Stefanik, Milan Ratislav (1884-1919)

Slovakian general. He joined the French army as a private soldier in 1914 and rapidly rose to the rank of general. He went to the Italian front in 1916 and flew several missions to drop propaganda pamphlets on Czech troops in the Austro-Hungarian army. Active in rallying Czech and Slovak troops from all areas, he worked with the Czech legion in Siberia in 1918 and, on the formation of the Czechoslovakian republic in 1918, he became commander-in-chief and war minister. He was killed in a flying accident while on his way to Prague.