After the liberation of Czechoslovakia he joined the Czechoslovak Army at the general staff and graduated from the military academy. But shortly after the communistic takeover in 1948 he was arrested and in a political trial sentenced to 20 years in prison. He got to the worst communistic forced labour camps (as Příbram, Jáchymov etc.) and was amnestied as late as 1960. However till the end of communistic regime he was still persecuted and allowed only for the manual labour employment. After that he was fully rehabilitated, given back all his honours and the rank of army general. He was also elected as the first chairman of Confederation of political prisoners and after his term ended he remain an honorary chairman.