The State Defence Guard was established by Government Decree No. 270 Coll., On the State Defence Guard, of 23 October 1936. The task of the SOS units was to protect the inviolability and integrity of the state borders, together with the protection of public order, peace and security. Its actual activation did not take place until the night of 20-21 May 1938. As of 24 September 1938, a total of 29,611 persons were serving with it, of whom 16,582 were members of the Czechoslovak Army. The army (the so-called military reinforcements), 4,917 gendarmes, 1,674 members of the state police and 6,438 members of the financial guard. From the beginning of September 1938 to 15 January 1939, 262 members of the SOS were killed or died, another 316 were wounded, and 2,029 were deported to Germany. At the end of its existence, it was still involved in the fighting during the Hungarian occupation of Subcarpathian Rus and eastern Slovakia.
In South Moravia, the battalions were based in Hodonín, Znojmo, and Moravské Budějovice. The battalions' districts were the administrative districts of the Dačice - Jihlava - Moravské Budějovice, Moravský Krumlov - Znojmo, Hustopeče - Mikulov - Hodonín district offices. The headquarters from Znojmo, after the withdrawal of the border area, was located in Brno from 10 October 1938. The lower units were companies, platoons and squads. The headquarters of the company commanders were mostly located at the gendarmerie stations or at the financial guard departments, the platoon commanders were in the field. In September and October 1938, at a time of increased threat to the Republic, their members participated in securing the territorial integrity and state sovereignty of Czechoslovakia. During the crisis, SOS units were subordinated to local military commands. In the case of South Moravia, this was a higher division-type unit called Border Area 38, which protected the so-called Border Zone XIV, extending from the Morava River to the border between Bohemia and Moravia, with its command post in Brno.
On 7 September, 7 suspected spies were arrested in the Šatov region and a radio station was confiscated; on 17 September, two arms depots were discovered in Březí and on 23 September in Dolní Věstonice. Illegal escapes of Germans to Austria were increasing, so the SOS members performed mainly patrol and intelligence service. From 20 September onwards, the first serious armed raids on SOS posts in the South Moravian border area, mainly customs houses, took place. On 20 September, the customs office in Hnánice was shelled. On the night of 21-22 September, the customs office in Úvaly u Valtice (Rajsna) was attacked. The most significant South Moravian incident took place at the customs office in Hnánice in the Znojmo region, when on 22 September 300 insurgents attacked the customs office. The fighting gradually spread and German troops penetrated the village on the night of 26 September. The SOS troops drove the insurgents out the following day, but the customs office was occupied until the withdrawal of the border area on 3 October 1938. Another clash occurred on 26 September in Jaroslavice, when in a two-hour firefight the insurgents advanced to the very edge of the village but were pushed back to the border. The South Moravian border area was occupied during 8-9 October. The SOS units left their positions only after the army had left the border line. The incident took place on 8 October 1938 in Mikulov. After the arrival of the German army, the Ordners and civilians attacked the SOS members who were waiting in buses to leave for the interior. Incidents involving casualties occurred all along the demarcation line later in October 1938. The deployment of SOS units in South Moravia was terminated on 26 November 1938, when their standby was cancelled.
In the Hodonín, Znojmo and Mor. Budejovice, 15 men from the SOS units were wounded and five were killed:
Znojmo Battalion section: Lt. Chlup, fin. resp. Gerš, fin. resp. Hillík and 1 private (killed during the ambush of the customs house in Hnánice), Šatov - Augustin Fučík (severe gunshot wound to the arm), Havraníky - Rudolf Obořil (severe wound to the right side), Šatov - Jindřich Bláha (cut wound to the head), Vysočany - Ludvík Valenta (wounded by a shrapnel)
Battalion section Moravské Budějovice: Nové Syrovice - František Heneš (severely wounded in the head while defending a brawl), Jevišovice - Vladimír Zásměta (shot on the demarcation line)
Hodonín Battalion section: Mikulov - wounded, beaten and detained František Brhel, Jan Tindeisek, Alois Marušák, Karel Kosina, Jan Otáhal, Alois Páral, Karel Schoman, Luis Nissel, Bedřich Mährischel (the last two members of RW Mikulov, German anti-fascists, captured and imprisoned in a concentration camp for the whole period of 2SV).
The slogan "Members of the SOS, the Fatherland will never forget you" was printed in the newspapers of the time. The leaders of the Fatherland and their followers, which the members of the SOS defended from May to November 1938 with the devotion of their lives, did not keep their word. After 15 March, many of them had their lives on the line again, as they were imprisoned in concentration camps for their activities in the SOS units. After 1948 for their views again. In 1938, however, they were united in their determination to defend their country.
I believe that in many ways these SOS members could be called the forerunners of the current Active Reserves of the Army of the Czech Republic, with whom they share many common features. Although these SOS units have been forgotten in the past, they must be considered an integral part of our nation's military traditions and should not be just because of military history clubs, but primarily because of the Army.
In South Moravia, the battalions were based in Hodonín, Znojmo, and Moravské Budějovice. The battalions' districts were the administrative districts of the Dačice - Jihlava - Moravské Budějovice, Moravský Krumlov - Znojmo, Hustopeče - Mikulov - Hodonín district offices. The headquarters from Znojmo, after the withdrawal of the border area, was located in Brno from 10 October 1938. The lower units were companies, platoons and squads. The headquarters of the company commanders were mostly located at the gendarmerie stations or at the financial guard departments, the platoon commanders were in the field. In September and October 1938, at a time of increased threat to the Republic, their members participated in securing the territorial integrity and state sovereignty of Czechoslovakia. During the crisis, SOS units were subordinated to local military commands. In the case of South Moravia, this was a higher division-type unit called Border Area 38, which protected the so-called Border Zone XIV, extending from the Morava River to the border between Bohemia and Moravia, with its command post in Brno.
On 7 September, 7 suspected spies were arrested in the Šatov region and a radio station was confiscated; on 17 September, two arms depots were discovered in Březí and on 23 September in Dolní Věstonice. Illegal escapes of Germans to Austria were increasing, so the SOS members performed mainly patrol and intelligence service. From 20 September onwards, the first serious armed raids on SOS posts in the South Moravian border area, mainly customs houses, took place. On 20 September, the customs office in Hnánice was shelled. On the night of 21-22 September, the customs office in Úvaly u Valtice (Rajsna) was attacked. The most significant South Moravian incident took place at the customs office in Hnánice in the Znojmo region, when on 22 September 300 insurgents attacked the customs office. The fighting gradually spread and German troops penetrated the village on the night of 26 September. The SOS troops drove the insurgents out the following day, but the customs office was occupied until the withdrawal of the border area on 3 October 1938. Another clash occurred on 26 September in Jaroslavice, when in a two-hour firefight the insurgents advanced to the very edge of the village but were pushed back to the border. The South Moravian border area was occupied during 8-9 October. The SOS units left their positions only after the army had left the border line. The incident took place on 8 October 1938 in Mikulov. After the arrival of the German army, the Ordners and civilians attacked the SOS members who were waiting in buses to leave for the interior. Incidents involving casualties occurred all along the demarcation line later in October 1938. The deployment of SOS units in South Moravia was terminated on 26 November 1938, when their standby was cancelled.
In the Hodonín, Znojmo and Mor. Budejovice, 15 men from the SOS units were wounded and five were killed:
Znojmo Battalion section: Lt. Chlup, fin. resp. Gerš, fin. resp. Hillík and 1 private (killed during the ambush of the customs house in Hnánice), Šatov - Augustin Fučík (severe gunshot wound to the arm), Havraníky - Rudolf Obořil (severe wound to the right side), Šatov - Jindřich Bláha (cut wound to the head), Vysočany - Ludvík Valenta (wounded by a shrapnel)
Battalion section Moravské Budějovice: Nové Syrovice - František Heneš (severely wounded in the head while defending a brawl), Jevišovice - Vladimír Zásměta (shot on the demarcation line)
Hodonín Battalion section: Mikulov - wounded, beaten and detained František Brhel, Jan Tindeisek, Alois Marušák, Karel Kosina, Jan Otáhal, Alois Páral, Karel Schoman, Luis Nissel, Bedřich Mährischel (the last two members of RW Mikulov, German anti-fascists, captured and imprisoned in a concentration camp for the whole period of 2SV).
The slogan "Members of the SOS, the Fatherland will never forget you" was printed in the newspapers of the time. The leaders of the Fatherland and their followers, which the members of the SOS defended from May to November 1938 with the devotion of their lives, did not keep their word. After 15 March, many of them had their lives on the line again, as they were imprisoned in concentration camps for their activities in the SOS units. After 1948 for their views again. In 1938, however, they were united in their determination to defend their country.
I believe that in many ways these SOS members could be called the forerunners of the current Active Reserves of the Army of the Czech Republic, with whom they share many common features. Although these SOS units have been forgotten in the past, they must be considered an integral part of our nation's military traditions and should not be just because of military history clubs, but primarily because of the Army.
