U.S. OSS and UK SOE officers who made ultimate sacrifice during SNP in WW2 remembered in Polomka

The officers of the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and the UK's Special Operations Executive (SOE) who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) in WW2 were remembered in a commemoration ceremony in Polomka today (28 June 2022).

Representing the SVK MOD on this occasion were Director General of the MOD's Human Resources Department Martin Jakál and Deputy Chief of Defence Lt Gen Ľubomír Svoboda. British Ambassador Nigel Baker, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim of the U.S. Embassy Jennifer F. Bosworth, Director of the SVK MOD's International Relations Division Daniel Dom and Director of the SNP Museum Marian Uhrin were among those who came to pay tribute to the fallen heroes.

Remembering those whose sacrifice during the SNP embodied selfless commitment to the cause of freedom, Martin Jakál said: “The American and British teams were found and captured by Abwehrgruppe 218 in the mountains just above the village of Polomka on 26 December 1944. They were then brought to the Mathausen concentration camp. After being interrogated and tortured, they were executed on 24 January 1945. The actions of these Allies were important for the course of the Slovak National Uprising. We honour these heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice on the altar of freedom. They deserve our sincere thank you.”

Throughout the SNP, Allied military missions were flown into an insurgent Slovakia to execute special tasks. The OSS and SOE teams operated alongside the Soviet military mission in Slovakia. They were tasked with conducting covert operations behind enemy lines, gathering military, political and economic intelligence, as well as coordinating mass supplies of weapons for the 1st Czechoslovak Army in Slovakia and humanitarian aid for the resistance forces and the country's civilian population.