Josef Ježek a Otto Bláha ‒ cesta dvou četnických generálů před Národní soud

The life stories of the gendarmes generals Otto Bláha a Josef Ježek were very similar. They both entered the Civil Guard during the Habsburg Monarchy, they both fought in the First World War in their ranks and after the fall of the Danubian Monarchy, they didn’t hesitate to join the services of the new Czechoslovak state. This study deals with their mutual and very tense relationship which during the twenties and the thirties resulted in Otto Bláha’s retirement. Josef Ježek, on the other hand, reached the top his Civil Guard career and became provincial commander. The German occupation provided new opportunities for both men. Bláha immediately contacted German authorities and was placed at the head of the Czech Union of Warriors, the newly-formed union of former soldiers from the front. Josef Ježek became Minister of the Interior in Eliáš’s government in 1939. Due to their activities for the Protectorate, they both ended up in front of the National Court after the war and were found guilty. Bláha was sentenced to death in January 1946, while a year later Ježek was set free.