Last surviving Czech Dunkirk veteran Josef Turek dies at 100

Josef Turek, a retired colonel whose family believed he had died before he returned home from World War II, died Thursday at the age of 100.

He was the last Czechoslovak soldier living in Czechia who had taken part in the fighting around the French port of Dunkirk, the Defense Ministry’s department for veterans and war graves announced.

His death comes months after France awarded him the Legion of Honor in recognition of his wartime service.

Turek’s route into the Allied forces began with his conscription into the German army in 1944 and deployment to the Western Front in France.

After being captured by American troops, he reached Britain and joined the Czechoslovak forces serving abroad.

As a tank crew member in the Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade, he subsequently participated in the siege of Dunkirk, which continued until the end of the war in Europe.

When he eventually returned home after demobilization, his relatives were surprised to see him alive. His son, Josef Turek Jr., recalled the family’s belief that he had died in an interview published by the Defense Ministry.

Turek briefly worked as a tank-driving instructor after returning to Czechoslovakia and later worked on the railway.

His service with Czechoslovak units on the Western Front subsequently disadvantaged him, and he spent most of his working life in manual occupations.

In his final years, he lived at the veterans’ comprehensive care center at the Military Hospital in Olomouc.

Turek received the Czechoslovak Military Commemorative Medal with the France clasp for his participation in the liberation campaign.

In February, French Ambassador Stéphane Crouzat presented him with the fifth class of the Legion of Honor.

The fighting at Dunkirk was an important operation for Czechoslovak ground forces on the Western Front, distinct from the better-known Allied evacuation from the port in 1940.

The Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade, commanded by General Alois Liška, joined the siege in October 1944.

Approximately 12,000 German troops were encircled in the port. The brigade’s task was to prevent the garrison from breaking out, and operations continued until its surrender on May 9, 1945.

Turek’s death was announced by the Defense Ministry the day after Veterans Day, when Czechia honored those who served in wartime and modern overseas operations.