Pametni Medaile Ceskoslovenska Armada V Zahranici (Czechoslovak Army Abroad) medal awarded to a Czech Jewish soldier
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 3.125 inches (7.938 cm) | Width: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm) | Depth: 0.250 inches (0.635 cm)
Creator(s)
- Joseph Hauptman (Subject)
Biographical History
Josef Hauptman was born in Mukacevo, Czechoslovakia (Mukacheve, Ukraine), on June 5, 1919, to an Hasidic Jewish family. He had seven siblings. Josef was very devout and a frequent attendeee at the tish held by the Mukacevo Rabbi. Mukacheva was in the Carpathian Rus and had been part of Hungary until World War I after which it was made part of Czechoslovakia. In November 1938, Hungary reclaimed the territory with the support of Nazi Germany in the First Vienna Award. Sometime in 1938, Josef was drafted into a Soviet Army unit along with 1000 other Jewish men. He fought with the Soviet Army for seven years. He was wounded in a lung and an eye. While he was in the army hospital, a non-Jewish German doctor told Joseph that he should leave. Two days after Joseph left, the hospital was blown up. After the war ended in May 1945, Josef was repatriated to Czechoslovakia and made a member of the Czechoslovak Army. He was awarded several medals for his service during the war from both the Czechoslovak and the Soviet governments. The only surviving member of his family was a sister. Josef believed it was due to the protective presence of Hashem (God) that he survived. Josef married and the couple had two sons and a daughter. The family emigrated to Israel and Canada before settling in the United States where he Americanized the spelling of his name. Joseph, 91, passed away in 2011 in Queens, New York.
Archival History
The medal was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2004 by Joseph Hauptman.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Joseph Hauptman
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
Commemorative Medal of the Czechoslovak Army Abroad 1939 with striped ribbon awarded to Josef Hauptman in 1946 for bravery as a soldier during the war against Nazi Germany. In 1938, Czechoslovakia was dismantled and its territory absorbed by Nazi Germany and its allies. Josef, 18, was drafted into the Soviet Army that year. He fought with Soviet forces for the rest of the war. He was wounded for the second time and hospitalized when the war ended on May 8, 1945. Sometime that summer, Josef became a member of the Czechoslovak Army. In December 1945, he was honored as a disabled veteran. Josef also received medals in recognition of his bravery during the war from both the Czechoslovak and Soviet governments.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Bronze circular medal, 1.5 inches diameter, in the shape of an open, embossed linden leaf wreath with an attached striped grosgrain ribbon. A downward pointing sword with a grooved hilt rests across the medal center. A silver colored metal, split tailed rampant Lion of Bohemia with a Cross of Lorraine chest shield, is imposed over the sword point. The reverse has embossed Czech text and dates. Attached to the top is a suspension ring which is attached to a jump ring through which the ribbon is threaded. The red ribbon has a narrow, vertical black stripe near each edge. Attached to the back is a 2 pronged metal backing pin.
Subjects
- Jewish soldiers--Soviet Union--Biography.
- World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Eastern Front--Personal narratives, Jewish.
- Czechoslovakia--Armada--Biography.
- World War, 1939-1945--Participation, Jewish.
- Jewish soldiers--Czechoslovakia--Biography.
- Jews, Czech--Soviet Union--Biography.
- World War, 1939-1945--Soviet Union--Biography.
Genre
- Military Insignia
- Object