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First named victim

2014-08-07

Seventy five years ago the first person, whose name is known by us, was shot dead by the German border guard while attempting to cross the Polish border line.

An exact date of Josef Kovar´s death aged nineteen is not given even in the ´The Residents to Old and New Pakas in Resistance´ authored by Jan Rail and Jiri Micka. Having been delivered Joseph Mladek´s instructions by a courier from Poland Josef left for Ostrava on Aug 5. He was presumably shot dead on the following day by a two-men German border guard patrolling along the border line in the vicinity of the Hedvika coal mine nr the village of Dobra. His corpse was brought to the town of Stara Paka and interred in a local cemetery.

Day by day the escape to Poland was more difficult due to the precaution matters taken by the German occupants within the whole border area. In June wheat barley and oats grown near the border line were prematurely mown so that the German guards on the towers could open fire from their machine guns sooner.

Some of the ones making their escape were caught and sent to concentration camps. For instance Frantisek Bartos born at Tyniste upon Orlice on July 5, 1915 was imprisoned in the Sachsenhausen one for all the WWII.

At least three guides captured by the Germans were executed. Our homage is paid by us to all those  involved.

R&R                                                                                                                            

Pacaci v odboji ie´The Residents of Stara and Nova Pakas in Resistance´  by Jan Rail and Jiri Micka –  Cz Association of Freedom Campaigners of the town of Jicin 2005