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{{Short description|Czechoslovak infantry battalion in the Second World War}}
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name=Czechoslovak 11th Infantry Battalion – East
|image=
|caption=
|dates= [[World War II]]
|country= [[Czechoslovak government-in-exile|Czechoslovakia]]
|allegiance=
|branch= [[Czechoslovak Army|Army]]
|type= [[Infantry]]
|role=
|size=
|command_structure=
|current_commander=
|garrison=
|ceremonial_chief=
|colonel_of_the_regiment= Lt-Col [[Karel Klapálek]], [[Distinguished Service Order|DSO]]
|nickname=
|patron=
|motto=
|colors=
|march=
|mascot=
|battles= [[Syria–Lebanon Campaign]],<br>[[Siege of Tobruk]]
|notable_commanders= Lt-Col Karel Klapálek, DSO
|anniversaries=
}}

The '''Czechoslovak 11th Infantry Battalion – East''' ({{lang-cs|'''11. československý pěší prapor — Východní'''}}) was a [[Czechoslovak Army|Czechoslovak]] [[infantry]] [[battalion]] in the [[World War II|Second World War]]. It served under the British [[Middle East Command]] in the [[Mediterranean and Middle East Theatre]].

==History==
[[File:Czech.Soldier.WW2.jpg|thumb|upright|Sgt Emil Toman, a volunteer in the 11th Infantry Battalion]]
Several thousand Czechoslovak soldiers served in the [[Battle of France]]. 206 Czechoslovak Army volunteers were in [[Beirut]], [[Greater Lebanon|Lebanon]], waiting to be posted to join the Czechoslovak 1st Infantry Division in France when [[Armistice of 22 June 1940|France capitulated]] to [[Nazi Germany]]. [[Vichy France]] could have interned the men and surrendered them to the German military authorities, had not the Czechoslovak Consul-General in [[Jerusalem]] secured visas for them to move to [[Mandatory Palestine]].<ref name=NašeNoviny>{{cite web |url= http://www.nasenoviny.com/FreeArmyMidEastEN.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070911020143/http://www.nasenoviny.com/FreeArmyMidEastEN.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= 2007-09-11 |title=The Free Czechoslovak Army, Czechoslovak soldiers in north Africa & Middle East |work=Naše Noviny}}</ref>

The Czechoslovaks were housed in a camp at [[Al-Sumayriyya]] north of [[Acre, Israel|Acre]]. Further arrivals increased the group to 280 and it was formed into the 4th Infantry Regiment as part of the Czechoslovak 1st Infantry Division. The regiment was then transferred south to a camp at [[Gedera]] near [[Tel Aviv]] to be armed and trained.<ref name=NašeNoviny/> On 1 October 1940 at Gedera the regiment was reconstituted as the 11th Infantry Battalion.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.rothwell.force9.co.uk/11th.htm |last=Rothwell |first=Steve |title=Czechoslovak Bn No 11 |work=British & Commonwealth Orders of Battle |date=22 October 2017 |access-date=26 January 2022}}</ref> Lt-Col [[Karel Klapálek]] was appointed commanding officer.<ref name=NašeNoviny/>

In December 1940 the battalion received acclimatization training and then was posted to [[Kingdom of Egypt|Egypt]], where it was assigned guard duty at camps first at [[Sidi Bishr]] and then at [[Agami]]. On 30 May it was put under the command of the British [[23rd Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|23rd Infantry Brigade]] and posted to [[Sidi Haneish Airfield|Sidi Haneish]] near [[Mersa Matruh]].<ref name=NašeNoviny/>

In June and July 1941 the 23rd Infantry Brigade, including the Czechoslovak 11th Infantry Battalion, fought in the [[Syria–Lebanon Campaign|Allied invasion of Syria and Lebanon]]. In August the battalion was stationed on Syria's border with Turkey.{{sfn|Stehlík|2009|p=46}}

[[File:Czech 11thBattalion Tobruk 1941.jpg|thumb|Members of the 11th Infantry Battalion in the [[Siege of Tobruk]] in 1941]]
In August 1941 the [[Czechoslovak government-in-exile]] asked for the 11th Battalion to be moved to Britain to be united with Czechoslovak forces there. The British military authorities refused,<ref name=NašeNoviny/> and instead on 6 October 1941 transferred the battalion from the 23rd Infantry Brigade to the [[Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade]], which was [[Siege of Tobruk|besieged in Tobruk]] in [[Italian Libya|Libya]].{{sfn|Stehlík|2009|p=46}} The battalion served at Tobruk for 158 days, including 51 in combat.<ref name=NašeNoviny/>

At the end of December 1941 the battalion was withdrawn to the rear and transferred to the [[38th Indian Infantry Brigade]].<ref name=NašeNoviny/> In April 1942 the battalion was returned to Palestine and in May it was reorganised as the 200th Czechoslovak Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment,<ref name=NašeNoviny/> with Karel Klapálek continuing as its commander.{{sfn|Stehlík|2009|p=47}}

==In popular culture==
The 2008 Czech film ''[[Tobruk (2008 film)|Tobruk]]'' portrays a Czechoslovak battalion in the Siege of Tobruk in 1941. The film won a [[Czech Lion Awards|Czech Lion Award]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book |last=Stehlík |first=Eduard |year=2009 |title=The Heart of the Army, General Staff 1919–2009 |place=Prague |publisher=[[Ministry of Defence (Czech Republic)|Ministerstvo obrany České republiky]] |isbn=978-80-7278-516-2 }}

==External links==
*{{cite web |url= http://hartmann.valka.cz/udalostiww2/czwestcp/strvych/index.htm |last=Hartmann |first=Erich |title=Československý odboj na Středním Východě a v Africe |work=Valka |language=cs}}

{{Czechoslovakia in World War Two}}

[[Category:Military units and formations of Czechoslovakia in World War II]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1941]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1940]]
[[Category:Western Desert campaign]]
[[Category:Expatriate units and formations of Czechoslovakia]]

Czechoslovak 11th Infantry Battalion - Revision history

Bot at 03:44, 14 February 2022