Chief of the General Staff (Czechoslovakia)

Chief of the General Staff
Czech: Náčelník Generálního štábu Slovak: Náčelník Generálneho štábu
Longest in office Colonel General Karel Rusov 19 April 1968 – 26 November 1979
Czechoslovak Army (1918–54; 1990–92) Czechoslovak People's Army (1954–90)
Type	Chief of staff
Member of	General Staff
Reports to	Minister of Defence of Czechoslovakia
Seat	Prague, Czechoslovakia
Appointer	President of Czechoslovakia
Term length	No fixed length
Precursor	Chief of the Austro-Hungarian General Staff
Formation	17 December 1919
First holder	Divisional General Maurice Pellé
Final holder	Lieutenant General Karel Pezl
Abolished	31 December 1992
Superseded by	Chief of the General Staff (Czech Republic) Chief of the General Staff (Slovakia)
Deputy	Deputy Chief of the General Staff

The Chief of the General Staff of Czechoslovakia (Czech: Náčelník Generálního štábu Československo) refers to the chief of the General Staff of the Czechoslovak Army and the Czechoslovak People's Army, during the existence of Czechoslovakia from 1918 to 1992. The first two Chiefs of the General Staff of Czechoslovakia were French, as the General Staff was founded by the French Military Mission to Czechoslovakia.

List of chiefs of the general staff

Czechoslovak Armed Forces (1919–1939)

Chief of the Main Staff

No.	Portrait	Chief of the Main Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch
1		Pellé, MauriceDivisional General Maurice Pellé (1863–1924)	17 December 1919	31 December 1920	1 year, 14 days	French Army
2		Pellé, MauriceDivisional General Eugène Mittelhauser (1873–1949)	1 January 1921	31 December 1925	4 years, 364 days	French Army
3		Syrový, JanGeneral of the Army Jan Syrový (1888–1970)	1 January 1926	11 November 1933	7 years, 314 days	Czechoslovak Army
4		Syrový, JanGeneral of the Army Ludvík Krejčí (1890–1972)	11 November 1933	23 September 1938	4 years, 316 days	Czechoslovak Army
5		Kajdoš, VladimírBrigadier General Vladimír Kajdoš (1893–1970)	23 September 1938	4 October 1938	11 days	Czechoslovak Army
(4)		Syrový, JanGeneral of the Army Ludvík Krejčí (1890–1972)	20 December 1938	1 March 1939	71 days	Czechoslovak Army

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces

No.	Portrait	Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch
1		Syrový, JanGeneral of the Army Ludvík Krejčí (1890–1972)	23 September 1938	20 December 1938	88 days	Czechoslovak Army

Czechoslovak military administration (France, 1940)

No.	Portrait	Chief of Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch
1		Neumann, BedřichBrigadier General Bedřich Neumann (1891–1964)	1 February 1940	12 June 1940	88 days	Czechoslovak Army

Ministry of National Defense (United Kingdom, 1940–1945)

Chief of Staff

No.	Portrait	Chief of Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch
1		Čihák, JaroslavBrigadier General Jaroslav Čihák (1891–1944)	23 July 1940	13 January 1941	174 days	Czechoslovak Army
2		Sklenovský, BrunoBrigadier General Bruno Sklenovský (1893–1957)	13 January 1941	12 April 1945	4 years, 89 days	Czechoslovak Army

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces

No.	Portrait	Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch
1		Ingr, SergějGeneral of the Army Sergěj Ingr (1894–1956)	19 September 1944	5 April 1945	198 days	Czechoslovak Army
2		Svoboda, LudvíkGeneral of the Army Ludvík Svoboda (1895–1979)	12 April 1945	31 December 1945	263 days	Czechoslovak Army

Czechoslovak Armed Forces (1945–1950)

No.	Portrait	Chief of the Main Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch
1		Boček, BohumilGeneral of the Army Bohumil Boček (1894–1952)	12 April 1945	1 August 1948	3 years, 142 days	Czechoslovak Army
2		Drgáč, ŠimonGeneral of the Army Šimon Drgáč (1892–1980)	1 August 1948	26 April 1950	1 year, 237 days	Czechoslovak Army

Czechoslovak Army (1950–1954)

No.	Portrait	Chief of the General Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch
1		Procházka, JaroslavGeneral of the Army Jaroslav Procházka (1897–1980)	26 April 1950	31 January 1952	1 year, 280 days	Czechoslovak Army
2		Kratochvíl, VáclavColonel General Václav Kratochvíl (1903–1988)	31 January 1952	1 June 1954	2 years, 121 days	Czechoslovak Army

Czechoslovak People's Army (1954–1990)

No.	Portrait	Chief of the General Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch
1		Kratochvíl, VáclavColonel General Václav Kratochvíl (1903–1988)	1 June 1954	28 July 1958	4 years, 57 days	Czechoslovak People's Army
2		Kratochvíl, VáclavGeneral of the Army Otakar Rytíř (1913–1979)	28 July 1958	19 April 1968	9 years, 266 days	Czechoslovak People's Army
3		Rusov, KarelColonel General Karel Rusov (1924–2013)	19 April 1968	26 November 1979	11 years, 221 days	Czechoslovak People's Army
4		Blahník, MiloslavColonel General Miloslav Blahník (1927–2017)	26 November 1979	13 October 1987	7 years, 321 days	Czechoslovak People's Army
5		Vacek, MiroslavColonel General Miroslav Vacek (1935–2022)	13 October 1987	27 December 1989	2 years, 75 days	Czechoslovak People's Army
6		Slimák, AntonLieutenant General Anton Slimák (1941–2020)	27 December 1989	14 March 1990	77 days	Czechoslovak People's Army

Czechoslovak Army (1990–1992)

No.	Portrait	Chief of the General Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch
1		Slimák, AntonLieutenant General Anton Slimák (1941–2020)	14 March 1990	1 May 1991	1 year, 48 days	Czechoslovak Army
2		Pezl, KarelLieutenant General Karel Pezl (1927–2022)	1 May 1991	31 December 1992	1 year, 244 days	Czechoslovak Army

See also

• Chief of the General Staff (Czech Republic)
• Chief of the General Staff (Slovakia)

External links

• Chiefs of the General Staff of Czechoslovakia 1919–1992