Paraphrase of a Slovakian movie actor, interviewed in 1992, prior to the peaceful breakup of Czechoslovakia.
Martin Pytr describes the life of Stefánik:
"Milan Rastislav Stefánik was born on 21 July 1880 at Kosariska in Hungary (located in today's Slovakia) and was the son of a protestant pastor. He began his studies at the lyceum in Pressburg (Bratislava). After 3 years, he moved to Ödenburg (Sopron) where he continued to study at the gymnasium. In 1898, he went to Prague to study building engineering but his love for astronomy led him to decide to begin studying in that field at Prague university. From spring 1902, Stefánik started his journey to European universities in Switzerland and Italy. When he returned to Prague, he graduated on 12 October 1904 as a doctor of philosophy. He was also active in among the Slovak community in Prague and got to know other Czech politicians.
"After completing his studies, Doctor Stefánik travelled to France because there were not many opportunities for astronomists in his native land. Thanks to help from his friends, he got a job with the eminent professor, M. Janssen.
"One of the first places Stefánik was sent by Janssen was to the famous observatory at Mt. Blanc. Stefánik was there six times during his life. Thanks to his field of astronomy, Stefánik worked in many exotic places of the world, such Turkestan, the Sahara, Tahiti, Brazil, Ecuador, and other places. A dark side of the journeys was the beginning of a gastric illness that troubled him for the rest of his life.
"In 1912, Stefánik became a French citizen. As a well-known and successful scientist, he published several astronomical publications and was duly honoured several times (also by Chivalry Cross L'Ordre de la Légion d'honneur).
"From the outbreak of WWI, Stefánik returned to Paris from a mission in Morocco. But, his illness was so aggravating that he only joined the army later in 1915. As Stefánik had wished, he was able to enter the French Air Force. After a period of training, he came to the front and immediately used his knowledge of the atmosphere for forecasting the weather there. Thanks to the forecasting, his Escadrille was saved from a particularly violent storm. Because of his expertise, General Foch listened ideas of lieutenant Stefánik and allowed him to establish a military meteorological service.
"Through his friend Strimpel, Stefánik met Edvard Benes in December 1915. Benes introduced Stefánik to their common friend, Tomas Masaryk. They suggested to him the idea of establishing a Czecho-Slovak state as a sovereign and democratic country, consisting of historic Czech lands and those parts of Upper Hungary inhabited by the Slovaks. The concept captured Stefánik's imagination, and he started working with them. Thanks to contacts of Stefánik, Masaryk invited to convey the idea to the French Prime Minister, Briand.
"But the war continued unabated and Stefánik found himself engaged in new tasks. As a war pilot in Italy, Stefánik dropped leaflets to the Slav soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian Army. Then, in the summer of 1916, Stefánik came to Russia amidst the immense success of the Brussilov Offensive. He wanted to draft captured Czechs and Slovaks in Russian POW camps as volunteers for Czecho-Slovak units to be organised in France. Stefánik also made the same plea in Roumania and Italy. The Czecho-Slovak Legion in Russia, Italy, and France inevitably became a reality, although the Russians in particular were at first extremely suspicious. In 1916, the Russian army formed the first two Czecho-Slovak rifle regiments, but shortly thereafter, Prime Minister Boris Stuermer ordered them disbanded. After the fall of Stuermer in late 1916, the regiments were reconstituted.
"Once the Tsar was removed from power in March 1917, the new Provisional Government desired to raise additional levies to fill their depleted and demoralised ranks. They found in Stefánik and his Czecho-Slovaks the enthusiasm and morale that was sorely lacking in Russia. The 3. Rifle Regiment was formed in that month. But it wasn't until the victory of Czech regiments at the Battle of Zborow in July 1917 that the Russians recognised the Legion as a viable and legitimate fighting force. In the summer of 1917, the Legion expanded to include the 4., 5., 6., 7., and 8. Rifle Regiments. By 1918, the Legion was expanded even further-the 9., 10., 11., and 12. Rifle Regiments and 1. and 2. Cavalry Regiments were formed and the Legion was a full-fledge army in Russia.
"In March 1918, the Soviets signed a peace treaty with the Quadruple Alliance and ceased all war-like activities against the Central Powers. General Janin, commander of the Czecho-Slovak Legion in France, was concerned about moving the substantial Czecho-Slovak Legion from the non-belligerent Soviet Russia to the active battlefields of France. This could only be done by transporting the whole force along the Trans-Siberian Railway across the vastness of Siberia to Vladivostok and thence by steamer all the way back to France. But the Soviets attempted to disarm the Legion before it began its journey. The Legion resisted and defeated the Cheka detachments. From then, all of Siberia switched from Red control to White, and the anti-Bolshevik forces came to rely on the Legion as the backbone of resistance to the Soviets.
"From June 1918, Stefánik attained the rank of Général de Brigade while commanding the 2. Czecho-Slovak force. As mentioned, the supreme commander of the Czecho-Slovak Legion was a French officer, General Janin. But in August 1918, Stefánik was named to command the Czecho-Slovak Legion in Russia. Although it was an independent front, he was still theoretically subordinate to Janin.
"With this change of circumstances, the Legion began moving west, as a new battlefront emerged in the Great War. The Czecho-Slovak Legion therefore fought the Soviets with the intention of overthrowing Bolshevism and striking a blow against the Germans and Austrians. The Legion succeeded in reaching close to Ekaterinburg, where the ex-Tsar was being kept. Fear of his falling into the hands of the Legion and being ultimately restored as ruler of Russia prompted Lenin to approve of the Tsar and his family's execution in July 1918. By the time Stefanik arrived to take charge of the Legion, it had already scored many noteworthy victories, and it dominated the whole stretch of Trans-Siberian railway from the Ural foothills to Irkutsk. But the collapse of the Quadruple Alliance and the peaceful disintegration of Austria-Hungary changed the situation of the Czecho-Slovak Legion once again.
"After birth of the independent Czechoslovakian state on 24 October 1918, Stefánik returned to Russia in order to hinder demoralization of Czecho-Slovak forces there. The new state had come into existence without the Legion's direct aid, and there was naturally the desire among the troops to return to their homes and even become part of the new Czechoslovakian National Army. But Stefánik had to remind the Legion of their important role in Russia; namely, they were stiffening resistance to the Bolsheviks throughout the whole country. After reorganization of Czecho-Slovak Legion there, Stefánik returned to France. Then, in April 1919, he inspected Czecho-Slovak forces that were still in Italy.
"On 4 May 1919, Stefánik, together with three Italian pilots, were taking off in the airplane Caproni from Campo Formio near Udine. He returning home to the new state he helped create. In the afternoon, the plane, piloted by Stefánik himself, crashed at the airport outside Bratislava. Noone survived.
"What would a proper eulogy for Milan Rasteslav Stefánik be? A passion for astronomy; an exciting military career; a romantic, almost mystic character of the young, intelligent, and attractive man; and even a mysterious death in an aeroplane crash--all these things led his countrymen to see in Stefánik their Exupéry."
GWS, 10/01
