Richard Tesarik (1915-1967)

Genmjr. Richard Tesařík was born on December 3, 1915 in Prague. Hero of the USSR, one of the most famous representatives of the Czechoslovak foreign anti-fascist military resistance, legendary commander of our tank troops during World War II.

Since 1921 Tesarik's family lived in Příbram. Richard attended the municipal and then the burgher school there. He was an active member of the local Sokol. During the Nazi occupation he fought in the Czechoslovak military units in the USSR. First as an infantryman and later he commanded our tankers. He became famous in many battles and for his participation in the liberation of Kiev he received the highest Soviet decoration, the title Hero of the Soviet Union. During the Carpatho-Dukla operation he was severely wounded and lost an eye.

For his heroic actions on the Eastern Front he received, among others, the Czechoslovak War Cross 1939 five times, the Czechoslovak Military Commemorative Medal, the Czechoslovak Military Medal for Merit I. Degree, the Medal for Valour before the Enemy, the Order of the Slovak National Uprising, the Gold Medal of the Czechoslovak Military Order of the White Lion for Victory, two Orders of the Red Star, the Polish Silver Cross of the Order of Virtuti Military and others.

In the early 1950s, his relations with the highest military leaders of those years, not excluding the then Minister of Defence Gen. JUDr. Alexei Čepička. This was followed by Tesarik's reassignment to lower positions, up to and including a criminal prosecution, including a stay in pre-trial detention in 1953. After the departure of Alexei Chepichka, he was awarded the rank of major general in 1956. Even then, however, he had problems with his superiors and was released to the Reserves in 1960, bringing his military career to a definitive end.

Throughout the entire post-war period of Tesarik's life, he very likely had post-traumatic reactions to his wartime experiences and the atmosphere of the 1950s, when, especially in connection with his imprisonment and the ongoing political trials, he also had doubts about the meaning of his own wartime hardships. These conditions only deepened Tesarík's life crisis. Later, his health also deteriorated. He retired for health reasons in 1966, and shortly afterwards, on 27 March 1967, he died of a heart attack during his stay in Ústí nad Labem. The urn with the remains of Gen. Richard Tesarik's urn rests in the family grave in Příbram.

Hero of the USSR, one of the most famous representatives of the Czechoslovak foreign anti-Nazi military resistance, legendary commander of our tank troops during World War II. He is connected with the Central Bohemian Region by his life in Příbram and also in Beroun, where he served in the pre-war period in Infantry Regiment 38. After World War II he also worked in Milovice. Tesařík's sons Richard and Vladimír became famous as pop-music singers and members of the musical group YO YO BAND.

Processed by: Josef Velfl, Director of the Mining Museum Příbram