Přestavlky, a memorial of the martyrs

On May 1, 1945, 7 men were shot nearby the present-day memorial of the martyrs in Přestavlky by the 574th Cossack Battalion. In the beginning of 1945, the “Juraj” guerrilla troop under the lead of Josef Jakeš operated in the area surrounding Přestavlky. The guerrillas would often stay in Přestavlky, where the allegedly went to a local inn that was run by Jaroslav Tusk (located opposite to the present-day memorial). The guerilla group gradually expanded as runaway Russian POWs joined its ranks. The guerrillas were responsible for several raids and sabotage operations in the area with the aim of obtaining weapons. This greatly troubled the Nazis, who charged the 574th Cossack Battalion with the elimination of the guerillas. The Cossack unit had passed to the Wehrmacht already during the fighting in the Ukraine and the Slovak Republic. The action against the guerrillas was organized by the chief of the secret intelligence service in Velký Újezd, Josef Geppert, and Josef Hykade, a fascist from Olomouc, who had been assigned as an aid to Geppert for his knowledge of Czech. Hykade was given the task to establish a connection with the guerrillas. Thus, on April 30, 1945, the Cossack Battalion staged an attack on Přestavlky. The local inn was razed to the ground with a bazooka and on the next day, seven men were killed and another five houses burned down.