Commemorative ceremony in tribute to US and UK victims of Slovak National Uprising
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- Date: 15.06.2020
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State Secretary of the SVK Ministry of Defence Marian Majer along with US Ambassador Bridget Brink, UK Deputy Head of Mission Andrew Wells, and representatives of the SVK Armed Forces and the Diplomatic Corps attended a commemorative ceremony at the US and UK Slovak National Uprising (SNP) Victims Memorial in the village of Polomka and paid their respects and homage to the victims of the United States of America and the United Kingdom who lost their lives in liberating Slovakia in the SNP during WW2.
Speaking on the occasion, State Secretary Marian Majer said: “We must never forget the legacy of the heroes who laid down their lives for us in the fight against the Nazi regime. Although we live in peacetime, the global COVID-19 pandemic has shown how volatile peace and prosperity, which we have become so accustomed to since the hard times of the Second World War, can be.” At the same time, he expressed his conviction that the dedication of the SNP heroes to the fight for a better future can be an encouragement in relation to the current deployment of Armed Forces personnel on missions and operations abroad, all working towards one common objective – to maintain peace and order in the world.
During the SNP, allied military missions were sent to insurgent territory in order to execute special tasks. Alongside the Soviet Military Mission, members of the US Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and the UK Special Operations Executive (SOE) operated in Slovakia. Both OSS and SOE teams were transported to Tri Duby (Three Oaks) Airfield in September 1944. Subsequently, they executed missions alongside the intelligence units of the 1st Czechoslovak Army in Slovakia.
The US OSS and UK SOE teams were captured by Abwehrgruppe 218, a Nazi anti-partisan unit, in the mountains just above the village of Polomka on 26 December 1944. They were transported to the Mathausen concentration camp, where after tough interrogations they were executed on 24 January 1945.
Speaking on the occasion, State Secretary Marian Majer said: “We must never forget the legacy of the heroes who laid down their lives for us in the fight against the Nazi regime. Although we live in peacetime, the global COVID-19 pandemic has shown how volatile peace and prosperity, which we have become so accustomed to since the hard times of the Second World War, can be.” At the same time, he expressed his conviction that the dedication of the SNP heroes to the fight for a better future can be an encouragement in relation to the current deployment of Armed Forces personnel on missions and operations abroad, all working towards one common objective – to maintain peace and order in the world.
During the SNP, allied military missions were sent to insurgent territory in order to execute special tasks. Alongside the Soviet Military Mission, members of the US Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and the UK Special Operations Executive (SOE) operated in Slovakia. Both OSS and SOE teams were transported to Tri Duby (Three Oaks) Airfield in September 1944. Subsequently, they executed missions alongside the intelligence units of the 1st Czechoslovak Army in Slovakia.
The US OSS and UK SOE teams were captured by Abwehrgruppe 218, a Nazi anti-partisan unit, in the mountains just above the village of Polomka on 26 December 1944. They were transported to the Mathausen concentration camp, where after tough interrogations they were executed on 24 January 1945.
