War Cross (1939)

War Cross (1939)

Czechoslovak War Cross (1939) awarded to Sergej Ján Ingr. General Sergej Jan Ingr (1894-1956) was Minister of Defence (1940-1944) in the Czech Government in exile in Britain during the Second World War. He approved the project that led Czech patriots, selected from the Czechoslovak Independent Brigade Group (CIBG) in England, to parachute into Czechoslovakia in 1942 and assassinate Reinhard Heydrich. When at first no news of the plotters was received, and it was thought they had been unsuccessful, General Ingr reportedly observed 'If they failed, let us hope they failed completely, without getting anywhere near Heydrich.' He was mindful of the reprisals that would inevitably be taken on the Czech population. During the First World War Ingr served in the Austro-Hungarian Army as a platoon and company commander on the Eastern Front (1914-15); he was taken prisoner by the Tsarist forces in September 1915. With many other Czechs he was released in March 1916 to change sides and serve with a Serbian volunteer division in Odessa (Dobrudza campaign). In January 1917 a Czech brigade was formed, in which he was a company commander. Present at Zborov and the retreat from Halic. In October 1917, as the Czech Legion, his unit fought in France (Champagne region), moving to Italy and then Slovakia in August 1918-July 1919). Ingr rose to be a battalion commander in actions in Slovakia against Hungarian Communists. Members of the Czech Legion afterwards formed a significant part of the new Czechoslovak Army. By 1937 Ingr was commander of III Corps in the Czech Army. After full occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Germans in March 1939 Ingr organised underground movements, then left for England and France. He headed the military administration of the National Committee in Paris and then, (1940-44), was Minister of National Defence (and commander in chief of the Czechoslovak forces 1940-45) of Dr Edward Benes' government in London. In 1948 he was briefly a Minister in Holland but resigned after the Communist coup d'etat in Czechoslovakia. His military decorations and awards include: Czechoslovak War Cross, First World War; Czechoslovak War Cross, 1939; Medal of Merit, 1st Class; USA Legion of Merit, commander's class; Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB); Legion d'honneur, commander's class; Croix de Guerre; Polonia Restituta; Yugoslav St Sava Order; Yugoslav White Eagle; Roumanian Crown.