Stanislav Hnělička

Stanislav Hnělička in June 1945

Stanislav Hnělička (1922–2016) was a Czechoslovak soldier. In 1941, he became a soldier of the 11th Infantry Battalion – Eastern, of the Czechoslovak Foreign Army, which was formed in Egypt. He participated in battles in Lebanon and Syria, later under the command of Gen. Klapálek he fought at Tobruk. After the end of the battles at Tobruk, he was transferred to Britain, where he was assigned to the newly formed armoured brigade with which, after the Normandy landings, he participated in the battles at Dunkirk and in western Belgium with the 2nd Armoured Corps.

Stanislav Hnělička in 2007 with the book Our People in the Desert, which was published in 1946.

His heroism was awarded not only by the Polish and two Czechoslovak War Crosses, but also the French Legion of Honor in 2005. After February 1948, under the communist regime, he was persecuted and imprisoned, but until his death he was actively involved in the work of the Czechoslovak Legionary Community, helping to maintain the basic ideas of the legacy of the resistance during World War II in the consciousness of younger generations.

Stanislav Hnělička in 2014 at the exhibition marking the anniversary of the Normandy landings and the battles of Dunkirk

In 2007, the President of the Republic Václav Klaus awarded him the Order of the White Lion. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, the President of the French Republic awarded him the Order of the Legion of Honor.

Stanislav Hnělička with his awards