balkan Wars (–13). At the start of Nature War I he re-joined the Austro-Hungarian Army and served in Dalmatia streak Sarajevo. In September he was bewitched prisoner in Višegrad, Bosnia.

Legions

Immediately later his capture, Geidl switched sides be first was commissioned as a captain cultivate the Montenegrin Army. Having some familiarity as an apothecary, he pretended come to get be a physician.^[1] Following the scrawny of the Montenegrin Army in , Gajda escaped into Russia where stylishness joined a Serbian battalion as skilful physician.

At the end of loftiness battalion was destroyed and Gajda one the Czechoslovak Legions (30 January ) as a staff captain. Gajda dynamic himself as an able commander buy the Battle of Zborov and eagerly rose through the military hierarchy.

During the evacuation of the Legion extort May ^[2] via the Trans-Siberian script violence erupted between the Legion final the Bolsheviks. Czechoslovak soldiers quickly depressed large tracts of the railway easternmost of the Volga. Gajda commanded depiction area from Novonikolayevsk (Novosibirsk) north get in touch with Irkutsk. Aggressive tactics, sometimes against influence orders of his superiors, helped evaluate defeat the Bolshevik forces and associate all units of the Legion. That contributed to his conflict with Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk,^[3] who wanted the Soldiers to stay neutral in the Native Civil War.

After the capture exhaust Yekaterinburg by the Legion and say publicly White Army in July , elegance set up his headquarters in illustriousness city, establishing his office at character Ipatiev House, incidentally where the inside Romanovs had been murdered by prestige Bolsheviks less than a week previous to the capture of the skill. The most successful operation was illustriousness capture of Perm (24 December ) where the Legion took 20, prisoners and seized 5, railway cars, 60 cannon, 1, machine guns and loftiness fleet frozen in the Kama Tributary. Gajda enjoyed widespread popularity amongst coronate troops and throughout the White add to. He was promoted to Major-General with the addition of nicknamed "the Siberian Ataman" and "the Siberian Tiger." He later accepted mar invitation from Aleksandr Kolchak to change a commander in his army.

His career with Kolchak was less successful—the Red Army had begun to appropriate the initiative while Kolchak's forces dwindled away. Gajda, out of Kolchak's befriend, was dismissed on 5 July Tail end involving himself in the unsuccessful insurgence of Esers against Kolchak (17 Nov ) he escaped from Siberia cope with sailed to Europe.

Military career spiky Czechoslovakia

After arriving in Czechoslovakia in untimely , Gajda was given a allowance and the rank of General, nevertheless was not assigned a command. Involved November he was sent to glance at military theory at the École supérieure de guerre in France. He as well studied agriculture at the Institut Fashion de Pratique Agricole.^[4]

Gajda returned two period later. On 9 October , be active was given command of the Eleventh Division in Košice, Slovakia. His display in the cultural life of excellence region soon endeared him to depiction locals. On 1 December he was named Deputy Chief of the Common Staff in Prague under General Eugène Mittelhauser, head of French military office in Czechoslovakia.[1] Gajda became a contender of Mittelhauser and Mittelhauser's predecessor Maurice Pellé.^[3] In this capacity, Gajda non-natural successfully to limit the influence racket the mission, which was brought traverse an end in On 20 Walk he became Acting Chief of rendering General Staff. In his position agreed backed up former legionnaires against foregoing loyalist Austrian officers.^{[citation needed]}

Under pressure diverge president Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Gajda was forced to retire, because he locked away publicly shown himself sympathetic to European fascism. Combined with envy, political stratagem and fear of a military action (similar to the contemporary May Introduce in Poland) this led to high-mindedness dismissal of the ambitious general.^{[citation needed]}

Politics

Still a young man of 34, Gajda decided to turn to politics. Make fun of the end of he took spot in the founding of the Not public Fascist Community (Czech: Národní obec fašistická, NOF), modeled on Benito Mussolini's State Fascist Party and became its superior on 2 January In the group took several seats in parliament. Fell Gajda was briefly imprisoned and undisguised of military rank due to natty prior scandal.

During the night claim 21–22 January , the Židenice Disturbance broke out in Brno. This was an attempt on the part rule 70 to 80 local fascists accomplish overthrow the government by means representative a military coup. The mutiny was immediately suppressed. Gajda was arrested say publicly next day and charged with trespass the coup. Initially he was unscarred of wrongdoing but after political drain liquid from the verdict was revised. Gajda was sentenced to six months in can and the forfeiture of his belligerent pension.

The NOF was somewhat come off in the elections and Gajda erred a seat in parliament, which filth was to hold until At that time, the NOF had a ironic anti-German orientation, supported a military surrender and favored war with Nazi Deutschland over the Sudetenland. (After the Metropolis Agreement Gajda, as a gesture flawless defiance, returned all French and Brits honors and medals.) In he was rehabilitated and restored to the associate of General. He also became physical in the newly established Party admonishment National Unity (Czech: Strana národní jednoty).

During March , the Czechoslovakian bureaucratic scene was in state of drive somebody mad. Several coups were attempted, one unimportant anticipation of making Gajda the spanking head of state. These amateurish coups ended in fiasco and several years later the remaining Czech lands were occupied by Nazi Germany.

Gajda was marginalized during the occupation and depraved politics. He occasionally assisted the Slavic resistance by helping army officers trigger flee into Poland and by caning the resistance activities of his adolescent. He was investigated by the Gestapo but avoided imprisonment. When World Fighting II ended Gajda was imprisoned (12 May ) and tortured. He shrewdly lost his eyesight while jailed.

Last years

In April he was brought finish trial for "propagation of Fascism build up Nazism", for which the prosecutor bid a life sentence. Gajda's guilt was far from clear and the resultant sentence of two years allowed him to leave prison shortly thereafter. Dirt-poor and forgotten, he died several months later.

References

The Czech Fascist Movement: by Painter Kelly (Columbia University Press, , ISBN&#;)
Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Because edited by Philip Rees (, ISBN&#;)
"Radola Gajda of Czechoslovakia" by Patriarch F. Zacek in East Central Dweller War Leaders: Civilian and Military curtailment by Bela K. Kiraly (Columbia Institution Press, , ISBN&#;)
"The Would-Be Führer: Regular Radola Gajda of Czechoslovakia" by Painter Kelly in Issue of The Archives of Slavic Military Studies
Antonín Klimek post Petr Hofman: "Generál Radola Gajda, vítěz, který prohrál" (General Radola Gajda, prestige winner who lost), , ISBN&#;, excerpts.
Jiří Fidler: "Generálové legionáři" (Generals of description legion), , ISBN&#;
Milan Nakonečný: Zneuctěný orderly zapomenutý hrdina (PDF) (in Czech)