[Czech Republic] Military

[earthbound]

The ACR (Army of the Czech Republic) was formed after the Czechoslovak Armed Forces split which happened right after the Dissolution of Czechoslovakia on the 1st January 1993. Following years were mostly about reduction of it's personnel and equipment. In 2004 the army transformed itself into a fully professional organization and compulsory military service was abolished. According to the official stats from January 2011, the numbers of the ACR's staff and equipment are:

Personnel:

30,564 (including 8,303 civilian employees)

Armoured equipment:

166x T-72 tanks (in all variants, including T-72M4CZ)
694x IFV's and APC's (including BMP-1, BMP-2, BPzV, Pandur II 8x8 CZ, OT-90, OT-64 in all variants)
128x armoured vehicles (in all variants, including BRDM-2, Dingo-2, Iveco LMV)
10x MT-55A bridge layers tanks

Non-armoured equipment: (2008 stats)

114x Land Rover Defender 110 TDi
79x Land Rover Defender 130 'Kajman'
588x Tatra T 810 military trucks
1000+x Tatra T815 (4x4, 6x6, 8x8 versions) military heavy trucks

Artillery equipment:

244x Artillery systems of 100 mm caliber and more (including SpGH 152mm type 77 'DANA', RM-70 rocket launchers, ShM vz.85 PRAM-S, M1982 PRAM-L)
3x ARTHUR Artillery Tracking Radar system

Air-Defece systems:

2K12 Kub-M2 (SA-6 GAINFUL)
9K35 Strela-10M (SA-13 GOPHER)
16x RBS 70 air-defence system

Air Force equipment:

38x JAS-39 Gripen, Aero L-159 'ALCA' jet fighters
25x Mil Mi-24 choppers (including Mi-35 export variants)
22x transport and observation aircrafts (including L-410, An-26, Yak-40, CL-601 Challenger, Airbus A-319 CJ, CASA C-295M)
41x transport and universal choppers (including Mi-8, Mi-17, Mi-171S, W-3A Sokol)
10x L-39 training jet aircraft

Main small arms & hand weapons:

CZ 805 Bren assault rifle (future replacement for the Sa vz.58)
Sa vz.58 assault rifle
Škorpion EVO 3 submachine gun (future replacement for the Škorpion vz.61))
Škorpion vz.61 submachine gun
H&K MP5 submachine gun
Uk vz.59 machine gun
Mk 48 machine gun (replacement for the Uk vz.59 in some units)
Dragunov sniper rifle
CZ-75 pistol
Carl Gustav M3 recoilless rifle
RPG-75 anti-tank grenade launcher

----------------

Missions:

Since 1990, the ACR have contributed to numerous peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, including IFOR, SFOR, and EUFOR Althea in Bosnia, Desert Shield/Desert Storm/Enduring Freedom in Kuwait/Iraq, ISAF in Afghanistan, KFOR in Kosovo, missions in Albania, Turkey, Somalia, Congo or Pakistan.
The first combat operation of the Czech Armed Forces since World War II has been during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan where the 601st Special Forces Group has participated.

Pics:

T-72M4CZ



VT-72M4CZ (recovery vehicle)



BVP-2 (BMP-2)



Pandur II 8x8 CZ (replacement for the BVP-2's in some units)



Dingo 2



Iveco LMV



Land Rover Defender 110 SOV "Cowboy"



Tatra T-810



SpGH 152mm type 77 'DANA'



ARTHUR Artillery Tracking Radar system



9K35 Strela-10M (SA-13 GOPHER)



JAS-39 'Gripen'



L-159 'ALCA'



CASA 295M (replacement for the An-26)



Mil Mi-24 'Hind'



Mil Mi-171S



CZ-805 Bren assault rifle (Sa vz.58 replacement)



Sa vz.58



Skorpion EVO 3 (Skoprion vz.61 replacement)



Mk 48 machine gun (Uk vz.59 replacement in some units)



source: wiki, army.cz, airliners.net, google, personal photos

[Dukecz]

short video

[Trupman]

The list of the Czech army´s training areas (vojenský újezd).
They were established mainly in postwar era and in the places of German population, who were expulsed after the WWII. Now these areas cover nearly 2 % of the Czech republic.

vojenský újezd Hradiště (Doupov)
331 km², established 1955, 82 villages and hamlets destroyed



vojenský újezd Libavá
327 km², established 1946, 29 villages and hamlets destroyed





vojenský újezd Brdy (Jince)
260 km², established 1950, 6 villages and hamlets destroyed







vojenský újezd Boletice
219 km², established 1947, 74 villages and hamlets destroyed



vojenský újezd Březina (Dědice)
158 km², established 1935, there was not destroyed any settlement

[earthbound]

Originally Posted by Trupman

They were established mainly in postwar era

I think in some of these places the military area has been established already years before WWII. For example Jinde (Brdy) area is used for military purpose since 20's. Also my grandmother used to live in one of these destroyed villages (Hrachovistě) before and after the war, but in the beginning of the 50's the military area has expanded again and the whole village has been demolished (together with a few others). Still, today, the whole area is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to, almost untouched nature, very quiet and relaxing locality

[Trupman]

Originally Posted by earthbound

I think in some of these places the military area has been established already years before WWII. For example Jinde (Brdy) area is used for military purpose since 20's.

You´re right. In Brdy area has been army since 1927, but the whole vojenský újezd Brdy in the current borders and with destroyed villages has been existing since 1950.
These areas are really beautiful, but on the other hand it is sad that so many families had to leave their homes. I was only in VÚ Libavá 2 years ago and I was very impressed. If somebody would like to follow my steps, he/she has have a chance every year on 1st May during the Bílý Kámen event

[Stier85]

Hello! I am Bulgarian. I am doing a research on the transformation of the Eastern European armed forces. I am trying to find the detailed structure of the 24. základna dopravního letectva Praha - Kbely, down to companies. Could you please help? What I need is similar to the structure of the 21st airbase for example:

21. základna taktického letectva Čáslav "Zvolenská"
Velitel 21. z TL Čáslav - plukovník gšt. Ing.
Zástupce velitele 21. zTL Čáslav - plukovník gšt. Ing.
Náčelník štábu 21. zTL Čáslav - plukovník gšt. Ing.
Velitel 21. křídla - plukovník Ing.
211. taktická letka
212. taktická letka
213. letka oprav letecké techniky
Roj předepsaných prací a oprav draků a motorů
Roj předepsaných prací a oprav speciálního elektrického zařízení
Roj předepsaných prací a oprav avionického zařízení
Kontrolní a ověřovací roj
Roj předepsaných prací a oprav záchranných prostředků
Roj strojních dílen
Roj evidence dat a materiálu
Roj předepsaných prací a oprav letecké výzbroje
Speciální technická skupina
214. prapor zabezpečení velení
Velitelské středisko leteckého křídla (WOC – Wing Operation Center)
Letištní středisko leteckých provozních služeb (LSLPS)
Roj radionavigační služby (RRNS)
Roj komunikačních a informačních systémů (RKIS)
215. prapor bojového zabezpečení
Prapor bojového zabezpečení se skládá ze strážní roty, čety chemické ochrany a vojenské hasičské jednotky.
216. prapor logistické podpory
•štáb praporu
•rota zabezpečení letového provozu
•rota logistické podpory
•rota oprav vojenské techniky
•laboratoř PHM (pohonné hmoty a maziva)
•stanice biologické ochrany letiště
•posádkový dům armády

Even if the data is in Czech it is not a problem. Thank you!

[historyworks]

I guess there's not much role for a Czech navy! I think the First Republic had a gunboat but then the country had access to the Danube.

Last year I was reading a book about Plzen during WW2 (where of course the Germans took the Skoda Works which produced massive amounts of armaments) and there was a list of the Czechoslovak arsenal in 1939 when it was taken by the Germans. Interesting to compare with today's arsenal:

1,582 aircraft
2,175 artillery guns
501 anti aircraft guns
468 tanks
1,090,000 rifles
43,000 machine guns
1 billion + rounds of ammunition

I also never knew the Germans took all the church bells in the country to melt down for war production in Germany. Is this true?

[Kraj]

Yeah, that's true. But not all of them were stolen.