Radola Gajda - Military Career in Czechoslovakia

Military Career in Czechoslovakia

After arriving in Czechoslovakia in early 1920, Gajda was given a pension and the rank of General, but was not assigned a command. In November 1920 he was sent to study military theory at the École supérieure de guerre in France. He also studied agriculture at the Institute technique de practique agricole.

Gajda returned two years later and on October 9, 1922 was given command of the 11th Division in Košice, Slovakia. His involvement in the cultural life of the region soon endeared him to the locals. On December 1, 1924 he was named Deputy Chief of the General Staff in Prague under General Eugéne Mittelhauser, head of French military mission in Czechoslovakia. Gajda became a rival of Mittelhauser and Mittelhauser's predecessor Maurice Pellé. In this capacity, Gajda worked successfully to limit the influence of the mission, which was brought to an end in 1926. On March 20, 1926 he became Acting Chief of the General Staff. In his position he backed up former legionars against former loyalist Austrian officers.

Under pressure from president Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Gajda was forced to retire, because he had publicly shown himself sympathetic to Italian fascism. Combined with envy, political intrigue and fear of a military coup (similar to the contemporary May Coup in Poland) this led to the dismissal of the ambitious general.