Evening star., 1943-02-19
General in Old Coat
Trains New Czech
Army in England
Hero of Two Wars Once
Took Verbal Beating for
Not SuIutine q Major
By THOMAS r. HENRY,
Star Staff Correspondent.

LONDON by Mall Few SOL
d!ers in this war undergo such hard,
intensive physical training as those
Of the Czechoslovak Army now in
England.
Marching with them along the
country roads and over the fields
oey after day is a slim, boyish-
appearing figure wearing a shabby
old overcoat, superflcially indis-
tInguishable from any private in the
ranks.
Discipline is severe. The COM
manding general, veteran of the
last war, believes in tough, trained
men. His officers are strict.
The other day a major halted the
soldier in the shabby overcoat.
Haven't you ever been taught to
salute?" he said in the Czech
equivalent of this phrase so familiar
10 thousands of American recruits.
Yes major was the reply and I
pose you start right now
Reveals Three Stars.
He removed his overcoat. reveal
ing the three stars of a lieutenant
general.
. At least the public relations officer
OF 1t Gen. Sergei Ingr sWears this
IS true story and not an amplifi-
cation of one which circulates in
all armies. Gen. Ingr is commander
in chief of the Czech troops in Eng
land-a man of as who was Czech
counterpart of Sergt. York in the
last war but who has retained his
youth. He easily can be mistaken
for man in his early 20s.
He was the commander of the
Czech Army in France up to the
time of the fall of that country and,
his men are proud to relate, was the
last of his countrymen to step
aboard ship after the debacle and
decimating retreat. Like all other
Czech soldiers, he is sentenced to
hang as soon as the Germans lay
hands on him.
Gen. Ingr was Junior officer in
the Czech Army of about $4,000
who served with the Russians in the
last war. He won his great renown
when he captured singlehanded at
the point of a bayonet firing Aus
trian battery. For this exploint he
was made captain on the spot and
was a major at the end of the war.
With the establishment of the
Czechoslovak republic he decided On
permanent military career and at
tended the general staff college-a
stiff course at the end of which was
an eight-hour examination.
Likes Detective Stories.
Gen. Ingr already had acquired
his one vice or recreation-the read
ing OF English and American detec-
tive stories. He still devours them
omnivorously at the end OF a hard
days training.
He finished the examination In
five hours, he tells friends. and then
proceeded to open a book, held 1t in
his hands under the desk, and be-
came absorbed in reading. The ex-
aminer noticed this.
Il can't understand" he said.
what could have led such a prom
ising young officer to plunge himself
in disgrace and forfeit his whole
career by such inexcusable cheating"
Whereupon Gen. Ingr produced
the book. 1t was the latest detec-
tive story by Edgar Wallace.
In the last war he acquired his
cult of toughness in a hard school,
for the Czech troops were used
largely to fill up the decimated
Serbian divisions after their terrible
defeat at the hands of the Germans.
His philosophy of war is that the
most important element in the final
analysis, regardless Of machines and
gadgets, is the man who can
take it,
And a major part of this philos-
ophy is to keep himself tough-to
go through with the priyates any
thing a private is asked to endure.