JUDr. Jan Karlík (1895–1944). Zapomenutá osobnost československé vojenské vědy
JUDr. Jan Karlík (1895–1944) – A Forgotten Figure of the Czechoslovak Military

Summary/Abstract: All of the dramatic events of the first half of the 20th century affected JUDr. Jan Karlík. Although he had no personal disposition for military service, he actively participated in the fighting on the Great War fronts. Not only did he acquire battlefield experience, but he also received an excellent specialised military education. He eventually used all of it as a member of the Czechoslovak Legion in France and thus contributed to the establishment of an independent state. Although he remained in the new Czechoslovak Army after the war, his disputes with political and military leaders of the time constantly worsened. At last, he left the armed forces, but did not cease his diligent research and publishing in the field of military science and military theory. Politically, he drew closer to the Czechoslovak far right, even though he again kept his distance and went his own direction. During World War Two, he actively participated in the anti-Nazi resistance movement, risking his own life and the lives of his closest relatives. At long last, he was executed and despite his contradictory personality and political opinions, his family received recognition and accepted a special award for Karlík. His military-scientific beliefs published in the 1920s continue to have a permanent input in the profusion of ideas about the Czechoslovak theory of state defence, although they can be regarded as nearly forgotten today.

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