Their goal was to win the support of the Allied Powers for the independence of Lands of the Bohemian Crown from the Austrian Empire and of Slovak territories from the Kingdom of Hungary, which were then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. With the help of émigré intellectuals and politicians such as the Czech Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and the Slovak Milan Rastislav Štefánik, they grew into a force over 100,000 strong.
In Russia, they took part in several victorious battles of the war, including the Zborov and Bakhmach against the Central Powers, and were heavily involved in the Russian Civil War fighting Bolsheviks, at times controlling the entire Trans-Siberian railway and several major cities in Siberia.
In France, the Czechs and the Slovaks who wanted to fight Austria-Hungary were allowed to join the Foreign Legion, hence originated the term Legion for units of Czechoslovak volunteers. On 31 August 1914, the 1st Company of the 2nd Infantry Regiment of the Foreign Legion in Bayonne was created mostly of the Czechs and was nicknamed "rota Nazdar" ("Nazdar!" Company). The company distinguished itself in heavy combat during assaults near Arras on May 9 and June 16, 1915. Because of heavy casualties, the company was disbanded, and volunteers continued to fight in various French units.
In the summer of 1919, the beret was introduced as a uniform field headgear for the army of the new Czechoslovak Republic. The introduction of berets was an ingenious solution to quickly solve the need for significant differentiation of soldiers. Few headgears were so simple to manufacture. Commanders were to ensure that units that received berets also adjusted their rank insignia.
How to wear the new headgear correctly was published only in February 1920: "The beret should be worn so that the emblem of the Czechoslovak Republic is above the right eye and the beret is pulled back to the left side."
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