Insurgents' retreat

Jaroslav Flajšingr came from Southern Moravia. In 1943 he was forcedly sent to the Slovak engineering plant Piesok. His superior was a Czech radio amateur operator Miroslav Švejna, who along with other colleagues took part in preparations of the Uprising. Also Jaroslav Flajšingr joined it when the Uprising broke out and he took part on preparing the mobile transmitter; later on he worked as a radio operator. When it was necessary to leave Banská Bystrica, his company left as the last one. “People were leaving as well as the troops. They all were gone and went in the direction of Staré Hory, Donovaly, Motyčky. There was the finish, where our lieutenant colonel Golian with general Viest awaited us. Before we left from Banská Bystrica, we liquidated the mail and all communications. In Staré Hory there was a train and everyone could have taken along everything he wanted from cigarettes, liqueurs, suits, etc., plus the gun that each of us had to own. Švejna told us: 'Guys, take tarpaulins and if possible, also the winter clothes, because no one knows, what´s going to happen.' It was fall back then and the Soviet Army and the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps were in Carpathians already. It was on October 6, I remember it like today, that day was being celebrated as the Gunnery Day. We came to Staré Hory, I got what I needed, of course, I also took some liqueur, but not much. Primarily I took the tarpaulin, suit, shoes, but I couldn´t fit much into the backpack. Some men picked up too many liqueurs and that´s also how they ended up,” recalls Flajšingr.