Oldřich Pechal

Pechal was awarded the State Defense Cross of Czechia in 2011.

Having completed his training, Pechal and two other Czech operatives (collectively code-named ZINC) were dropped behind German lines on 28 March 1942. The intended target of the drop was Moravia, but a navigational error resulted in the trio being dropped near the village of Gbely in Slovakia, forcing the three to split up and cross into Moravia on foot. During his crossing, Pechal was briefly detained by two German customs officers, who assumed he was a smuggler. Pechal escaped custody and killed one of the officers, but was forced to flee without his supplies - including his forged identification papers, which were recovered by the Gestapo.

After his capture by the Germans, Pechal was subjected to a brutal beating, days of harsh interrogation, and was told that 8 members of his family had been executed in retaliation for his activities. However, he refused to crack and did not divulge the identity of his fellow agents or details of his mission. He was transferred to Mauthausen concentration camp, where he was executed by hanging on 22 September 1942.

Oldřich Pechal (13 May 1913, Osvětimany – 22 September 1942, Mauthausen) was a Czech soldier. Pechal served as a soldier in World War II, fighting in the Czechoslovak and British armies against Nazi Germany. He was captured following a failed operation in 1942, and was executed in Mauthausen concentration camp that same year. Pechal is considered a national hero of the Czech Republic.

Pechal was born on 13 May 1913 in Osvětimany, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His father was a forester, and Pechal spent much of his time in Vřesovice. He also developed a reputation for his athletic ability. After graduating from grammar school, Pechal enlisted in the Czechoslovak army in 1934.