Golian, Ján

Golian, Ján (26 January 1906, Dombóvár, Hungary – 1945?, Flossenbürg concentration camp?, Germany) — Slovak Brigade General, one of the main organizers of the Slovak National Uprising (Slovenské národné povstanie), commander of the resistance 1st Czechoslovak Army.

After graduating from the Higher Industrial School of Mechanical Engineering in Bratislava, Golian enrolled in the Military Academy in Hranice na Morave. He graduated in 1927 as a lieutenant of artillery and after completing various courses and training, he passed, in March 1937, the entrance examinations to the Military Academy in Prague (Vysoká škola válečná). Although he successfully completed the first two years of his studies, however, he was unable to finish the program due to the deteriorating international situation. This was caused by the imminent threat to Czechoslovak Republic (Czechoslovakia; Československá republika, ČSR) from Nazi Germany, as well as two mobilizations in 1938: a partial mobilization in May and a full mobilization in September. Instead, he was assigned to serve as a staff officer in the town Banská Bystrica, and later transferred to a Divisional Headquarters in the town Krupina.

After the establishment of the pro-Nazi Slovak Republic (Slovakia; Slovenská republika) in March 1939, he was assigned to the Divisional Area Command of the newly-created Slovak army in the town Trenčín, holding the rank of captain of the artillery. While in Trenčín, he engaged in illegal resistance activities, assisting with the covert border crossings of former members of the Czechoslovak army. Along with his associates, he facilitated the transit of Czech officers and other refugees from the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (Protektorát Čechy a Morava) through Hungary to the West. He also provided confidential information to the Czechoslovak government-in-exile in London. Throughout the war, he maintained illegal contacts with various resistance groups.

In 1940 and 1941, he held multiple positions, steadily advancing up through the military ranks. Following Slovakia's entry into the war against the Soviet Union in June 1941, he participated in the offensive in various field posts, including serving as the head of the material department of the Slovak Expeditionary Army Group (also known as the Rapid Division; Rýchla divízia) from 1 August to 14 November 1941. This motorized division was a component of the Slovak military forces fighting under Nazi German command on the Eastern Front. After returning from the front, he occupied several staff and command positions. In the interim, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the General Staff on 1 January 1943.

On 19 December 1943 (effective from 1 January 1944), Ján Golian was appointed Chief of Staff of the Ground Army Headquarters in Banská Bystrica. Here he established contacts with a group of anti-fascist officers, including M. Ferjenčík, Miroslav Vesel, D. Kišš-Kalina, and J. Nosko. Through these contacts, he formed links with other anti-fascist groups and established direct communication with the Czechoslovak government-in-exile in London. On 23 March 1944, the President of the Czechoslovak government-in-exile, E. Beneš, appointed him as the head of preparations for the Uprising of the Slovak army. On 27 April 1944, during a meeting of the illegal Slovak National Council (Slovenská národná rada, SNR) in Bratislava, he accepted the assignment to lead the Military Command (Vojenské ústredie, VÚ). Along with his collaborators in the VÚ, he developed a military plan for an armed Uprising, which he sent to London for review and approval on 28 June 1944. He presented the plan at a meeting of the illegal SNR the following day.

Ján Golian was tasked with coordinating the military preparations for the Uprising with local political groups which were united under the illegal SNR. He was also responsible for liaising with the Czechoslovak government-in-exile in London, whose decisions he was obliged to follow. To address both strategic issues and daily challenges, he maintained systematic radio-telegraphic communication with Czechoslovak military authorities in London. This communication became increasingly important after the arrival of small groups of paratroopers from the USSR in eastern and central Slovakia at the end of July 1944. In early August 1944, he dispatched an emissary to eastern Slovakia to advise partisans operating there that acting prematurely could jeopardize the interests of the resistance movement. Although both politicians from the SNR and officers from the VÚ agreed on the need to curb any premature partisan activities that might attract unwanted German attention, they were ultimately unable to contain the growing insurgent activity in central Slovakia. The VÚ closely monitored the movement of German troops, particularly their concentration along the Moravian-Slovak border, fearing that partisan activities could trigger German intervention. Ultimately, this is exactly what transpired. Partisan actions, especially those in towns Martin, Ružomberok, and Brezno, eventually provoked German intervention. On 28 August 1944, Jozef Tiso, the President of Slovak Republic and pro-Nazi collaborator, consented to the arrival of German occupation troops in Slovakia, citing the inability of his own security and military forces to manage the situation.

Following the initiation of the German intervention, events unfolded quickly. On the evening of the next day, 29 August 1944, after a radio speech by the collaborationist Minister of National Defence, General Ferdinand Čatloš, confirming the arrival of German occupation forces, Golian issued an order signaling the army to begin armed resistance. The Slovak National Uprising began. As the army commander, under the increasing pressure of the occupation troops, he and his staff dealt with all the most important tasks of defending the insurgent territory. On 29 August 1944, he was promoted by the Czechoslovak Ministry of National Defence in London to colonel of the general staff and, based on the decision of the SNR of 5 September 1944, to the rank of brigadier-general. By a radiogram dated 12 September 1944, he was informed that the Czechoslovak Government in London had confirmed this rank.

From its beginning, Golian was disappointed that things did not turn out favorably for the armed Uprising. This was especially true in the east of Slovak Republic where the good starting points of the Uprising were thwarted; the passivity and indecisiveness of the top command and the failure to build a deeper conspiratorial network at the lower levels meant that the German troops succeeded in disarming the Eastern Slovak divisions as well as the Army Headquarters in the town Prešov in a short time. This effectively undermined the possibility of a more active form of insurgency, which had counted on cooperation with the Soviet Red Army (two Eastern Slovak divisions were tasked with opening the Carpathian passes to facilitate this cooperation). Golian and his associates also bear some responsibility for selecting less-than-ideal individuals to lead the army garrisons in Western Slovakia. Even some of the officers deemed most reliable ultimately fell short at critical moments. This meant significant territorial and material losses for the Uprising. During the fighting on the insurgent front, Golian directed military operations, in some places even personally participating in a bid to increase morale through his presence. Golian served as the commander of the 1st Czechoslovak Army in Slovakia, an ad-hoc military formation created by the insurgents, until 7 October 1944. He was then replaced by General Rudolf Viest, who had arrived from London at Golian's request. As the military situation grew increasingly critical, Golian and the staff of the 1st Czechoslovak Army Headquarters retreated from Banská Bystrica on 27 October 1944, just before the German takeover. They relocated to the village Donovaly, but it became evident that organized resistance had come to an end, a fact which Viest communicated to London. After issuing Viest's final order – to transition to guerrilla warfare tactics – Golian and the remainder of the insurgent army departed from Donovaly.

They started heading east – towards the area of the mountains Poľana. In the first days, the marching troops did not encounter German troops but had to overcome immense hardships caused by the unfavourable weather conditions. On 2 November 1944, Generals Viest and Golian and a group of soldiers reached the village Pohronský Bukovec, where they found a hiding place. In this village, the generals were captured the next day. After interrogation, they were escorted to Banská Bystrica and later to Bratislava. From there, they were transported to Vienna on 10 November 1944 and on the same day to Berlin. From there they were probably taken to the Flossenburg concentration camp where they were murdered.