Unheralded WWII battle raged 50 days

Unheralded WWII battle raged 50 days


By Chris Togneri
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, July 27, 2008






In the fall of 1944, one of the bloodiest battles of World War II raged for 50 days, destroying entire villages and killing tens of thousands of young soldiers.
Yet many Americans have never heard of the Battle for Dukla Pass, a strategic area on the border between Slovakia and Poland.
"All kinds of people in Russia, Ukraine, Poland and Slovakia know about it because their sons and daughters were killed in that battle," said Bill Tarkulich, who gave a lecture on Dukla on Saturday at the Pittsburgh chapter of the Carpatho-Rusyn Society in Munhall. "But no Western soldiers at all were there. So we don't know about it."
Tarkulich is not a military analyst or even a historian. "I'm a program manager for Hewlett Packard (in Massachusetts)," he said.
He came across Dukla several years ago while researching his family's background. Tarkulich is Rusyn -- one of the many ethnic groups of Slovakia -- and his family lived in a small village in the northeast section of the country in an area devastated by the long battle.

"Dukla has become my passion," he said.
Tarkulich explained that advancing Russian troops expected to breeze through the pass, storm through a Nazi-occupied Slovakia and advance quickly to Vienna.
They did not know that Germany had brought in reinforcements. They were unaware that the Nazis had disarmed and imprisoned the entire Slovak army corps after learning that its 32,000 soldiers were planning to revolt and aid the Russians.
When the smoke cleared nearly two months later, more than 45,000 people were dead, 918 homes had been razed, and 11 villages were destroyed, Tarkulich said.
"I can't imagine what it was like," he said.
The area is marked by the devastating battle.
One valley near the Slovak town of Svidnik was renamed Dolina smrti, or Valley of Death, and old tanks still dot the countryside. At the pass, several monuments -- including a statue of an elderly woman crying on a soldier's shoulder -- honor those who died.
A statue of two hands handling a disc celebrates the work of mine removers. Tens of thousands of explosives were buried in the region, and to this day livestock step on undetonated mines and are killed, Tarkulich said.
Yesterday marked Tarkulich's third lecture on Dukla, with the first two in New Jersey and Connecticut.
"My motivation was to find out what was really going on in these towns," Tarkulich said. "For example, I talked to a woman who said, 'We dug a hole in the woods and hid for two weeks.'" He interviewed a soldier who fought in the battle. He told Tarkulich: "Every time I am asked to talk about it, I can't. Because even now it makes me cry."


Unheralded WWII battle raged 50 days - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

 

Another battle to read up on! Thanks for the info. Interesting website here.

Steve W.

 

I think there is always some aspect ot battle or little bit of info that will eventually come up.

 

almost as long as the Battle of the Scheldt from early october to opening of Antwerp on November 28/'44The Battle of the Scheldt - Veterans Affairs Canada


except building being burnt..here they and the land was ruined...

 

No Offence. But other then the almost similar legnth of time and possible destruction what does this have to do with the Battle for Dukla Pass? They happened on two different fronts and with two different armies. I for one am very aware of the the Scheldt . But as the article has stated I am one of the many who were not aware of Battle for Dukla Pass. This is new info to me.

 

Hi JC, thanks for the info on this battle. I have heard of it but never read anything about it ;-))

 

HI all;
Here is an interesting link on the subject; Dukla Pass
JeffinMNUSA

 

Good post. Often dont hear much on Slovakia, always interesting to hear.

 

Thanks for the post, I had never heard of this before (though I don't profess to be an expert on the Eastern Front by any means).
I think the comparison to the Scheldt is that a lot of people actually have not heard of that battle. Maybe more people in Canada since it was a primarily Canadian battle. Still the destruction was not nearly so great, and a far higher percentage have heard of it.

 

This battle certainly deserves more recognition

 

Great info !!

 

I am so glad to have found this fourm! Just when you think you know it all!

 

I read a little bit of it. Like the Poles, the Slovaks thought of self liberating their country. THe great tragedy is that the Slovak high command failed to act when the time came, so the SOviets had no internal help to clear the pass and the majority of soldiers were rounded up by the Germans.