Jaroslav Záruba

Jaroslav Záruba (26 April 1907 – 10 May 1945) was a Czech officer in the Government Army of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia who commanded Czech forces during the Prague uprising.

In 1928, after graduating from Charles University, Záruba joined the Czechoslovak Army. He was reassigned to the 1st Battalion of the Government Army following the occupation of the Czech lands on the eve of World War II. In 1945, during the Prague uprising, he led a force of Government Army troops, police, and partisans in the defense of the Czech Radio center and helped clear the building and surrounding area of Waffen SS who had laid siege to it.

Early life and education Jaroslav Záruba was born on 26 April 1907 In 1928, he joined the Czechoslovak Army.

On 5 May 1945, Czech Radio staff took control of the Czech Radio broadcasting center, commandeering its equipment to transmit an appeal for a national uprising.

At the 1st Battalion's barracks, Záruba was summoned by General Karel Pražák who told him "the hour of reckoning" had arrived. He was ordered by Pražák to lead a company of Government Army soldiers to clear the radio center of German forces and defend it from further attack. Záruba moved with his men to Czech Radio, infiltrating the top floors of the building via adjacent structures, while the bottom three floors remained secured by German forces. The Government Army — supported by the police and the Gendarmerie — ultimately drove the German forces into the building's basement, which was then flooded, forcing the Germans to surrender. Around this time, the Czechs were joined by two British Army POWs, Thomas Vokes and William Grieg. Vokes and Grieg had earlier escaped Stalag VIII-B but had been stranded in Prague while attempting to travel west to reconnect with British forces. Záruba was fatally wounded and died on 10 May 1945, aged 38.

Legacy Záruba was initially interred at Olšany Cemetery but was later reinterred in the family tomb in Třeboň. He was posthumously promoted to major and posthumously decorated with the State Defense Cross. A plaque at the Czech Radio building commemorates Záruba.