Jan Smudek

Jan Smudek (8 September 1915 – 17 November 1999) was a Czech resistance fighter and soldier nicknamed "The Elusive Jan". His daring actions during the World War II caused international interest and have inspired filmmakers to create films such as Georgian Uchinari Jan (Elusive Jan, 1943) and the renowned American film Casablanca.

Biography Smudek was born in Bělá nad Radbuzou, however, his family moved to Domažlice soon after his birth. He studied at various industrial schools.

World War II In 1939, soon after the Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia, he studied at School of Engineering in Kladno. Smudek, a member of Sokol and Junák, decided to join the resistance movement. His group had the task to obtain weapons. They also put a price of 120,000 crowns on his head. Smudek arrived to Prague on 27 March 1940.

He has managed to flee from the Protectorate in April, 1940, with the help of Václav Morávek, a member of the renowned resistance group Three Kings. Uchinari Jan (Неуловимый Ян, Elusive Jan), Georgian film made in 1943; directed by Vladimir Petrov; produced by Tbilisi Kinostudia; title role Yevgeny Samoylov Nepolapitelný Jan (Elusive Jan), documentary by the Czech Television, 2008