1940 War: The Breaking Point
Liga českých woodcrafterů ("Czechoslovak Woodcrafters League", LČW)
Picture from p. 124 1. The Police Headquarters' official document about the end of LČW's activity, 1944. ~z~ OA
Picture from p. 124 2. LČW bulletin, 1941. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 124 3. Water sports trail of Kmen pražských woodcrafterů. ~z~ JP
Picture from p. 124 4. Woodcrafters at the creek Sladovařský potok, 1943. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 124 5. LČW's council in Červený Kostelec, 1943. From the left: Ink, Vlk, Wajikani, Wo, Bobr, Bouček, Sova, Smrk. ~z~ SI
LČW emerged in March 1940 as a sports group, mainly thanks to the help of the scout Karel Skála – Čil, a clerk at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Felix Dvořák – Wajikani was elected the Chief, and Ctirad Švehla - Bobr was elected the Fire Warden and Vice-chief. The organization did not officially consist of tribes, but of individuals (today we would call them Guards). Approximately ten tribes existed unofficially. Summer camps were organized every year, and otherwise the members tried to implement active woodcraft in their lives as well. In the beginning of 1944, the organization was disbanded by the authorities, but stayed active ilegally. LČW also published the bulletin Oběžník (Hlasatel) – "Memo (Reporter)" copied on a cyclostyle (mimeograph). Similarly to brothers scouts or Sokol members, woodcrafters would get sent to Reich's camps of forced labor, and they worked for the resistance or even with weapons in their hands – in the army or with guerrillas. Many brothers and sisters died in concentration camps.
Stvořidla
Picture from p. 125 1. The camp at Stvořidla, 1943. ~a~ FIC, ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 125 2. A pastel drawing of Stvořidla, 1942. ~a~ FIC, ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 125 3. Morning hygiene routine and a warm-up at Stvořidla, 1944. ~a~ FIC, ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 125 4. A view of the rapids at Stvořidla, 1943. ~a~ FIC, ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 125 5. A rock tower above Stvořidla, 1943. ~a~ FIC, ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 125 6. A rapid part of the Sázava river, which woodcrafters fell in love with during the war..., 1944. ~a~ FIC, ~z~ SI
Between the towns Ledeč nad Sázavou and Světlá nad Sázavou, the railway curls along the Sázava river. It is a romantic area with charming corners, rapids, backwaters, enormous boulders, and narrow paths running along the water as well as deeper into the forest. This is where Stvořidla is located, a place that became Czech woodcrafters' new campsite in summer 1943. Our devotees to forest wisdom liked Stvořidla so much that camps took place there for another 20 years.
Kmen pražských woodcrafterů ("Prague Woodcrafters Tribe", KPW)
Picture from p. 126 1. The Stárek hut at Živohošť, 1941. ~a~ FIC, ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 126 2. KPW at Živohošť, from the left: Jason, Slunce, Mýval, Sova, Ink a Zdeňka, 1941. ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 126 3. A teepee at the creek Sladovařský potok, 1942. ~a~ FIC, ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 126 4. Vlk feeding Honzík strawberries, 1943. ~a~ FIC, ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 126 5. A family camp at Stvořidla, from the left: Jalka, Honzík, Duška, Vlk, Ink, Ekedan, Zdeňka, 1943. ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 126 6. KPW wandering around Sv. Jan pod Skalou, Mýval is looking into the camera, 1944. ~a~ FIC, ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 126 7. Inka's hut on the Střela river, 1943. ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 126 8. A trip to the Karlštejn castle, 1943. ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 127 9. A leather folder painted by Jiří Novák – Hukwim. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 127 10. KPW sleeping under the stars, 1943. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 127 11. KPW on the Sázava river, 1942. Mahykan is in the front, wearing a cap. ~z~ JP
Picture from p. 127 12. Wakin's three blackprints from KPW's trip, Žloukovice 1943. ~a~ LC, ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 127 13. KPW heading to Stvořidla, Smrk is last in the line, 1943. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 127 14. KPW in the forests around Křivoklát, 1944. ~z~ SI
KPW resulted from a merger of the Prague-based tribes Wahpeton and Dakota towards the end of 1941. Ctirad Švehla – Bobr was elected the Chief, Jaromír Wolf – Vlk was elected the Fire Warden. The tribe's members constituted the largest part of LČW during the war. They camped at Živohošť, Stvořidla, and at the camp Královská. In 1945 they initiated the renewal of LČSW. During Prague Spring in 1968, they changed the name to Wahpeton – this name was accepted by the tribe of the oldest woodcrafters after the renewal of LLM in 1990 as well.
Other LČW tribes
Picture from p. 128 1. A cover of the chronicle of Kmen Šelem 1943-1945. ~z~ JK
Picture from p. 128 2. A cover of the magazine Liška ("Fox") no. 1/1943. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 128 3.–4. The tribe Delawares at Vlčtejn, 1944. ~z~ JS
Picture from p. 128 5. Liščí kmen at Sv. Jan pod Skalou, 1944. ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 128 6. The tribe Šelmy on a water trail, 1944. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 128 7. The Wahpekute tribe, Tarka is at the top, 1943. ~z~ JP
The Prague-based Kmen pražských woodcrafterů was definitely the backbone of the organization, but the activity of other tribes should not be dismissed. In Prague, there were mostly tribes of younger boys – Kmen Šelem ("The Ferine Tribe"), the tribe Kmen Wahpekute, and Liščí kmen ("Foxes Tribe"). The Delawares, a very agile tribe, were active in Chválenice near Pilsen. All these tribes were directly connected to Kmen pražských woodcrafterů and camped with them at Stvořidla in summer. Apart from that, the section Bojovní Orli ("Fighting Eagles") under the leadership of Ladislav Vodák was active in the town of Tábor. Rhytmika, a tribe of younger girls, was led by Antonie Bukovanská from Družstvo Walden.
Bratrstvo Bílého bobra ("White Beaver Brotherhood", BBB)
Picture from p. 129 1. A cover of the magazine Zálesák no. 1/1944. ~z~ RP
Picture from p. 129 2.–4. Some of BBB's activities, 1944. ~z~ RP
Picture from p. 129 5. Jiří Pacl, 1943. ~z~ RP
It is quite ironic that the most distinct woodcraft activity in Slovakia during the war was achieved by of a group of Czech high school students in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. At first, they knew nothing about the pre-war organization LČSW. On 4 October 1942, Jiří Pacl – Bílý Orel and Dimitrij Nikolajev – Rychlý šíp founded Bratrstvo Bílého Bobra ("White Beaver Brotherhood") as a scouting section, inspired by the book Boys from the Beavers' River written by Jaroslav Foglar – Jestřáb. The chronicle reads:
In our club, we decided to live a brotherly, scouting life together, and to get educated in woodcraft. We want to put all our efforts towards reaching higher ideals of a strong personality and manhood. We want to become such boys as Roy was.
Further on, the chronicle says that the group used the greeting "Mannitou with us!" and that its totem was a statuette of the Indian character Velký Išimak (also an inspiration by a book by Foglar, this time The Cottage in the Lake Basin).
The Brotherhood shortly expanded as Jožko Pauhof and Milan Pakán – Rys had joined. In April 1943, the boys held a ceremonial campfire to become an Indian tribe. The tribe's warriors would traditionally hold the Red Sky Celebration which they had read about in Foglar's book. The last three warriors accepted into the tribe were Slávek Ostrčil – Šedý Vlk, Zdeněk Lejdar – Mauglí and Jindra Merganc – Rychlonohý Lišák.
War heroes and victims
Picture from p. 130 Watercolor painting "Glowing Fire", 1981. ~z~ AW
After the Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich was successfully assassinated on 27 May 1942, the Czech population was severely repressed by the Nazis; there were at least 2,000 victims. This chapter recounts woodcrafters' heroism and the sacrifices for our country's freedom. Much was written about hundreds of scout heroes, whereas the backers of forest wisdom are still believed to have had their hands tied by their pacifist mindset.
Here we present some photos and stories of our brothers and sisters who did not live to see the end of the war. This is by all means just a fragmentary selection limited by the amount of the information we have. Although we do have a quite extensive archive of photographs from woodcrafters' camps, we are, unfortunately, often unable to link the faces with official names. In this case we have used photographs from the relevant gravestones or memorials of the fallen. Thank you in advance for providing us with any other information!
- Hans Robitschek
- A doctor by profession. He studied at the German Charles University in Prague (1924–30) and was the Chief of the tribe Prager Pfadfinder ("Prague Scouts"). In the years 1923–1926 he was a member of LLM. In concentration camps during the war: Transport Am, no. 400 (24 Apr 1942, Prague -> Terezin), transport Eb, no. 2198 (18 May 1944, Terezin -> Auschwitz). Murdered by the Nazis in Auschwitz.
- Hildegarda Voglová
- A roentgenologist who graduated in medicine from the German Charles University in 1928. A member of the woodcrafter tribe Prager Neupfadfinder. On 31 October 1941, Hilda, her husband Emil – Wučiček and other relatives got deported to the ghetto in Łódź, Poland. They were subsequently sent to Auschwitz and separated. Hilda was later sent to the concentration camp Stutthof. From there, she was transferred to Bernsdorf on 29 November 1944, and further on to Zwodau (Flossenbürg concentration camp) where she died on 6 March 1945.
- Jaroslav Robovský
- The Chief of the clan Vlci ("Wolves") from the tribe Inkové ("Incas") from Hradec Králové. Originally known by the nickname Bílý Tesák ("White Fang") and later by the forest name Grizzly. He visited the Kibbo Kift summer camp with Miloš Seifert in 1923. He was employed at the Czechoslovak Railways.
- He got arrested for his activities with the resistance, and was executed by the fascist occupants in Dresden. At the station Masarykovo nádraží in Prague there is his name on a memorial plaque for the war victims who had worked for the railways.
- Jaroslav Šimsa
- The LLM Chief in 1926–28. When the Nazi occupation began, he took active part in the 2nd Resistance. For example, he co-founded the petition committee Věrni zůstaneme (We Remain Faithful). From 27 February 1940 he was imprisoned at Karlovo náměstí in Prague, then in the concentration camp Terezin, and later in Munich for over two years. In 1943 they transported him to the concentration camp in Terezin via Ulm. After that he was shortly held in Pankrác, Prague, and then transferred to the concentration camp Dachau. This is where he caught epidemic typhus at the beginning of 1945, which also caused his death not long before the war ended.
- Miroslav Borkovec
- A member of Kmen Ohně ("Tribe of Fire") in Husovice. He worked as a mechanic, later went through flight training and joined the Czechoslovak pilots in France at the beginning of the war. In 1940 he joined the British RAF troops. With the Sergeant rank he was assigned to the Czechoslovak No. 313 Squadron B. He died on 17 May 1942 in an air battle above the English Channel, approximately 15 km from Calais.
- Robert Müller
- The Chief of the tribe Mohykán ("Mohican") from Hradec Králové. In Prague in 1936, he was introduced to E. T. Seton and was able to shake his hand. By then he was already preparing in his mind for his Great Journey to Palestine where he wanted to work in agriculture at a kibbutz and to start a woodcrafter league for Jews and Arabs. A son of Jewish parents, he was transported to the concentration camp Terezin on 21 December 1942. On 1 February 1943 he was transferred to Auschwitz to die in a gas chamber.
- Antonín Žlábek
- A tax administration financial clerk, a scout, a woodcrafter. In LLM he was registered as a member of Soví kmen Praha ("Owl Tribe Prague") and later as a guard from the village Mšec near the town of Slaný. He was forced to move to the town Domažlice after the occupation, where he led a scouting troop.
- Already on 14 March 1943, Žlábek was arrested by the Gestapo for resistance activities in the region Chodsko. At first, he was interned at the Terezin concentration camp, and then transferred to Berlin where he was executed on 21 April 1943.
- Felix Kohn
- The chronicler of the tribe Wahpeton Praha. He took part in a few camps at Walden and in Petrovice. A member of the Jewish nation from a mixed marriage, he was transported to the concentration camp Terezin on 12 May 1942 and five days later to Lublin where he was murdered at only 21 years of age.
- Jiří Wolf
- The Chief of Kmen Svobodného bratrství ("Tribe of Free Brotherhood"), nickname: Vlk ("Wolf"). He owned a vegetarian cafeteria in the town of Poděbrady, he was a woodcrafter and a member of Sokol and of The Religious Society of Czech Unitarians, and was highly active in the illegal resistance movement. He committed suicide in Kutná Hora in 1942 so that he could not be arrested and interrogated by the Gestapo.
- Bohumil Linhart
- A member of the woodcrafter tribe Kmen Šelem ("The Ferine Tribe") from Prague. His nickname was Vydra ("Otter"). He was introduced to forest wisdom by his older sister Vlasta – Zářka and brother-in-law Vladimír Šilhan – Katug. During the Prague Uprising, he joined other woodcrafters to build barricades. When the brave Vydra fell, shot by a German soldier in the street Celetná in front of the house no. 556 on 8 May 1945, he was not even 16 years old yet...
- Karel Lustig
- A member of the Příbram-based tribe Želvy ("Turtles"), a high school student. During the war he was deported to the concentration camp Terezin (4 September 1942) and from there to the Nazi concentration and extermination camp Maly Trostenets in Belarus where he was murdered.
- Arnošt Drillich
- A member of a woodcrafter section under the Milíč Home from 1933. From 1935 he participated in Samechov campers' camps. Due to his Semite roots, Arnošt ended up in a transport to the Jewish ghetto in Łódź, Poland, on 21 October 1941. He did not survive the inhumane living conditions there.
- Matúš Hronec
- One of the Chiefs of the tribe Priatelia prírody ("Friends of Nature") in Zvolen, Slovakia. His nickname was Maťo.
- Matúš Hronec got murdered on 19 February 1945 by the fascists from Einsatzkommando 14 in the forest Pod Stráňou near Zvolen.
- Jiří Drillich
- Arnošt's younger brother was also a member of the woodcrafter section of the Milíč Home in Prague, where he used to go on a regular basis. Together with his mother and brother, he attended camps led by Zdeněk Teichman. On 10 June 1942, Jiří was deported to the labor camp Ujazdów, Poland, near the Ukrainian border. Neither he lived to see the end of the war...
Felix Dvořák - Wajikani, Antonie Bukovanská - Šipka
Picture from p. 132 F. Dvořák, 1943. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 132 Wajikani and Wapiton, Walden 1937. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 133 A. Bukovanská, 1932. ~a~ AW
Picture from p. 133 Girls' gymnastics exercises led by Šipka. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 134 The title drawing from Kmen Šelem's chronicle, 1945. ~z~ AW
- Ing. Felix Dvořák - Wajikani
- (* 28. března 1909, Czentocice, Polsko – † 14. května 1979, Praha)
Originally the Chief of Veverky ("Squirrels") from Bratislava, Slovakia (a member of Liga pro výchovu přírodou – "League for Education by Nature" from 1926), later in Brno.
Viliam Valovič – Manoki's clostest friend (they were high school classmates). A long-time member of the group of LČSW Chiefs. The LČW Chief in the years 1940–44. As the Chief of the Eagle Feather Council he was able to finalize the new revised edition of Svitek orlích per ("Eagle Feathers Roll") in 1948. In the years 1972–79, he actively supported Miloslav Vavrda in creating the archive and the movement's chronicle. Part of the rare materials (correspondence, photos, decrees) in the current LLM archive actually comes from Wajikani.
- Antonie Bukovanská - Šipka
- (* 3. dubna 1903 – † 22. března 1973, Praha)
Née Konopásková. She was the Chief of the section Vlčí máky ("Poppies") in Prague from 1923. Originally she worked with the Socialist Scouts under the nickname Sylva.
She assumed the position of a leader within the league very early on. She also became one of the Chiefs and a member of the Trustees Council. Together with her sister Marie they supported the left-wing orientation of Prokop Koudela and Josef Fišer, but similarly to Vavrda or Bukovanský, they stood against the Isawans' coup. Until 1932 she led girls' camps at Samechov and belonged to the Chiefs; after her husband Karel Bukovanský got expelled, she left LČW too. She joined the founders of Družstvo Walden (Vavrda, Retka, the Teichmans) and kept leading The Campfire Girls' camps at Samechov and the Walden hut near Nový Hrozenkov.
During the war, she led the girls' tribe Rhytmika in Prague. Its program included not only camping, but also exercise in nature, gymnastics, dancing and drama.
After the war she got divorced, she was active in the women's movement, and published in the press. Upon appeal by Miloslav Vavrda, she rejoined LČSW in 1947 together with other older members (Pitter, Krch, Trnka and so on).
