Czechoslovakians are also remembered in my country the Philippines, a handful of czechslovaks volunteer to fight the japanese during World War 2 they fought bravely until the fall of bataan. In one of the soldiers letter if my memory serves me right, its says , " Fighting for the Philippines at that time is like fighting for the liberty of Czechoslovakia" to this day they have a monument in my country to remember their bravery and sacrifice. ❤
The Czechoslovak legion won a naval battle against the bolsheviks atop lake Baikal. Pretty impressive considering both countries never had sea or any major lakes. This puts us at 100% naval winrate.
Well, the Czechs identify themselves with the Kingdom of Bohemia, which had access to sea. It's king Přemysl Otakar II. actually founded the city that we know today as Kaliningrad. But yeah, Czechoslovakia never had sea, although it had a warship on a river and access to the port of Hamburg via treaty.
@@petrnovak9754 a little mistake here I noticed as a czech. Přemysl Otakar II. Didn't found Kaliningrad. The crusaders did as a thanks for helping them win the battle of Rudava agaisnt the pagan Prussians.
@@petrnovak9754 medival and for a few years. Plus no accual czechs living there so it doesn't count for me. It was no czech land only under a czech king
@@petrnovak9754 Ottokar II owned lands along the Adriatic, not the Baltic. Since he was the ruler of the Duchy of Carinthia (and thus the lands held in personal union with it, the March of Carniola and the Windic March) from 1269 - 1276, he controlled the lands around the Gulf of Trieste (though not Trieste itself).
OMG. I cant believe we finally have a video on these brave souls. My grandpas grandpa was part of this Legion. He died because of disease, but all of the family members of Legionaries got a special book with photos and copies of some corespondence from soldiers showing their whole journey from Russia to Home.
HBO have done plenty of shows correctly when it comes to respecting the source material or the historical facts. They would probably be one of the better and more trusted studios for this kind of series @@vladimirbrabec69
This story was amazing. I had no idea that a Czechoslovak legion caused so much trouble in Russia and even took over several Russian towns. Thank you for covering this, Kings and Generals! Great work as always.
They were even contemplating a march on Moscow at one point, but Masaryk decided against it in the end, but what could have happened if Trotsky's Red Army would be defeated in the early stages of the Civil War and Moscow taken...
Technically they controlled every major city on the Transsiberian railway at some point. The governmence of these territories, larger than Czechoslovakia itself, was so well organized they established own postal service with Europe and rehabilitation centres for soldiers across the railway. At the end total number of a soldiers was circa 50 thousand people, way more than just one train.
When Kiev and Moscow concluded an agreement with the Germans, the corps was doomed to isolation and death. The Austrians, having captured the Czechs, hanged them as traitors. Through Kiev, the Czechs retreated to Penza, creating a problem for the Soviet government. The Czechs did not want to join the Red Army. And in the spring of 1918, it was extremely difficult and dangerous to disband 40 thousand people, united and combat-ready. And attacking former allies was a disgrace.
When i was little, there was this super old guy in our village in CZ who was universally respected as "The Legionnaire". He was short, had white hair and moustache, and chain smoked cigarettes without filter. Only much later did I learn about his insane journey around the world and how they returned from the big war several years after it was over, while in the meantime their original home country had ceased to exist. What a story indeed! Thanks #KingsAndGenerals for covering this topic. Nazdar!
My great-great-grandfather was one of the last legionaries that left Russia, returning back home in 1921. Quite a journey he underwent, being recruited to the K.u.k. army in 1914, deserting and joining the fight for independence, being almost wed to a girl in Ukraine (probably one of the Czech Ukranians), fighting the Bolsheviks and returning home via the US
My great-grandfather was also part of it. He and his son (my grandfather obviously) also played a role as partisans in the second world war. My other great-grandfather fought in serbia, marched through albania to greece and via the Saloniki front back into Serbia. His son (my other grandfather) was a yugoslav partisan in the second world war. Crazy family story...
Fascinating story! I´m from Mexico and here in Mexico City we have a very well known street named "Avenida Presidente Masaryk" I was glad to learn more about him and the reason we have a famous street named after him, in said street we have a statue of Masaryk donated by the city of Prague! 🇲🇽🇨🇿🇸🇰
The Czechs have done extraordinary things, especially for a country so small. Jan Hus and his pre-reformation that lead to the hussite wars and the repeated defeat of invading catholic armies by forces under leaders like Jan Žižka is another incredible tale.
I can imagine the Narrator of K&G calling the kids to hear this story. "Come here, boys and girls, it is time to tell you all one of the best stories ever...".
My great grandfather was member of Czechoslovak legion in russia. He returned home in 1921. He was soldiers of 5th rifle regiment. To this day we got his Legionar ID frame it on the wall.
my great grandfather was a legionary in russia. I never met him, he died before i was born. But I will always be grateful for the free country he fought for and the free country I now live in
That is why on Steam this game have negative reviews writen in Azbuka, saying that its all nonsense and antirussian propaganda...Gotta love that :) :) :)
I am from slovakia and the very first video from kings and generals I have seen was about the czechoslovak legion escaping russia during the bolshevik revolution. But that was long ago. Uve made a new video about it!
Can't wait for more videos about them. Just the battle of Lake Baikal could probably be enough for it's own video... well, not really, but it deserves at least a mention.
The Russian Civil war was such a brutal but at the same time such an intriguing and interesting topic concerning military conflict! From the high hills of the North Caucasus to the plains of Central Asia to the freezing cold temperatures of Siberia it was felt literally everywhere!
This is a story that few people know, it is a tale of bravery, honor and sacrifice, men far from their homeland, fighting for a country not their own, going to their homeland, a new nation in Europe
Few thousand guys ruled the whole Trans-Siberian railway and nearly liberated Tsar and his family from Bolsheviks....an amazing story. It is always interesting to know what happened to those hundred thousands Czechs, Moravians and Silesians who fought in Austro-Hungarian army and swore to fight for Kaiser Franz Joseph I. Those soldiers deserve our respect too.
@@ПалСаныч-щ9ю Pro to jak náhodná jednotka neexistujícího státu vyjebala s celou hordou rudých fanatiků jen proto, aby dokazála, že nás národ má právo na samostatnost. Pravda vítězí je naše národní heslo.
Pravda víťazí, Pravde čas nevadí Ani lesk všemocných peňazí Pravda víťazí, ak ju sám nezradíš Pravda vždy zvíťazí, zvíťazí! Pravda víťazí, more correct "Pravda vítězí", was the motto of Czechoslovakia, and with this song, the band Tublatanka was in fact teasing the regime of the state of Czechoslovakia as the time of the song's popularity (1989) was the time of the state's agony. In just couple of years, Czechoslovakia was (bloodlessly, thanks goodness) split into Czechia and Slovakia, which was caused by the local communists removal from power.
Amazing story. Can you do a review of how Polish soldiers marched through Siberia to end up in North Africa and helped defend Tobruk? I actually met a Polish rat of Tobruk in Melbourne as a teenager. Another amazing story. Thank you.
I'll explain that to you easily. This story is not very widespread even in the current Czech Republic. After the Second World War, the legionnaires were forgotten and erased from history by the communist government in Czechoslovakia.
For a couple of years I've been waiting for a video about Czechoslovakia, because there are many inspiring stories and figures to talk about. Thank you for making one about my country's history. Sorry for being a bit picky, but there were couple incorrect statements. Masaryk didn't proclaim Czechoslovakian state in October 1918 in Prague, it was done by 'The Men of 28th October' and Masaryk returned home with the rest of exile later. He was also not supported for a long time, same goes for the idea of Czech national state and it wasn't until later stages of the war that he gained domestic support. Overall his story deserves another video, he was one of the greatest European intelectuals of his era, but he is quite unknown outside Czechia and Slovakia...
I played the Demo of the game and it was really good. I have just bought the game and now its downloading. Its also on sale so you should get it now £29.99 is a good price
Czechoslovakia was a new state, but the statehood of the Czech lands is a thousand years old and existed even within Austria-Hungary - the problem was that the Czech lands were several times richer than the rest of the monarchy and they did not want to continue to support Austria-Vienna, which wiped its ass with them. In addition, Austria became fully dependent on Germany at the end of the war, and the Germans publicly announced that they would definitively solve the Czech question after the war, so there was nothing to wait for.
My great-grandfather was a soldier in the siberian legions. There is a story in our family (sadly, no we have no way to prove it) that he was a part of some unit that tried to save the russian royal family, but they sadly arrived too late, some days after the family was murdered. He did however "borrow" a bit of the russian royal treasure and later was involved in founding of the "Legiobanka" (the Legion bank).
So you must be very rich then, with your family having the royal treasure? Every family has a cool story about their great-grandfather bringing the royal treasure, yet none of them provided any evidence. The truth is way more boring. Most of the money Legions brought from Russia were from the business they ran in Siberian cities. They ran factories, mines, breweries, post offices. And the "lost" part of the royal treasure was simply sent to foreign banks by Kolchak, who needed the money to fund his armies.
@@cooks37 The legionaire was my moms and aunts grandfather, and they did have this "treasure" at home when they were young, the description I was given was always very detailed. However Ive never seen it, so I assume it went into buying the properties our family owns (some apartments and a house). In any case, it wasnt like a pile of gold, just a few pieces of jewerly.
@@christianvalencia4489 Well, the stories I can prove are quite boring in a way. Or rather just basic war stuff. I actually own a quite a lot of photos some of our other family members who fought in the great war took while in the frontlines. My favourite one is a photo of a dead russian sentry in a destroyed trench, with a handrwritten remark on the other side of the photo saying "russian soldiers after a brief visit of our handgrenade".
The Other Czechoslovak Legions of WWI: It started with a few hundred volunteers, the Nazdar Company of the First Regiment of the Foreign Legion, as well as the Czech Družina attached to Russia’s Third Army created in 1914. Both too heavy casualties and were disbanded. December 16, 1917, France created an army swearing an oath “to the Czechoslovak nation,” while being under French military command. Prisoners from the Serbian front, along with Czechs from Romania, Russia and even the United States, eventually made up a total of 10,000 men. On March 20, 1918, they formed the Twenty-First Regiment in Cognac and the Twenty-Second in Jarnac, before being moved to the Vosges on 11-12 June, billeted in Darney, and added to the Fifty-Third Infantry Division to fight on the Alsatian front from July 8 to September 16. Spring of 1918 for Rome to adopt the principle of autonomous troops in Italy. Assisted by the captain Jan Šeba, Milan R. Štefánik created the first units of the First Division, soon numbering 18,000 men under the command of General Graziani. They fought bravely from June to October 1918, and risked hanging for treason if they fell into the hands of their enemies. I could not find any info on British Czechoslovak legion.
There was no British Czechoslovakian Legion during WWI. But WWII is a different story. At that time there were several Czech air groups in the RAF during the Battle of Britain and later (for example 310 Fighter Squadron). Czechoslovak pilots were in fourth place among non-British pilots in terms of the number of participants in the battle. Together with the Poles, they belonged to the elite pilots. According to various sources, 84-93 Czechoslovak pilots participated in the Battle of Britain. Likewise, there were several Czech ground units in the British Army such as the Czechoslovak Independent Armored Brigade Group and the Czechoslovak Infantry Battalion No 11 - East.
Great story, and exceptional teaching aid. My kids have never known of a country named Czechoslovakia other than it was part of the Soviet Union. So thanks K&G, I love your channel, because it always sparks after dinner conversations with my family.
We were never part of Soviet Union, but we were liberated by it twice: first time in 1945 from the nazis and then in 1968 from ourselves. The second time the red army stayed until even after 1989. But still, we were not a part of the Soviet union. Never.
I first heard of the Czechoslovak Legion, at school more than 40 years ago. This brief summary could easily contain half a hundred, separate, book-length accounts.
Yes! A video on one of the most harrowing desperate treks home in history! I'm so happy you've done a video on the Czechoslovak Legion and their desperate journey by armored train across Russia to return to their beloved homeland of Czechoslovakia. I absolutely fell in love with this story when I first heard about it, and seeing the video game Last Train Home, set during these events with these lost souls, made me so happy. Now you released this video, and that made me even more happy. Thank you for this, this is truly spectacular! Rumor has it, the "C" in Czechoslovak Legion stands for "Chad." Because that's who these absolute historical legends are, Gigachads!
You should look also into the Italian legion that served alongside the Czech one, in the Russian civil war. The Italian legion was, similarly to the Czech one, composed by former Austrian-Hungarian POW of Italian ethnicity that, once released from Russian captivity, were enrolled into a military unit controlled by the Italian government, through the Italian concession in Tsiensin , to fight against the red army. My grandfather fought in that unit and returned home, that after the war was within the Italian borders, only in 1921.
My wifes grandfather is part of this story, he made it then immigrated to Chicago in 1924. The few pictures we have are group pics. We were told and beaming about the interest of late.
As a Slovak I’ve heard this story for the first time. But my great grandfathers brother fought for the white army in the Russian civil war. Wonderful story 🇸🇰🇨🇿
I wonder how many comments will be about how Czech flag at 3 minutes, looks suspiciously Polish. Then again, Poles were both in worse and in better position in Austria-Hungary.
@@Avtomatik according to Wikipedia which could be inaccurate they did use that flag in the 1800s until 1918 and then briefly in 1990-1992 as part of the Chech and Slovak federative republic
@@trevdestroyer8209ya it was the Czech Republic flag in 1918-1920 which is the timeline @ 3:00 mark Edit: Czechoslovakia* Actually was the Czech flag then the Slovak flag is the white blue red… then combine them to make the white red with blue triangle
@@Avtomatik Ehhh. Not exactly. They do use those colors, and they were used both by Austria and by Czechs. It's just confusing, given the proximity. But not a mistake.
I sir would like to appreciate that you are rare specimen of people first to correctly call us Slovak not Slovenians, second that you took time to learn how to pronounce either Slovak or Czech name while Western Media outlets like BBC or CNN can mispronounce the same name 5x during the same report they do...I would like to see more and wish cool stories like this one would be taught in schools here. Believe it or not as a Slovak person this is the first time I heard this story :)
The story of the Czechoslovak Legion brings to mind the Anabasis of Xenophon. History may not repeat, but it certainly rhymes. (Edit: I see that comparison is made at the end of the video)
My great-uncle was part of these Czechoslovak Legionnaires, and when he retired, he wrote a biography of the experience. At home in the corridor, we have two deer antlers and one deer from Siberia. It says 1919. I can't believe he traveled all over the world with it when it was so big.
I've been playing, and loving, Last Train Home, and it led me to search for the history of those brave souls. What a fascinating part of history that I had previously known nothing about.
14:17 In conquered cities Czechoslovaks established DEMOCRATIC structures. The same structures, which Kolchak destroyed with his totalitarism. Believe me. They hand him over to bolsheviks with easy hearts. For them it was very low prize.
Thank you for another fascinating episode! I think I've heard a little bit about this group before, but not their origins or the extent of their journey and trials along the way. You could write an epic about this. Plus, the opening sequence introducing the video was very poignant. Thank you again. God be with you out there everybody. ✝️ :)
Funny thing I'm Slovak and heard such cool details about this topic for the first time :) and I am currently living in a block of flats called "legiodom" which was built in 1924 for former legion soldiers, with original terazzo floors still in function 😎 amazing story!!! thanks K&G 🙏
Just gotta say, thank you Ashborne for sponsoring this video. I can't remember when I just found a game, that looked like a perfect fit for me, that would've flown entirely under my radar. Usually these ads are repetitive like Raid: Shadow Legends, Nord VPN or something else I don't care about or already own. A stunning looking camp-management game with COH-like gameplay and positive reviews? How haven't I heard from it?
great video, but we shouldn´t really say that the tsar and his family were executed (thus implying some lawful trial decision that didn´t take place) but rather murdered
I miss the actual map of the journey because that's what makes it so epic, in my opinion. They basically travelled eastwards around the world to reach home, which lay just about a thousand or so miles to the west. Not only did they traverse all of Russia to Vladivostok, winning fights with Bolsheviks, controlling the Trans-Siberian railway..., but even then the journey remained quite epic as they journeyed back via several routes including Panama Canal, US railways and others going through Canada. Kind of like a real-life Willy Fog legion! :D
You can talk about a topic that no one has ever dealt with before, which is the Yemeni kingdoms and the history of their wars and invasions, which is Sheba, Hadhramaut, Maeen Qataban, and Osan. I hope you look at this history well. Thank you. I was truly pleased to watch the leaders and kings on your channel.
I had seen ads for the game and thought it was an oddly specific idea, though I thought it looked neat, but now I totally understand why it is what it is. Sounds cool
⚔Buy the game here: thqn.net/3R8WO5P
I hope i find someone that loves me as much you people love doing history videos that are glorified ads.
Good on ya for finding a half decent sponsor for once!
Hey is it possible to release the Xenophon video's form your Patreon selection?
Czechoslovakians are also remembered in my country the Philippines, a handful of czechslovaks volunteer to fight the japanese during World War 2 they fought bravely until the fall of bataan. In one of the soldiers letter if my memory serves me right, its says , " Fighting for the Philippines at that time is like fighting for the liberty of Czechoslovakia" to this day they have a monument in my country to remember their bravery and sacrifice. ❤
Reading that makes me very happy, thank you! :)
That’s beautiful
I am Czech and never heard about it. Can you please tell me more?
I am filipino and have never heard about it. Can you please tell me more about this
Wow, as a Slovak, I was in the Philippines in 2017 beautiful country. Never heard anything about it. Can you tell us more?
The Czechoslovak legion won a naval battle against the bolsheviks atop lake Baikal. Pretty impressive considering both countries never had sea or any major lakes. This puts us at 100% naval winrate.
Well, the Czechs identify themselves with the Kingdom of Bohemia, which had access to sea. It's king Přemysl Otakar II. actually founded the city that we know today as Kaliningrad. But yeah, Czechoslovakia never had sea, although it had a warship on a river and access to the port of Hamburg via treaty.
@@petrnovak9754 a little mistake here I noticed as a czech. Přemysl Otakar II. Didn't found Kaliningrad. The crusaders did as a thanks for helping them win the battle of Rudava agaisnt the pagan Prussians.
@@petrnovak9754 medival and for a few years. Plus no accual czechs living there so it doesn't count for me. It was no czech land only under a czech king
@@petrnovak9754 Ottokar II owned lands along the Adriatic, not the Baltic. Since he was the ruler of the Duchy of Carinthia (and thus the lands held in personal union with it, the March of Carniola and the Windic March) from 1269 - 1276, he controlled the lands around the Gulf of Trieste (though not Trieste itself).
A naval battle in a lake in the middle of siberia? Lol
OMG. I cant believe we finally have a video on these brave souls. My grandpas grandpa was part of this Legion. He died because of disease, but all of the family members of Legionaries got a special book with photos and copies of some corespondence from soldiers showing their whole journey from Russia to Home.
There already was one from this channel
@@FilipMoncrief I must have missed it.
Yes! So happy you´re doing this! The Czechoslovak Legions totally deserve a HBO-like show as well haha
@@vladimirbrabec69 It would have to be done well of course.
HBO have done plenty of shows correctly when it comes to respecting the source material or the historical facts. They would probably be one of the better and more trusted studios for this kind of series @@vladimirbrabec69
This story was amazing. I had no idea that a Czechoslovak legion caused so much trouble in Russia and even took over several Russian towns. Thank you for covering this, Kings and Generals! Great work as always.
They were even contemplating a march on Moscow at one point, but Masaryk decided against it in the end, but what could have happened if Trotsky's Red Army would be defeated in the early stages of the Civil War and Moscow taken...
Technically they controlled every major city on the Transsiberian railway at some point. The governmence of these territories, larger than Czechoslovakia itself, was so well organized they established own postal service with Europe and rehabilitation centres for soldiers across the railway. At the end total number of a soldiers was circa 50 thousand people, way more than just one train.
When Kiev and Moscow concluded an agreement with the Germans, the corps was doomed to isolation and death. The Austrians, having captured the Czechs, hanged them as traitors. Through Kiev, the Czechs retreated to Penza, creating a problem for the Soviet government. The Czechs did not want to join the Red Army. And in the spring of 1918, it was extremely difficult and dangerous to disband 40 thousand people, united and combat-ready. And attacking former allies was a disgrace.
When i was little, there was this super old guy in our village in CZ who was universally respected as "The Legionnaire". He was short, had white hair and moustache, and chain smoked cigarettes without filter. Only much later did I learn about his insane journey around the world and how they returned from the big war several years after it was over, while in the meantime their original home country had ceased to exist. What a story indeed! Thanks #KingsAndGenerals for covering this topic. Nazdar!
Zdar
My great-great-grandfather was one of the last legionaries that left Russia, returning back home in 1921. Quite a journey he underwent, being recruited to the K.u.k. army in 1914, deserting and joining the fight for independence, being almost wed to a girl in Ukraine (probably one of the Czech Ukranians), fighting the Bolsheviks and returning home via the US
My great-grandfather was also part of it. He and his son (my grandfather obviously) also played a role as partisans in the second world war. My other great-grandfather fought in serbia, marched through albania to greece and via the Saloniki front back into Serbia. His son (my other grandfather) was a yugoslav partisan in the second world war. Crazy family story...
you two got impressive grands and greats...if they are still around, give them a salute for me!!
My great great grandfather was a legionaire too. Though he came back trough the Suez canal and Trieste
Thanks so much for covering this topic. Greetings from Slovakia! 🇸🇰
These fellas were the true chads, I love their story. Who doesn't love an armoured train?!
Fascinating story! I´m from Mexico and here in Mexico City we have a very well known street named "Avenida Presidente Masaryk" I was glad to learn more about him and the reason we have a famous street named after him, in said street we have a statue of Masaryk donated by the city of Prague! 🇲🇽🇨🇿🇸🇰
The Czechs have done extraordinary things, especially for a country so small. Jan Hus and his pre-reformation that lead to the hussite wars and the repeated defeat of invading catholic armies by forces under leaders like Jan Žižka is another incredible tale.
Indeed, the best story ever. Thanks for giving it such a great telling.
I can imagine the Narrator of K&G calling the kids to hear this story.
"Come here, boys and girls, it is time to tell you all one of the best stories ever...".
Fascinating story.
My great grandfather was member of Czechoslovak legion in russia. He returned home in 1921. He was soldiers of 5th rifle regiment. To this day we got his Legionar ID frame it on the wall.
my great grandfather was a legionary in russia. I never met him, he died before i was born. But I will always be grateful for the free country he fought for and the free country I now live in
This story not having a movie or a mini series is a great travesty!!!
I've waited decades, ever since I read about them, for SOMEONE to make a game out of The Czech Legion. And so far this game does them justice.
That is why on Steam this game have negative reviews writen in Azbuka, saying that its all nonsense and antirussian propaganda...Gotta love that :) :) :)
in Russia, children are still taught communist propaganda. in many ways they also copy the Nazis.
What an amazing story! Brave Czechs and Slovakians!
I am from slovakia and the very first video from kings and generals I have seen was about the czechoslovak legion escaping russia during the bolshevik revolution. But that was long ago. Uve made a new video about it!
Thank you very much for this video.
Hello from Czech Republic😉
A historical vieo as an add for a historical game is the best kind of advertisement possible.
Can't wait for more videos about them. Just the battle of Lake Baikal could probably be enough for it's own video... well, not really, but it deserves at least a mention.
One of the most beautiful and touching stories covered on the channel
The Russian Civil war was such a brutal but at the same time such an intriguing and interesting topic concerning military conflict! From the high hills of the North Caucasus to the plains of Central Asia to the freezing cold temperatures of Siberia it was felt literally everywhere!
Fascinating story, the fact that this happened is incredible
I started playing the game and then found your video. What an incredibly story.
This is a story that few people know, it is a tale of bravery, honor and sacrifice, men far from their homeland, fighting for a country not their own, going to their homeland, a new nation in Europe
Few thousand guys ruled the whole Trans-Siberian railway and nearly liberated Tsar and his family from Bolsheviks....an amazing story. It is always interesting to know what happened to those hundred thousands Czechs, Moravians and Silesians who fought in Austro-Hungarian army and swore to fight for Kaiser Franz Joseph I. Those soldiers deserve our respect too.
These Czechs deserve their own Hollywood movie
please no .. we dont want our Legionares black :D
@@martinhejc327😂
Pravda vítězí!
72.mpr Přáslavice
Какая правда? Про то как ребятки пограбили в ходе хаоса.
@@ПалСаныч-щ9ю Pro to jak náhodná jednotka neexistujícího státu vyjebala s celou hordou rudých fanatiků jen proto, aby dokazála, že nás národ má právo na samostatnost. Pravda vítězí je naše národní heslo.
Pravda víťazí,
Pravde čas nevadí
Ani lesk všemocných peňazí
Pravda víťazí, ak ju sám nezradíš
Pravda vždy zvíťazí, zvíťazí!
Pravda víťazí, more correct "Pravda vítězí", was the motto of Czechoslovakia, and with this song, the band Tublatanka was in fact teasing the regime of the state of Czechoslovakia as the time of the song's popularity (1989) was the time of the state's agony. In just couple of years, Czechoslovakia was (bloodlessly, thanks goodness) split into Czechia and Slovakia, which was caused by the local communists removal from power.
Finally a story about the past of my own nation. Greetings from Slovakia!
Amazing story. Can you do a review of how Polish soldiers marched through Siberia to end up in North Africa and helped defend Tobruk? I actually met a Polish rat of Tobruk in Melbourne as a teenager. Another amazing story. Thank you.
U Tobruku bojovali i Češi.
Brb bout to call my grandma & ask about this. I’m Slovak but grew up in America & never heard about literally any of this story.
I'll explain that to you easily.
This story is not very widespread even in the current Czech Republic. After the Second World War, the legionnaires were forgotten and erased from history by the communist government in Czechoslovakia.
Always been very interested in the Czech Legion, loved this!
For a couple of years I've been waiting for a video about Czechoslovakia, because there are many inspiring stories and figures to talk about. Thank you for making one about my country's history.
Sorry for being a bit picky, but there were couple incorrect statements. Masaryk didn't proclaim Czechoslovakian state in October 1918 in Prague, it was done by 'The Men of 28th October' and Masaryk returned home with the rest of exile later. He was also not supported for a long time, same goes for the idea of Czech national state and it wasn't until later stages of the war that he gained domestic support. Overall his story deserves another video, he was one of the greatest European intelectuals of his era, but he is quite unknown outside Czechia and Slovakia...
Dusan is not fictional...this one that write this coment from Serbia salutes to our brave Slavic Brothers
I played the Demo of the game and it was really good. I have just bought the game and now its downloading. Its also on sale so you should get it now £29.99 is a good price
Czechoslovakia was a new state, but the statehood of the Czech lands is a thousand years old and existed even within Austria-Hungary - the problem was that the Czech lands were several times richer than the rest of the monarchy and they did not want to continue to support Austria-Vienna, which wiped its ass with them. In addition, Austria became fully dependent on Germany at the end of the war, and the Germans publicly announced that they would definitively solve the Czech question after the war, so there was nothing to wait for.
My great-grandfather was a soldier in the siberian legions. There is a story in our family (sadly, no we have no way to prove it) that he was a part of some unit that tried to save the russian royal family, but they sadly arrived too late, some days after the family was murdered. He did however "borrow" a bit of the russian royal treasure and later was involved in founding of the "Legiobanka" (the Legion bank).
I know this kind of stories are hard to prove but I love when ppl share family stories in the comment section.
So you must be very rich then, with your family having the royal treasure? Every family has a cool story about their great-grandfather bringing the royal treasure, yet none of them provided any evidence. The truth is way more boring. Most of the money Legions brought from Russia were from the business they ran in Siberian cities. They ran factories, mines, breweries, post offices. And the "lost" part of the royal treasure was simply sent to foreign banks by Kolchak, who needed the money to fund his armies.
@@cooks37 The legionaire was my moms and aunts grandfather, and they did have this "treasure" at home when they were young, the description I was given was always very detailed. However Ive never seen it, so I assume it went into buying the properties our family owns (some apartments and a house). In any case, it wasnt like a pile of gold, just a few pieces of jewerly.
@@christianvalencia4489 Well, the stories I can prove are quite boring in a way. Or rather just basic war stuff. I actually own a quite a lot of photos some of our other family members who fought in the great war took while in the frontlines. My favourite one is a photo of a dead russian sentry in a destroyed trench, with a handrwritten remark on the other side of the photo saying "russian soldiers after a brief visit of our handgrenade".
The one story that cemented the Czechoslovakian reputation as tough SOBs.
This is the March of the Ten Thousand, just in the modern day. So proud to be Czech!
What a moving story... Please do more. I'll get a few copies of last train home if need be 😢
Best channel for modern and meadivial history
The Other Czechoslovak Legions of WWI:
It started with a few hundred volunteers, the Nazdar Company of the First Regiment of the Foreign Legion, as well as the Czech Družina attached to Russia’s Third Army created in 1914. Both too heavy casualties and were disbanded.
December 16, 1917, France created an army swearing an oath “to the Czechoslovak nation,” while being under French military command. Prisoners from the Serbian front, along with Czechs from Romania, Russia and even the United States, eventually made up a total of 10,000 men. On March 20, 1918, they formed the Twenty-First Regiment in Cognac and the Twenty-Second in Jarnac, before being moved to the Vosges on 11-12 June, billeted in Darney, and added to the Fifty-Third Infantry Division to fight on the Alsatian front from July 8 to September 16.
Spring of 1918 for Rome to adopt the principle of autonomous troops in Italy. Assisted by the captain Jan Šeba, Milan R. Štefánik created the first units of the First Division, soon numbering 18,000 men under the command of General Graziani. They fought bravely from June to October 1918, and risked hanging for treason if they fell into the hands of their enemies.
I could not find any info on British Czechoslovak legion.
There was no British Czechoslovakian Legion during WWI.
But WWII is a different story. At that time there were several Czech air groups in the RAF during the Battle of Britain and later (for example 310 Fighter Squadron). Czechoslovak pilots were in fourth place among non-British pilots in terms of the number of participants in the battle. Together with the Poles, they belonged to the elite pilots. According to various sources, 84-93 Czechoslovak pilots participated in the Battle of Britain.
Likewise, there were several Czech ground units in the British Army such as the Czechoslovak Independent Armored Brigade Group and the Czechoslovak Infantry Battalion No 11 - East.
Great story, and exceptional teaching aid. My kids have never known of a country named Czechoslovakia other than it was part of the Soviet Union. So thanks K&G, I love your channel, because it always sparks after dinner conversations with my family.
Except it was never part of Soviet Union. I greatly approve your love for learning though!
Yeah, Czechoslovakia was never part of USSR, but satelite state, nevertheless USSR pupet.
We were never part of Soviet Union, but we were liberated by it twice: first time in 1945 from the nazis and then in 1968 from ourselves. The second time the red army stayed until even after 1989. But still, we were not a part of the Soviet union. Never.
Czechoslovakia was never part of the so called Soviet Union. We used to be their servants and satelite...that is all
@@COSMAS-videos military bumper zone
So proud to be a Czech !!
I first heard of the Czechoslovak Legion, at school more than 40 years ago.
This brief summary could easily contain half a hundred, separate, book-length accounts.
Yes! A video on one of the most harrowing desperate treks home in history! I'm so happy you've done a video on the Czechoslovak Legion and their desperate journey by armored train across Russia to return to their beloved homeland of Czechoslovakia. I absolutely fell in love with this story when I first heard about it, and seeing the video game Last Train Home, set during these events with these lost souls, made me so happy. Now you released this video, and that made me even more happy. Thank you for this, this is truly spectacular!
Rumor has it, the "C" in Czechoslovak Legion stands for "Chad." Because that's who these absolute historical legends are, Gigachads!
Now this is going to be a interesting video to watch!
You should look also into the Italian legion that served alongside the Czech one, in the Russian civil war. The Italian legion was, similarly to the Czech one, composed by former Austrian-Hungarian POW of Italian ethnicity that, once released from Russian captivity, were enrolled into a military unit controlled by the Italian government, through the Italian concession in Tsiensin , to fight against the red army. My grandfather fought in that unit and returned home, that after the war was within the Italian borders, only in 1921.
Irony that Jung Ernesto Musolini has interest in formation of Czechoslovaki Legion in Italy Yet in 38 sight Munich agreement
My wifes grandfather is part of this story, he made it then immigrated to Chicago in 1924. The few pictures we have are group pics. We were told and beaming about the interest of late.
One of those few sponsorships that's actually worth it lol. I love how history game devs are the only ones who know how to advertise properly.
As a Slovak I’ve heard this story for the first time. But my great grandfathers brother fought for the white army in the Russian civil war. Wonderful story 🇸🇰🇨🇿
I wonder how many comments will be about how Czech flag at 3 minutes, looks suspiciously Polish. Then again, Poles were both in worse and in better position in Austria-Hungary.
It is a polish flag. Pretty big mistake
@@Avtomatik according to Wikipedia which could be inaccurate they did use that flag in the 1800s until 1918 and then briefly in 1990-1992 as part of the Chech and Slovak federative republic
Yep, checked it out myself. You love you learn
@@trevdestroyer8209ya it was the Czech Republic flag in 1918-1920 which is the timeline @ 3:00 mark
Edit: Czechoslovakia*
Actually was the Czech flag then the Slovak flag is the white blue red… then combine them to make the white red with blue triangle
@@Avtomatik Ehhh. Not exactly. They do use those colors, and they were used both by Austria and by Czechs. It's just confusing, given the proximity. But not a mistake.
I sir would like to appreciate that you are rare specimen of people first to correctly call us Slovak not Slovenians, second that you took time to learn how to pronounce either Slovak or Czech name while Western Media outlets like BBC or CNN can mispronounce the same name 5x during the same report they do...I would like to see more and wish cool stories like this one would be taught in schools here. Believe it or not as a Slovak person this is the first time I heard this story :)
Anabasis of Czechoslovakia
Never heard of Last Train Home, but that’s right up my alley, will be playing!
It's stories like these that make World War One a more sophisticated war, a more personal war, a more emotional war.
Thank you for this video. These guys and woman were heroes.
The story of the Czechoslovak Legion brings to mind the Anabasis of Xenophon. History may not repeat, but it certainly rhymes. (Edit: I see that comparison is made at the end of the video)
My great-uncle was part of these Czechoslovak Legionnaires, and when he retired, he wrote a biography of the experience. At home in the corridor, we have two deer antlers and one deer from Siberia. It says 1919. I can't believe he traveled all over the world with it when it was so big.
I first heard about this story exactly a year ago and was instantly very interested. Great job covering this topic 👍🏻
I've been playing, and loving, Last Train Home, and it led me to search for the history of those brave souls. What a fascinating part of history that I had previously known nothing about.
14:17 In conquered cities Czechoslovaks established DEMOCRATIC structures. The same structures, which Kolchak destroyed with his totalitarism. Believe me. They hand him over to bolsheviks with easy hearts. For them it was very low prize.
As an austrian, big respect for the czechoslovak legion. They definitely earned their independence
Thank you for another fascinating episode! I think I've heard a little bit about this group before, but not their origins or the extent of their journey and trials along the way. You could write an epic about this. Plus, the opening sequence introducing the video was very poignant. Thank you again.
God be with you out there everybody. ✝️ :)
Long lives our Legion!
В России этот легион ничем хорошим не прославился. Грабители.
Awesome, always found the Legion fascinating! Really looking forward to Last Train Home!
🇨🇿🇸🇰♥️ love and respect 🫡from India
Thank you for covering this.
Thank you for covering thys topick again. As a slovack I am very happy to see you discuse more of my countries history.
Funny thing I'm Slovak and heard such cool details about this topic for the first time :) and I am currently living in a block of flats called "legiodom" which was built in 1924 for former legion soldiers, with original terazzo floors still in function 😎 amazing story!!! thanks K&G 🙏
Loved the original video, only just realized (due to the sponsor) that the game version is like the Oregon Trail
80 to 90% of the sponsors for your videos seem worthless, but last train home looks like such a cool game
Just gotta say, thank you Ashborne for sponsoring this video. I can't remember when I just found a game, that looked like a perfect fit for me, that would've flown entirely under my radar. Usually these ads are repetitive like Raid: Shadow Legends, Nord VPN or something else I don't care about or already own. A stunning looking camp-management game with COH-like gameplay and positive reviews? How haven't I heard from it?
Díky!
great video, but we shouldn´t really say that the tsar and his family were executed (thus implying some lawful trial decision that didn´t take place) but rather murdered
Such a good story so jaki you made this episode
One of your best videos! Kudos to all involved
Great work to a channel almost as epic as this story!
Thanks for the video 👍🏻
I miss the actual map of the journey because that's what makes it so epic, in my opinion. They basically travelled eastwards around the world to reach home, which lay just about a thousand or so miles to the west. Not only did they traverse all of Russia to Vladivostok, winning fights with Bolsheviks, controlling the Trans-Siberian railway..., but even then the journey remained quite epic as they journeyed back via several routes including Panama Canal, US railways and others going through Canada. Kind of like a real-life Willy Fog legion! :D
Czechoslovakia: Beer. Architecture. Astounding victories against unwinnable odds.
You can talk about a topic that no one has ever dealt with before, which is the Yemeni kingdoms and the history of their wars and invasions, which is Sheba, Hadhramaut, Maeen Qataban, and Osan. I hope you look at this history well. Thank you. I was truly pleased to watch the leaders and kings on your channel.
Kevin J. McNamara: “Dreams of a Great Small Nation”
I had seen ads for the game and thought it was an oddly specific idea, though I thought it looked neat, but now I totally understand why it is what it is. Sounds cool
Korea: "Train to Busan."
CzSks: "Train to Vladivostok."
Learned something new!
Great video keep it up you're doing amazing things 😁👍
Playing Last Train Home. Really enjoyed this background video.
I am proud to be partly czech 💪🇨🇿
I've always loved and enjoyed the story of a good n epic journey. Even when I was a kid I always enjoyed a good journey story.
PRAVDA VÍTĚZI ✊️
Thanks
Shut up kings and generals is on!
Listening to your description of the game momentarily had me thinking of Battlestar Galactica.
So proud
Feels almost like an epic-scale dnd adventure