Niektoré špecifiká vojenskej služby Židov a Rómov v VI. robotnom prápore

Some Aspects of the Military Service of Jews and Gypsies in the VI. Labour Battalion

Autor: KRALČÁK Peter

KRALČÁK, Peter: Niektoré špecifiká vojenskej služby Židov a Rómov v VI. robotnom prápore

KRALČÁK, Peter: Some Aspects of the Military Service of Jews and Gypsies in the VI. Labour Battalion.

Vojenská história, 2, 17, 2013, pp. 120-139.

In his study, the author covers the Labour Corps of National Defence and its VI. Labour Battalion in

the context of World War 2. Up to now, the problem of labour service in the Slovak Army

environment in the period 1939 — 1945 was marginalized by the military historians. Author states

that for the then Slovak Army Command, the Labour Corps served as a tool for solving the issue of

actual service of Jews, Gypsies and “Aryans” not eligible for ordinary military service due to health or

disciplinary reasons. At the same time, establishing this organizational unit, the Ministry of National

Defence reflected the requirement of Slovak government to apply discriminatory legislation towards

Gypsies and Jews from civilian environment to the environment of Slovak Army. Both ethnic group

were marginalized within the society in an unprecedented way and within the Slovak Army, they

were included in a single battalion with the aim to segregate them from other members of the Army.

From today’s perspective, it is also interesting to map everyday lives of Jews and Gypsies, members

of the VI. Labour Battalion of the Labour Corps, in particular in terms of accommodation, subsistence,

health care, cultural and sports activities of the Labour Corps members. The stories of Jews and

 

Gypsies in the VI. Labour Battalion comprise a very interesting chapter from the Labour Corps’

history.

Keywords: Military History. Slovakia. World War 2. VI. Labour Battalion. Racial discrimination. Jews.

Gypsies.

Ročník: 17 | Číslo: 2/2013 | Stránky: 120-139