13 Soviet Blouse of A. V. Fomin, Mistr Jan Hus Paragroup Leader, c. 1944

Fotogalerie

One of the most successful partisan groups was the Master Jan Hus paratrooper unit which operated in the Bohemian-Moravian highlands. The commander of the paratrooper unit was Red Army Captain Alexander Vasilyevich Fomin, the commissioner was Miroslav Pich – Tuma, later an infamous member of the Czechoslovak State Security.

In the early evening of 23 March 1945, the headquarters of the Master Jan Hus partisan detachment was tracked down by German search parties and subsequently surrounded near the village of Leskovice. The staff at that moment consisted of three Soviet soldiers, a radio operator, a doctor and two Czechoslovak partisans. After several hours of fighting with more than 100 times the German superiority, the partisans were defeated. Only the badly wounded Fomin survived and was shot shortly afterwards in Chrudim.

The members of the paratrooper unit were equipped with military uniforms during the jump. Those were exchanged over time for garments of civilian or trophy origin. The original uniforms were hidden and after the war, they were provided to the collections of the Military History Institute.

The officer’s jacket of Capt. Fomina is made of combed yarn in olive colour. The raspberry trim on the collar denotes his infantry affiliation. Compared to the standard design, the pockets have additional buttons. The unusual striped lining is made of cotton canvas. Above the right pocket, we can see a trace of the Order of the Red Star which Fomin received for fighting in Kiev.