Heliodor Pika - Prague, Czech Republic
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ToRo61
N 50° 06.006 E 014° 23.638
33U E 456657 N 5549936
The memorial plague dedicated to Heliodor Píka.
Waymark Code: WMNDDY
Location: Hlavní město Praha, Czechia
Date Posted: 02/20/2015
Views: 44
General Heliodor Píka (July 3, 1897 – June 21, 1949) was a Czechoslovak army officer who was executed by his country's Communist regime after a show trial.
During World War I, Píka served as a Czechoslovak legionnaire in the Russian theatres. After the war, Píka studied at a French military academy, graduating in 1920.
In 1941, during World War II, Píka was appointed chief of the Czechoslovak Military Mission to the Soviet Union (in Moscow).[4]:93 Loyal to the London-based government of exiled Czechoslovak President Edvard Beneš, Píka supported their democratic policies despite Soviet opposition. Following the war, Beneš promoted Píka to deputy chief of the general staff of the Czechoslovak Army.
In early May 1948, despite his status as a high-ranking military officer, Heliodor Píka was arrested without a warrant and accused of espionage and high treason. He was the first of over 200 Czechoslovaks tried and executed for political reasons by the communist government of Czechoslovakia. His body was never found.
Plaque Inscription:
CZ: „Památce vynikajícího vojáka, diplomata a vlastence, divizního generála Heliodora Píky nezákonne popraveného 21.6.1949“.
EN: "In memory of an outstanding soldier, diplomat and patriot, Division General Heliodor Peaks illegally executed June 21, 1949".
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