In February 1919, the Czechoslovak Minister of War, General Milan Rastislav Štefánik (1880–1919), returned to Europe from Siberia and prepared to return to his free homeland. However, during a flight from Italy to Czechoslovakia on May 4, 1919, his plane crashed at low altitude just before landing near Bratislava and all crew members perished. A pistol case, collar star, engine coolant drain plug, wood fragments and metal ingots were found at the crash site.
Shortly after the tragedy, a number of conspiracy theories emerged about Štefánik's last flight, which revealed some disagreements among the top leaders of the Czechoslovak resistance.