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133:(Czechoslovak State Security Service). Ruml's friend, Vlasta "Bůňa" Krejčí, was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment. Ruml himself was released without further consequences. The incident and the growing atmosphere of fear and repression by the state apparatus gradually strengthened his intention to leave Czechoslovakia. In 1951, his girlfriend told him about a planned illegal border crossing by train. The chief organizer was her uncle František Šilhart, a former editor of the magazine
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continue until the train was farther away from the border, but the driver was unwilling to take the risk due to his unfamiliarity with local track conditions. While the plot organizers explained to the shocked passengers that their action had been planned in advance, a jeep approached. The train driver was ordered by German and U.S. officials to proceed to nearby
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The train approached Aš shortly before 3 p.m. and Švec gave the signal. The train decelerated and rolled up on the station at its normal speed before it accelerated again and passed through the station, all the while still picking up speed. Passengers were unaware of what was happening and panic
205:
In Selb, the train was met by a number of reporters and journalists. Karel Ruml, who was the only
English speaking person among the hijackers, received an offer (along with Truksa and Konvalinka) from the Americans to undertake a US tour talking about their unusual escape. Ruml asked them to conceal
192:
The train sped on and crashed through a barrier placed across the track at the border. It carried on for another kilometer into West
Germany before it came to a halt. State Security and State Police officers got off and immediately made for the Czechoslovak border. The plot organizers preferred to
238:
In response, the
Communist regime in Czechoslovakia organized trials of the people involved in the incident and other groups collaborating in anti-state activities. The first nine defendants were sentenced to 162 years in prison. František Šilhart was sentenced to death. However, his sentence was
471:
188:
officers were on board as passengers as well – they regularly rode on trains passing close by the borders of
Western-allied states. Officers tried to reach the emergency brakes that had been installed on all carriages but found them guarded by armed hijackers.
137:(American Letters). Šilhart decided to stay in Czechoslovakia and continue illegal anti-state activities. His son Vladimír travelled on the train instead. Karel Ruml only joined up with the other hijackers on the train, where he was contacted by Truksa.
168:—the station before Aš—the driver deliberately delayed it by four minutes. Under cover of inspection of the carriage brakes, he disabled the emergency brakes. Jaroslav Švec boarded at Hazlov. His task was to signal whether the
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his identity in order to protect family members still in
Czechoslovakia. After a month, the group of hijackers and their families (who had left the country with them) moved to Canada, where they received the
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set off from Prague at 9:55 a.m. It was divided in Cheb at 2:12 p.m.; three carriages proceeding onward to
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66:. The success of the enterprise was acclaimed around the world and led the communist authorities to tighten the
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was among the 171 suspects interrogated in association with the case. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
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110:
90:
Karel Truksa, Jaroslav Švec, a physician, and Karel Ruml, who later described his experience in the book
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40:
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and the
American-occupied zone of Germany is considered one of the most significant mass escapes from a
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177:
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at Aš had been switched in the direction of the West German border, which happened irregularly.
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Ruml, Konvalinka and Truksa later moved to the United States to live. Vladimír Šilhart went to
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385:"60 let od nejdrzejšího útěku Čechoslováků za svobodou: Železničáři unesli vlak plný lidí!"
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were consolidating, the diversion of the train across the heavily policed border between
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commuted to life imprisonment and he was released in the 1960s. The actress
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and, soon after, he joined a group smuggling secret documents from the
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70:. The incident also led to removal of the railroad tracks at abandoned
315:"Vlakem do svobody – v roce 1951 prosvištěl Aší a zastavil až v Selbu"
348:"Trať 'vlaku svobody' mezi Aší a německým Selbem zřejmě znovu ožije"
210:. Their case was widely publicized by the Western media, including
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erupted. Most were high school students and patients of the spa at
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434:"1951:Freedom Train : In our pages: 100, 75 and 50 years ago"
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109:, he was expelled from his studies at the Faculty of Law of the
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Zrušené železniční tratě v Čechách, na Moravě a ve
Slezsku
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130:
46:
At a time when divisions between the
Communist-dominated
613:
Pečinka, Bohumil (6 September 2001). "Vlak svobody II".
129:. During their conversation, they were arrested by the
648:
509:Pečinka, Bohumil (31 May 2001). "Vlak svobody".
31:to describe the mass escape of opponents of the
583:Vlak svobody. Kniha reportáží z moderních dějin
262:""Vlak svobody" převezl za hranice 110 lidí"
82:The hijacking of the train was organized by
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156:On 11 September 1951, the express train to
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101:movement since 1949. As a member of the
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528:Benešová, Hana (2011). "Vlak svobody".
121:. In late 1949 he met an old friend in
94:(From the Diary of the Freedom Train).
649:
259:
39:border on 11 September 1951 involving
346:Husárová, Lucie (11 September 2011).
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339:
462:"Czechs Get Facts on Freedom Train"
387:(in Czech). Aha!. 18 September 2011
27:) is the term commonly used in the
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551:
377:
97:Karel Ruml had been active in the
14:
693:
470:. 10 October 1951. Archived from
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677:Czechoslovakia–Germany relations
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682:September 1951 events in Europe
662:Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
260:Navara, Luděk (15 March 2006).
180:(more than 70 returned). A few
571:, Západočeské nakladatelství,
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74:to prevent similar incidents.
1:
595:, Barrister & Principal,
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33:Czechoslovak communist regime
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420:
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164:. When the train arrived at
111:Charles University in Prague
7:
10:
698:
585:, Svět Křídel, Cheb 1999.
99:anti-communist resistance
515:(in Czech) (22): 52–54.
293:. Dokořán. p. 126.
289:Jelen, Miroslav (2009).
561:, MAGNET, Prague 1969.
672:Czechoslovak defectors
667:1951 in Czechoslovakia
657:1951 in rail transport
593:Z deníku Vlaku Svobody
153:
92:Z deníku vlaku svobody
72:Czech border crossings
633:Příběhy železné opony
467:The Los Angeles Times
225:The Los Angeles Times
148:
86:Jaroslav Konvalinka,
50:and the countries of
635:, Host, Brno 2004.
442:. 11 September 2001
327:. 11 September 2010
119:intelligence agency
559:Zastavte expres 63
439:The New York Times
241:Jiřina Štěpničková
219:The Globe and Mail
213:The New York Times
154:
619:(in Czech) (36).
605:978-80-85947-71-7
557:Křivan, Jaromír:
300:978-80-7363-129-1
270:(in Czech). iDnes
267:Mladá fronta DNES
178:Františkovy Lázně
60:communist country
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643:, pp. 11–13
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569:Rychlík do Selbu
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88:train dispatcher
43:train No. 3717.
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631:Navara, Luděk:
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182:State Security
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135:Americké Listy
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56:Czechoslovakia
52:Western Europe
41:State Railways
29:Czech Republic
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538:(38): 74–79.
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17:Freedom Train
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534:(in Czech).
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476:. Retrieved
472:the original
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444:. Retrieved
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389:. Retrieved
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355:. Retrieved
350:(in Czech).
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329:. Retrieved
323:(in Czech).
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272:. Retrieved
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186:State Police
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117:to a French
115:Soviet Union
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84:train driver
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68:Iron Curtain
48:Eastern bloc
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25:Vlak svobody
24:
16:
15:
478:22 February
446:22 February
391:16 February
357:16 February
352:Czech Radio
331:16 February
274:16 February
37:West German
35:across the
651:Categories
608:(in Czech)
587:(in Czech)
577:(in Czech)
563:(in Czech)
503:Literature
374:, p. 52-53
247:References
201:Afterwards
103:right-wing
78:Background
625:0862-6634
544:0862-6634
521:0862-6634
423:, p. 54.
495:, p. 79
123:Nymburk
62:to the
639:
623:
616:Reflex
603:
599:2001.
575:1988.
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531:Reflex
519:
512:Reflex
297:
166:Hazlov
150:Hazlov
107:Všehrd
573:Plzeň
21:Czech
637:ISBN
621:ISSN
601:ISBN
597:Brno
540:ISSN
517:ISSN
480:2012
448:2012
393:2012
359:2012
333:2012
325:ČT24
295:ISBN
276:2012
222:and
195:Selb
184:and
158:Cheb
64:West
19:(in
131:StB
125:in
653::
536:22
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436:.
401:^
317:.
264:.
235:.
228:.
216:,
197:.
162:Aš
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278:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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