Defence of the Nation in the Ostrava Region

Obrana národa also had its regional headquarters in Ostrava. Its commander was Lt. Col. Edmund Klimek. After the occupation, the main task of the organisation was to transfer former members of the Czechoslovak Army to Poland, as well as to provide intelligence information and weapons. In spring, Lt. Col. Klimek established contact with the consulate in Krakow, where he sent reports on the situation in the region, which were then passed on to London. In August 1939, Klimek resigned from the command and was succeeded by Staff Captain Ladislav Mácha. Klimek was arrested by the Gestapo on November 23, 1939, and sentenced to death, which was carried out on September 24, 1942, in Plötzensee.