6 – The Borderguards’ Path
Within the preparations for the defence of the country Czechoslovak government issued an order about the formation of units from the members of gendarmery, police, financial guard and so called “military reinforcements” [= the reserve soldiers who were becoming its members after their activation].These units were named "The Guard of State Defense" /S.O.S. units Stráž Obrany Státu/. Their duty was to take care of the unviolability of the borders and the state and to cooperate by maintaining the public order in the borderland.
The S.O.S. unit in Brnířov, 1938
Only dependable soldiers could become the members of these units.They had been chosen in advance. They were subordinated to the Department of Defense. The members of the army had to oversee the due training of the S.O.S. units. The units were divided up into squads for the purpose of greater activity. Each unit got one M.G. to be stronger in fire.
S.O.S. units cooperated very much with the units of Czechoslovak army in their surroundings. In case of armed attack, they had to fight off the first strike of the enemy and allowthe mobilization of the reservists into the fortification on the borderline.
In May 1938, the S.O.S. units reached the greatest number of 28,310 men. They stood in the first line. That is why they suffered heavy losses during the disturbances in the year 1938. There were 302 Czechoslovak soldiersand S.O.S. members killed and 436 soldiers and S.O.S.members wounded during the defense against the German, Polish, Hungarian and Carpatho-Ukrainian partisans from the beginning of September 1938 to the March 17, 1939.
S.O.S. units cooperated very much with the units of Czechoslovak army in their surroundings. In case of armed attack, they had to fight off the first strike of the enemy and allowthe mobilization of the reservists into the fortification on the borderline.
In May 1938, the S.O.S. units reached the greatest number of 28,310 men. They stood in the first line. That is why they suffered heavy losses during the disturbances in the year 1938. There were 302 Czechoslovak soldiersand S.O.S. members killed and 436 soldiers and S.O.S.members wounded during the defense against the German, Polish, Hungarian and Carpatho-Ukrainian partisans from the beginning of September 1938 to the March 17, 1939.