Slovak partisans were an anti-fascist militia formed immediately following the creation of the First Slovak Republic in 1939, to fight against Nazis and their collaborators. Men and women both fought in the ranks of partisan units, as well as Jews and Christians alike. Slovak partisans had mixed loyalties as many were deeply nationalistic and wanted to maintain an independent Slovak Republic free of fascism, while many others were socialists who forged strong links with the Soviet Union and Soviet partisans. Slovak partisans mainly carried out acts of sabotage. Their largest anti-Nazi military engagement was the
Slovak National Uprising in 1944, in which Slovak partisans were aided by the
Slovak Army and
Soviet partisans.
Ján Golian and
Rudolf Viest, generals in the Slovak Army, led the uprising, which was eventually crushed by the Germans and their Hungarian, Slovak and Ukrainian collaborators. The most famous Slovak partisan brigade was the
M.R.Stefanik brigade led by the Slovak partisan hero
Viliam Žingor. With 1300 members, it was the largest partisan brigade, and was fiercely nationalistic yet religiously tolerant, with over 300
Jewish members. After the war this brigade, and its leader, fell into disfavour among
Czechoslovak Communist politicians, who accused
Gustáv Husák of being a traitor to the Slovak nation and people. Zingor was eventually executed by Husák and the communist government on December 18, 1950. The
Janosik brigade was another partisan brigade, which fought in the
Tatra Mountains and
Orava. ==Jewish brigades==