Alfréd Bartoš

Alfréd Bartoš is a memorial site in Pardubice, at the corner of Smilova and Sladkovského streets, dedicated to a Czechoslovak army officer and member of the anti-Nazi resistance during World War II. It was at this very spot in June 1942 that the last moments of his life unfolded, as he tried to evade capture by the Pardubice Gestapo.

Who was Alfréd Bartoš?

Alfréd Bartoš was born in 1916 and, as an officer of the Czechoslovak army, joined the resistance against the German occupation of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. After escaping to Great Britain, he underwent military training that prepared him for special operations organized by the Czechoslovak government-in-exile in cooperation with British intelligence.

What was Operation Silver A?

Bartoš commanded a three-man parachute group codenamed Silver A, dispatched from Britain to the occupied homeland. The group landed on the night of 27–28 December 1941 near the village of Senice u Poděbrad. On that same day, Bartoš was promoted to the rank of captain. Over the following months he took command of all parachute groups deployed to the Protectorate during the 1941–1942 operational period, showing considerable organizational skill under extremely difficult occupation conditions. He built a resistance network based in Pardubice, from where he coordinated radio contact with London and cooperation with the local underground.

How did he die?

On 22 June 1942, during a Gestapo manhunt targeting members of the resistance linked to Operation Silver A, Bartoš was cornered at the corner of Smilova and Sladkovského streets in Pardubice. Rather than fall into German hands, he attempted suicide. Wounded, he was taken to hospital, where he died at 2:10 a.m. His identity was confirmed by his fiancée, Věra Junková. His death came during the harshest wave of occupation reprisals in the Protectorate, following the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich.

What does this site commemorate?

At the corner of Smilova and Sladkovského streets in Pardubice stands a memorial plaque dedicated to Alfréd Bartoš as commander of the Silver A group. It is one of several sites in the Pardubice region commemorating the participants of this operation and their wartime fate — a separate monument to Bartoš was also erected in his native Sezemice, unveiled in 2007.

How do you get there?

The plaque sits in central Pardubice, at an easily accessible spot at the intersection of Smilova and Sladkovského streets, close to other sites tied to the history of the local resistance. It makes a convenient stop for visitors exploring Pardubice on foot, as part of a broader trail of memory dedicated to the events of the occupation period.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Alfréd Bartoš? A Czechoslovak army officer and commander of Operation Silver A, one of the parachute groups of the Czechoslovak resistance sent from Britain to the occupied homeland.

What does the plaque in Pardubice commemorate? The spot where, in the summer of 1942, Bartoš was cornered by the Gestapo and, after attempting suicide, died of his wounds that same night.

What was Operation Silver A? An intelligence and sabotage mission of Czechoslovak military intelligence, in which three paratroopers landed in the Protectorate in December 1941, with Bartoš taking command of all groups operating in the area at the time.

Are there other sites commemorating Bartoš? Yes — a monument in his native Sezemice, unveiled in 2007, alongside the plaque in Pardubice.