ZE ŠPANĚLSKŶCH ZAKOPŮ, by LUDVIK NETOPIL

INTRODUCTION TO THE WEB EDITION OF ZE ŠPANĚLSKŶCH ZAKOPŮ, by LUDVIK NETOPIL “From the Trenches of Spain” The little book Ludvik Netopil wrote is a direct report of his experiences in the Spanish Civil war, as a member of the Czechoslovak Batallion, part of the International Brigades, that fought agains the fascist army of General Franco..

What makes this publication so special is the fact, that there is nearly no publication ever made - or information - on the Czechoslovak participation in the International Brigades of those days.

September 1938 the occupation of the Sudetenland by Nazi-Germany took place, soon followed by the outbreak of World War II. Czechoslovakia chose after the liberation in 1945 for a democratic government, led by president dr. Edvard Beneš that was ended in 1948 when the Communist Party took over the power.

Effect of that was, that from then on not only the history changed, but also the treatment of former Czechoslovak soldiers, eaqual from the Spanish Civil War, or from the Czechoslovak Army in France and later Great Britain. These brave men and women were considerd to have served in a foreign army and were treated as enemies of the Communist State. Many did not get the right to vote in elections ever, and most of them were not allowed to study or work in state controlled organisations.

Ludvik Netopil was one of them, and eye witness of these times. But he resigned his membership of the Communist Party in 1968, when the so Warsaw Pact countries invaded Czechoslovakia to make an end to the democratic reveil in the so called Prague Spring movement for democracy and freedom.

In 1969 I received this publication personally from Ludvik Netopil in Prague and this web edition is also a tribute to this remarkable man.

Eckart Dissen, Summer 2014 Questions and comments welcome at: Czechoslovakia.Netherlands@gmail.com