Forgotten Heroes? The Czechs of the Secret X-Troop, N°10 Commando -75th Anniversary

This message was edited 11 times. Last update was at 01/08/2017 16:52:09

Exactly 75 years ago, a group of Czechs volunteered for hazardous duties in one of the most clandestine units in the British Commando: X Troop, N°10 (Inter-Allied) Commando. This is their story.

https://www.praguepost.com/culture/forgotten-heroes-czech-x-troop-commando

It is hoped that by marking the 75th Anniversary of the formation of X-Troop, the contribution and sacrifice made by these Czech Commandos, who were the first members of X-Troop, will be recognised and that a more complete picture will emerge.

Jeremy Monk

Good article Jeremy. Glad to see it on our Forum.

Very brave men indeed. No mercy would have been shown if they were captured.

The article has just appeared in The Prague Post. It is therefore possible that we may gain some insights from the 'Czech' end of this story.

https://www.praguepost.com/culture/forgotten-heroes-czech-x-troop-commando

Jeremy

Pte Gustav Oppelt is the only one shown on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website however no Commando Service was shown nor any reference to the name he served under, ie. George Bate. Having sent them copies of the 10 Commando War Diary and full details from an SOE file held at the National Archives on Gustav Oppelt, they have now accepted that he was attached to 10 Commando at the time of his death and included that on their record. Sadly no details at all other than the surnames and rank shown on a one line entry in the War Diary have yet come to light on Pte's Rice and Smith.

Our record: http://www.commandoveterans.org/GustavOppelt

CWGC record: http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2317337/OPPELT,%20GUSTAV

Given the subject matter. I hope users of the forum will understand if I also attach a Czech translation of the Prague Post article.

Zapomenutí hrdinové? Cesi z X-Troop, Commanda c. 10
Rice, Smith, Taylor, Bates, Latimer, Platt... to nejsou prílis pravdepodobná jména ceských hrdinu.
Jednalo se vsak o krycí jména, které mely skrýt identitu Cechu, kterí se pred 75 lety dobrovolne
prihlásili do rizikové sluzby v jedné z nejutajovanejsích jednotek britské armády: X Troop, (Inter-
Allied) Commando c. 10. Bylo vytvoreno v cervenci 1942 a Cesi se stali prvními cleny X Troop.

Celý clánek naleznete ve príloze.

Thank you for your article. I tried posting on the Prague Post, but as I'm not sure it went through I hope you don't mind me repeating it in this forum.

My grandfather, Geoffrey Broadman (Friedl Sruh), was a soldier of X Troop. However he was Austrian, and it's not really him I'd like to write about here.

When the Anschluss made life difficult for the young Friedl Sruh, it was his Czech friend Ladislav Karasec * who aided his escape. In Czechoslovakia, Friedl joined some kind of military organisation (described perhaps incorrectly as a student brigade) in preparation for resisting the next German conquest. When this came to naught Friedl found himself on the move again, eventually to the UK and X Troop.

A brave and selfless act by this Czech man, it will of course have no memorial, indeed is almost virtually forgotten, let alone dignified with any formal honour. But many adventures later, not least his service with 3 Troop, Geoff measured the great debt he owed his friend Ladislav when honoured his first son with the name Ladi.

And here I?d like to memorialise Ladislav Karasec, my forgotten Czech hero.

* I hope I don?t dishonour him with a misspelling of his name.

A great story Ander, thanks.
There were many brave men and women who risked everything to help friends and strangers and we too thank Ladislav Karasec.
But we'd also like to remember your grandfather Geoff Broadman.
We have him listed in the No. 10(IA) Cdo nominal roll but we would love to have a photo of him in the website gallery.
Do you have a photo of him you'd be prepared to share with us?

Nick

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