Defence of the Nation

The military resistance organisation called Obrana národa (Defence of the Nation) was founded immediately after the proclamation of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and, from the beginning, it was built as a military resistance organisation that basically copied the scheme of the pre-Munich army. The central command was subordinated to the provincial commands for Bohemia and Moravia (later also for Greater Prague), which then built regional commands, which, in turn, formed district and local units. Generals Sergej Vojcechovský, Josef Bílý, Alois Eliáš, Hugo Vojta and Sergej Ingr were the first ones to organize the military resistance. The basic concept of the organization's activity was the preparation of an uprising with the assumption of the early fall of Germany. By the end of August, Obrana národa already had a solid structure, although it was disturbed by the departure of soldiers abroad. However, the group underestimated the conspiratorial component of its activities and was essentially dispersed by the Gestapo in two waves in the autumn of 1939 and February 1940.

In the following period, General Bedřich Homola was the commander-in-chief of Obrana národa, but it was not possible to restore the organisation in its original structure. After the assassination of R. Heydrich, the second set was also eliminated. Subsequently, the command was taken over by General Zdeněk Novák, but he too was arrested by the Gestapo. At the end of the war, General František Slunečko formed the Alex resistance group, which actively participated in the May Uprising.