Czechoslovak army in the 20s

The structure of a permanent army began to appear from 1919 when the bases of 12 divisions were made. The emphasis was put especially on infantry and artillery taking into account the experience gained during World War. Neither cavalry nor aviation were forgotten. These arms for active fight were marked as principal. Auxiliary arms (technical and transportation army) were intended to carry out additional tasks in the battlefield. Besides that, so called services were assigned to support the principal and auxiliary arms and make their tasks easier.

The biggest task facing the army was the unification of units. Next to each other coexisted local units formed from the late imperial army and the legions that already returned or were still returning from abroad. The process of unification started in 1920. The army began to operate ‘as usual’ in the fall when the first recruits enlisted and the last units of Russian legions came home. The unification was finished in 1922.The Republic’s territory was divided into four military districts (Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia; western and central Slovakia; eastern Slovakia; Carpathian Russia), which could be further split into 12 division areas. Gradually, new units were formed: 48 infantry regiments, 4 mountain infantry regiments, 10 border battalions, 35 artillery regiments, 3 aviation regiments, 10 cavalry regiments and a series of some smaller military units.In the 1920s a re-displacement of units took place. Their attachment to the new operation areas was expressed also by a ceremonial presenting of colors, e.g. to the 3rd artillery regiment in Litoměřice or to the 1st cavalry regiment in Terezín. As a conclusion to the training period, readiness of soldiers was tested during the final military drills, at the end of the decade – in 1929 – these drills were held in Haná in the presence of President T. G. Masaryk.