Otakar Yarosh is the first foreign commander awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Otakar Frantsevich Yarosh was born on August 1, 1912. He participated in the liberation of the Czech Republic from the Nazi invaders. In 1943, during the defense of the village of Sokolovo, he was hit by a burst of tank machine guns. A month later, he was awarded the title of Hero of the USSR.
Hero Biography
Otakar Jarosz was born and raised in the small Czech city of Luneh, located in the northwestern part of the country. His parents are simple workers. The father of the future hero, Franz Yarosh, worked as a train driver.
Otakar was the second child in the family. In total, the family of the future hero had 5 children.
When the boy was 11 years old, the Yarosh family moved to the city of Melnik. It was located 40 kilometers from the Czech capital, Prague.
Otakar's mother, Anna, tried from early childhood to instill a love of reading for her children. And she did it. Otakar was a true book lover. He was well acquainted with the work of such great Russian poets and writers as A.S. Pushkin, A.P. Chekhov, L.N. Tolstoy. The young man loved to spend time reading historical and patriotic literature, and also loved adventures.
Another passion of the young man was sports. He was engaged in boxing and gymnastics, was a good goalkeeper in the local football team, was an excellent swimmer. In addition, Otakar played great chess. Perhaps it was these skills that helped the young man become successful in military affairs.
He received his education in Prague, having graduated from the local Electrotechnical College. In 1933, immediately after graduating from a technical school, the young man decided to continue his education, choosing a military direction, and entered the Trnava Junior Officer School, located in western Slovakia. After graduation, in 1937, he continued to receive military education, enrolling in a school in Hranice - a city located in Northern Moravia.
When troops of Nazi Germany seized his homeland in 1939, Otakar had to illegally emigrate to Poland. Later, when German troops occupied Poland, he was sent along with Czechoslovak soldiers to the Soviet Union.
Military career
The young man entered the army in 1934. By that time, he was already receiving a military education at the school of non-commissioned officers. Otakar was assigned to the 17th Infantry Regiment. After graduating from the Trnava Military School, Otakar was given the rank of lieutenant, and he was transferred to serve in the 4th communications battalion.
He was a true patriot, and when in 1938, as a result of the so-called "Munich conspiracy", Czechoslovakia was surrendered to Germany, he was very worried about this. His comrades recalled, he bitterly said that Czechoslovakia was surrendered to the Nazis without a single shot.
Not wanting to put up with the plight of his homeland, Yarosh illegally crossed the Polish border. There he joined the Czechoslovak Legion of Poland, formed from Czechoslovak soldiers and volunteers who entered into an active struggle with the troops of the invaders. In 1939, Poland was conquered by German troops, and the Czechoslovak Legion, led by Ludwig Svoboda (Czechoslovak military and statesman, Hero of the USSR, Hero of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and People’s Hero of Yugoslavia), crossed the USSR border.
In 1941, under an agreement between Czechoslovakia and the USSR, the Czechoslovak army was formed on Soviet territory, one of the officers of which was Otakar Jarosz.
Hero's feat
According to eyewitnesses, the company headed by Otakar Yarosh was considered one of the most prepared. Under the command of Lieutenant Yarosh, the military learned to master weapons, to overcome obstacles of various difficulty levels. At the same time, they did it in the snow, and in the rain, and in severe frosts.
So they were able to force the Samara River and overcome the Ataman Mountains. It is known that during the assault there were severe frosts, and Otakar Yarosh froze his toes freeze, which prevented him from moving.
In January 1943, the Czechoslovak battalion was sent by train to the West.
March 8, 1943 a company of soldiers, under the command of Otakar Yarosh, took an unequal battle with the forces of Nazi Germany. The battle took place near the village of Sokolovo.
In the afternoon, at about 13 hours, 60 German tanks and several armored personnel carriers attacked the village. During a clash with enemy troops, the company of Otakar Yarosh managed to defeat 13 tanks and 6 armored personnel carriers. Otakar himself was wounded twice, but did not stop fighting.
According to eyewitnesses, while an enemy tank broke through, Yarosh grabbed a bunch of grenades and asked for it. He was killed by a machine gun burst, but managed to make sure that an erupted tank exploded.
After the battle, Otakar Yarosh was posthumously awarded the rank of captain.
April 17, 1943 he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Otakar Yarosh was awarded other awards: the Order of Lenin and the Order of the White Lion "For Victory" 1st degree in the Czech Republic.
