Vajda, Stepan

Captain in memoriam Stiva Vajda

The commander of the 4. tank companies 1. čs. a separate tank brigade in the USSR, Hero of the Soviet union

He was born 17. January 1922 in the village of Dulovo in Subcarpathian Rus, which was then part of the Czechoslovak republic. He was the eldest of four children of Nikola Vajdy, who spent many years in Russian captivity and to provide for a family, drove a lot for work to western Europe, Russia and the US. His son secured a good education at the grammar school in Chustu, where the young Stiva won a scholarship as an excellent student. Here also attached to the ideals čechoslovakismu.

Then, what was the Podkarpatska Rus forcibly annexed to Hungary and students were forced to join the paramilitary youth organization of the Levent and began to be conscripted into the Hungarian army, he decided to Stiva in August 1940 to cross the border into the USSR. There was as many other czechoslovak citizens interned and after the accusations of espionage sentenced to three years of forced labor. Only thanks to the good health he managed to survive in the very harsh conditions of the soviet Gulag for Sverdlovska and only on the basis of agreements between the czechoslovak government in London and the government of the USSR was in January 1943 released, so it can connect to csl. backup regiment in Buzuluk. In Novochopersk then graduated from the school for reserve officers and at the end of march became the commander of the infantry platoon. For good results in the course was chosen to the rate for tankers in the Tambově, where it began to take shape 1. čs. a separate tank brigade and in which he obtained the specialization of the younger mechanics-radio operators and the reputation of the best scorer of the tank cannon and machine gun. For his extraordinary ability to chose him commander of the tank company ppor. J. Buršík as a member of the crew of his tank T-34 with combat on behalf of "Žižka". In early November 1943 together with him took part in the fighting for liberation of Kiev and he's done very well. Left behind him one destroyed self-propelled gun, armored personnel carrier, three cannons, two machine-gun nests and two underground bunkers. He was promoted to the rank of corporal and in December 1943 took part in the fighting on the Ore and White Cerkev. At a time when the lieutenant Buršík was not present, took command of a tank. In the fighting at the village of Ruda provided a link and when he saw the approaching skirmishers of the enemy, went to the tank machine gun and an exact dose is cut. For this he was awarded the Czechoslovak war cross 1939.

In January 1944 knocked out in the fighting at Korsuñ-ševčenkovské operation in the village Buzovky three German armored personnel carriers, for which he received his second Czechoslovak war cross 1939 and the soviet the Order of glory 3. degree. At that time he was already a petty officer and after the formation of the 1. csl. panzer regiment 15. may 1944 he was promoted to officer rank. At the time of the ongoing Carpathian-it was an operation led training tankers at the 2. tank companies and in the fighting did not hit. Only in February 1945 was as commander of the 1. tank platoon 4. the company, whose command after the injury the commander took over, sent to the fighting in the Silesian city Žory in the framework of the Ostrava operation. There could excellent maneuverability and accurate shooting out of a cannon to destroy one German tank, two self-propelled guns, a few anti-tank guns, machine-gun nests and a lorry. At the turn of march and April, then the city Tworówka in the assembly of the csl. tank brigade led the attack on the support of the soviet infantry. Disabled while the German samochodku and one cannon. When it came 6. April the order to retreat for the growing German resistance, decided to come out and personally navigate tanks. After opening the tank hatch was hit by a German sniper in the head. The following day his body was buried in the village Pogrzebien and later was taken to the Moravian Ostrava. Posthumously he was Stiva Vajda promoted to the rank of captain and 10. August he was awarded the third Czechoslovak war cross 1939 and Golden star of the Hero of USSR in memoriam.

Posthumously he was awarded the Czechoslovak military order of the white lion "For victory" 1. degree. In Prague bears the name of Stěpana Vajdy street.

Sources:
Team of authors: Military personalities of the czechoslovak resistance 1939 - 1945, AVIS, Prague 2005
archive author.

Dovolím si doplnit pár detailů, neb si myslím, že k takovým vzorům nejen pro naši mládež je nutno se stále vracet a velmi by mně potěšilo více diskuze, faktu i zamyšlení k lidem, kteří opravdu bránili svoji vlast kterou milovali.

Jedním z takových vojáků války byl mladý voják ppor. Štěpán Vajda. To podstatné je velmi dobře zpracované v úvodní části a proto se zaměřím jen na několik okamžiku z jeho života.

Dne 8. srpna roku 1940 byl Štěpán Vajda odsouzen a svůj mladý život prožíval v komunistickém koncentračním táboře, který dnes maskujeme slovem „GULAG“. Teprve v lednu roku 1943 je z lágru propuštěn a již 2. února 1943 je vojákem čs. zahraniční jednotky v SSSR.

Již udělení sovětského Řádu slávy III. třídy bylo vysokým ocenění statečnosti, tehdy mladého neznámého desátníka, jehož vzorem byl jeho velitel poručík J. Buršík.

V boji prokázal Vajda, že je statečný voják, odhodlaný velitel. Jeho život ukončila kulka německého odstřelovače. Štěpán Vajda byl pohřben dne 7. dubna u kostela v obci Pogrzebien. Dnem 1. května roku 1945 je povýšen do hodnosti kapitána in memoriam. Dne 11. května jsou jeho ostatky vyzvednuty a statečný voják je s poctami pohřben (ostatky jsou uloženy) na náměstí u Nové radnice města Ostravy.

Přehled řádů a vyznamenání kpt. Štěpána Vajdy:

ČSR:
Hvězda I. stupně Čs. vojenského řádu Bílého lva „ Za vítězství“
Čs. válečný kříž 1939 (3x)
Čs. medaile Za chrabrost před nepřítelem 1939
Čs. vojenská pamětní medaile se štítkem „SSSR“

SSSR:
Čestný titul Hrdina SSSR spojený s právem nosit medaili „Zlatá hvězda“
Řád Lenina
Řád Slávy III. stupně

Výčet vyznamenání ani v tomto případě není zcela úplný.

Málo známa civilná fotografia Stepana Vajdu z ruského vojenského archívu.

foto.pamyat-naroda.ru

Návrh na udelenie Stepanovi Vajdovi najvyššieho sovietskeho štátneho vyznamenania - Titulu Hrdinu Sovietskeho zväzu in memoriam podpísaný majorom Jankom, neskorším veliteľom tankového a mechanizovaného vojska ČSĽA.

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