UNDER THE REICH TRANSMITTER OF THE DONAU
This is the second work by authors from the Dukla Prostějov Military History Club.
“I’m going back four years. Back then, I couldn’t even imagine how such a book could be written. Then, while writing the first book, my colleagues and I discovered that we have two great allies. First, the heart, which is very important for this work. When you do something with your heart, it comes naturally. The second ally is the witnesses, without whom the book would not have been created. In each of you, I see a page of our book,” said one of the three authors, Zdeněk Bezrouk, adding that he definitely didn’t waste a single day in four years.
In the book, readers will find a total of eighty-six stories inspired by real events that took place under the Donau transmitter during World War II. For example, in Čelčice, fierce fighting took place for the last ten days.
This is not the first work by authors from Dukla, Prostějov. In 2016, a publication called Pod pásy tanků, pod křidy letadel was published, which met with great success. It discusses the last days of the war, when death and fighting affected even the Prostějovo region.
Reviews
After my experience with the authors' previous book, I started the manuscript of the book with great gusto. And again I was not disappointed. I read the manuscript (a more or less loose continuation of the previous book) in one sitting. The more broadly conceived book will now bring readers closer to the extremely complex period for our state and nation, just before World War II and after liberation, in the form of individual, very engaging stories by the participants at the time. The authors' short comments on the overall historical events in this period are also excellent, which are factually excellent and will remind readers of the overall context of the time (even an experienced historian can sometimes refresh their memory at the right time). The engaging reading of the memories of many and many witnesses and the inspection of previously unpublished photographs will then lead you to realize with amazement how much incredible effort and work the authors had to put into collecting so many memories, materials, including period photographs, and how much time they had to devote to it. A person closely connected to the mapped region must feel shivers running down his spine at times while reading. The value of the work is also increased by the fact that the authors captured these precious memories in time and let's not have any illusions, witnesses are dying out quickly and it is unfortunately sad that, with a few honorable exceptions, museums or other state institutions have not paid much attention to this area. All the more so, my thanks go to all the witnesses, and especially the authors. It is very sad to see around you and perceive people's striking forgetfulness of things past. There is a well-known saying that a nation that does not care, does not preserve and does not learn from its history has no right to exist. And another – every nation must also value its heroes, have great respect for them, treat them decently, pass on their knowledge to new generations, be proud of them, otherwise it may happen that when it needs heroes, there will be none. The authors of this publication are currently working enthusiastically to ensure that we do not forget, that we are proud of our past and that we always have something to draw from for lessons. Once again, I would like to thank the authors for their excellent and selfless work.
PS.: When will the next sequel be published?
Ing. Miroslav Břínek
Technical Museum in Brno
Lenka Navrátilová Photo from the book launch here