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Jan Vaněk was arguably the most obvious of all the prototypes of characters in The Good Soldier Švejk.

The Who's who page on Jaroslav Hašek presents a gallery of persons from real life who to a varying degree are associated with The Good Soldier Švejk and his creator. Several of the characters in the novel are known to be based on real-life people, mostly officers from Infanterieregiment Nr. 91. Some of Hašek's literary figures carry the full names of their model, some are only thinly disguised and some names diverge from that of their "model", but they can be pinpointed by analyzing the circumstances in which they appear.

A handful of "prototypes" are easily recognisable like Rudolf Lukas and Jan Vaněk, others like Zdeněk Matěj Kuděj and Emanuél Michálek are less obvious inspirations. One would also assume that most of these characters borrow traits from more than one person, one such example is Švejk himself.

A far larger number of assumed prototypes are connected to their literary counterparts by little more than the name. Josef Švejk is here the prime example, but Jan Eybl also fits in this category. The list of prototypes only contains those who inspired characters that directly take part in the plot.

Researchers, the so-called Haškologists, are also included on this page but this list is per 15 June 2022 restricted to Radko Pytlík and two important but relatively unknown contributors to our knowledge about Hašek and Švejk. In due course entries on other experts like VM and Zdena Ančík will be added.

Obvious inspiration

Hašek Lacina Schlager Vodička Lukas Adamička Wenzel Bigler Sagner Vaněk Kompit

Some similarity

Strašlipka Michálek Dub Eybl Švejk Kuděj Mašek Čížek

Haškologists

Morávek Hůla Pytlík Menger

Hašek, Jaroslav Matěj František
*30.4.1883 Praha - †3.1.1923 Lipnice nad Sázavou
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Jaroslav Hašek embedded innumerable autobiographical elements and episodes from his unusual life experience into his The Good Soldier Švejk. He was undoubtedly a direct inspiration for Einjährigfreiwilliger Marek and even more so for the book's main character. The most relevant period for The Good Soldier Švejk is, of course, the author's time in the k.u.k. Heer in 1915, although sequences drawing from other periods of Hašek's life appear throughout the novel.

Note that the scope of this page is limited to periods and episodes in Hašek's life that had an obvious and direct impact on his famous novel, The Good Soldier Švejk. Given the content of the novel, this primarily concerns the author's time in k.u.k. Heer.

Jaroslav Hašek mirrored in Josef Švejk

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Żdżary, 18 August 1915. Hašek decorated.

© ÖStA

The author attributes unmistakable personal characteristics directly to his literary hero. In the first few lines of The Good Soldier Švejk, he exposed his rheumatism to world literature ‘by proxy’, and we can safely assume that Švejk’s verbal skills, quick wit, charm, calmness, and the all-important ability to extricate himself from difficult situations were gifts he inherited from his creator. Both Švejk and Hašek shared this very survival strategy. Both were outgoing and sociable and liked to tell stories and entertain.

The similarities between Hašek’s and Švejk’s military careers are even more striking. They both lived in Prague but served in Infanterieregiment Nr. 91 (IR. 91) due to their South Bohemian ancestry. They were present in the same places and historical circumstances during their time in k.u.k. Heer. Many of Švejk’s superiors and peers are inspired by Hašek’s milieu in IR. 91, albeit with their qualities and identities modified, caricatured and partly disguised. Švejk was the company messenger in his 11. Marschkompanie, corresponding to Hašek’s role in 11. Kompanie. In addition, both were assigned the responsibility of finding accommodation for their military units.

An obvious pre-war connection between Švejk and Hašek is their occupation. From November 1910, Hašek ran a short-lived dog-trading enterprise but was accused of selling dogs with false pedigrees, which his assistant had stolen. Both had also been apprentice chemists. Švejk's stay at the blázinec (lunatic asylum) clearly reflects autobiography; likewise, his stays at c.k. policejní ředitelství (Police HQ), c.k. zemský co trestní soud (Country criminal court), and policejní komisařství Salmova ulice (Salmovská ulice). Of course, Hašek and his hero both shared a fondness for pub life, and many of the establishments mentioned in the novel were favourites of the author (U Fleků, Bendlovka, Montmartre, U Brejšky - to name a few). Another common trait is their indifference to, or lack of success with, women. They also enjoyed singing army songs, though by all accounts, they were both poor singers.

One-year volunteer Marek

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Švejk and Marek, Hašek's two alter egos enjoying themselves in Regimentsarrest in Budějovice

Einjährigfreiwilliger Marek appears even more closely modelled on the satirist, portraying an intellectual side of his personality not attributed to Švejk. Marek borrows several biographical details from Hašek.

His occupation as editor of Svět zvířat reflects Hašek's position at the magazine in 1909 and 1910, although many of the details that Einjährigfreiwilliger Marek provides are mystification, namely his invented animals.

Marek’s experiences in Budějovice also have traces of Hašek's autobiography: his status as a one-year volunteer, turning up at the exercise ground in civilian clothes, being dismissed from Budweiser Einjährigfreiwilligenschule, his arrest by artillery patrols and hospitalisation. A real incident may also have inspired the episode with the Krankenbuch. Like his literary alter-ego Einjährigfreiwilliger Marek, Hašek was allegedly transported from Budějovice to Királyhida in the prisoners' carriage. Generally, Marek serves as the mouthpiece for Hašek's political views; in this respect, he is the opposite of Švejk, who conceals his opinions when it suits him.

Although Einjährigfreiwilliger Marek and Švejk are the figures that most obviously bear traces of the author, it is tempting to suggest that Hašek contributed a few of his less admirable qualities to at least two more of his literary creations: Offiziersdiener Baloun (gluttony), and Feldkurat Katz (alcoholism, lying and shirking financial obligations, e.g. not paying the moneylender in [I.13]).

Anecdotes

Many monologues show traces of Hašek’s experiences. An example of this is the introduction of his grandfather, Jareš, at several points in the novel, starting in the first chapter. Similar examples abound, such as the two anecdotes about Rittmeister Rotter and the anecdote about "nějakej" (some) Mestek. The aforementioned monologue by Einjährigfreiwilliger Marek about his time as editor of Svět zvířat also fits here.

Before the draft

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Jaroslav Hašek's Vormerkblatt Nr. 4886

© VÚA

Jaroslav Hašek was 31 years old in 1914 and had so far avoided military service. The reasons for this are unknown; no records of his early encounters with the armed forces have been found, so he must either have been declared unfit for armed service (Waffenunfähig) or dismissed after starting it (Superarbitriert).

According to Emil Artur Longen, Hašek was disappointed because he hadn't been admitted to the army and was proud when he was finally deemed Tauglich after the outbreak of war. This seems likely as his military medical records state that he was Assentiert (drafted) in 1914. As a result, he was assigned to Landsturm (Home Guard or militia), a reserve force that was only called up in times of danger. In the autumn of 1914, it was decided to reassess this large reserve of manpower to offset the losses at the front. From 13 to 15 December 1914, the Landsturm medical examination for Hašek's age group and geographical affinity occurred at Střelecký ostrov. Those who passed were to report for duty on 15 February 1915.

The parallel to Švejk's army career is obvious, although the chronological details differ (as is the case throughout the novel). It is also striking that the author mentions that Doctor Bautze had been acting for 10 weeks as the head doctor at the medical board, and we know that Landsturm medical examinations started on Střelecký ostrov on 1 October 1914. This fits very well with mid-December. It should also be noted that Bautze declared 10,999 of 11,000 recruits fit for service. At the first draft only about 60 per cent of the early recruits were deemed Tauglich, and by the end of the year, when Hašek's age group was called up, the acceptance rate had dropped to around 30 per cent.

In Budějovice

Jaroslav Hašek's time in IR. 91 deserves particular attention; during this period, the novel comes closest to an autobiography, and more than half the plot is set in k.u.k. Heer. According to army records, Hašek was Präsentiert (reported at) 1. Ersatzkompanie in Ersatzbataillon IR. 91 on 17 February 1915. Here in Budějovice, he enlisted at the school for reserve officers, where he met some of the people he would later caricature in his writing: Hauptmann Josef Adamička (head of the school), Oberleutnant Čeněk Sagner, and Hans Bigler. He may also have met Major Franz Wenzel and Staff Sergeant Jan Vaněk here, but this has not been possible to verify. Senior Lieutenant Rudolf Lukas was at the front in the Východní Beskydy until 13 March, then on sick leave, so they would only have met later, presumably in early June, in Királyhida. In Budějovice Hašek also met fellow soldiers who forty or more years later would provide researchers with vital information that, however often was blurred due to the distance in time: Jaroslav Kejla, Bohumil Vlček, Franta Hofer, Bohumil Šindelár, František Skřivánek to mention a few.

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Jihočeské listy,13.3.1915

His stay at the school proved unsuccessful. Due to his poor physical condition, he found the exercises and drill taxing, and according to his writing (confirmed by Kejla and Hofer), he was expelled from the school. The exact reason for the dismissal is not clear, although he gives a few colourful accounts both through Einjährigfreiwilliger Marek (in Švejk) and in the short stories Gott Strafe England and In strategic difficulties. Kejla and Hofer offer a more mundane view: Hašek was dismissed for behaviour incompatible with that expected of a k.u.k. officer. Most likely, it was drunkenness and public order violations (he had been repeatedly arrested for such offences in Prague). Still, the eloquent and rebellious author may have sufficiently upset his superiors to get himself disciplined but hardly expelled. There is no mention of Hašek in the lists of graduates from Reserveoffizier-Schule Budweis, so it is clear that he had left the school.

Generally, he seems to have taken little part in military life, some of it doubtlessly because of illness but surely also because he was locked up from time to time (according to himself, as long as 30 days). Suffering from rheumatism and heart trouble, he was first hospitalised on 6 March near the railway station in the k.u.k. Reserve-Spital in Radeckého třída. A note on his hospitalisation appeared in Jihočeské listy on 13 March 1915. Then he was sent to a recuperation unit in Linecké předměstí. From here, he seems to have been able to make a few excursions. The longest was four days, and he got as far as Protivín and Netolice; some claim that he even appeared in Radomyšl. He is also reported to have been to Zliv and České Vrbné. During his stay in Budějovice, he wrote a few short stories and even the collection "My Business with Dogs" was published at this time.

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Hašek in k.u.k. Reservespital, Budweis

Jaroslav Hašek ve fotografii, Josef Kalaš,1959

In the 1950s, several witnesses recorded their reminiscences from Hašek's time in Budějovice, but most of them suffered in accuracy due to the distance in time. One of them was František Skřivánek, who published the details in Stráž míru, 8 September 1954 (a similar story had appeared in Jihočeské listy as early as 1923). During his time in the city, the author visited an impressive range of pubs (no surprise here), but only a few seem to have found their way into the novel. Among the witnesses was young Bohumil Mičan, whose family owned the restaurant U Mičanů that Hašek frequented. He also slept over at their place and got to know the family well.

Another witness was fellow one-year volunteer Franta Hofer. He gives an amusing account of Hašek's first weeks at the reserve officer school. He adds that many officers liked the author (notably Josef Adamička) and invited him to the canteen to entertain the officers. This may have inspired the passages in the novel that take place in the local hotel and the officer's dining rooms. Hofer's and Mičan's stories were never published, but they are available in LA PNP, fond Zdena Ančík, and links are provided below. Another source of information is František Langer, who wrote that the poet Peter Křička had stopped over in Budějovice on his way home from the front and met Hašek. He was at the time working in the kitchen peeling potatoes, a story that aligns well with Einjährigfreiwilliger Marek from the novel and also the story In strategical difficulties.

Rheumatism, heart-trouble and superarbitration

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The verdict of the superarbitration-commission.

© VÚA

In May 2015, Hašek's military record was investigated at VÚA, and the picture of his illness and superarbitration became clearer. Already on 6 March 1915, he was admitted to the hospital and seems to have stayed there at least until 8 April. He was suffering from rheumatism in the joints, as well as a heart condition, and an application for his dismissal from the army for health reasons was lodged that day.

On 30 April, the superarbitration commission gave its verdict. The soldier was not entirely relieved from army duties; he was deemed capable of salvage, guard, and other lighter tasks. It was also concluded that his military service caused none of his health problems. The decision was rubber-stamped by k.u.k. Militärkommando Prag on 25 May.

The 91st regiment transferred

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Jihočeské listy,2.6.1915

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Budweiser Zeitung,11.6.1915

As reflected in The Good Soldier Švejk, Ersatzbataillon IR. 91 was transferred to Királyhida, a town on the border between the two constituent parts of the Dual Monarchy. The reason for the transfer was political; regiments from the various parts of the empire were moved to “foreign” parts because the authorities assumed (not without reason) that close contact between the k.u.k. “Kanonen-futter” and the civilian population could harm their will to die for the emperor. They could also be infected by anti-war sentiments that were taking root in the population as it became clear that the war would not be over soon. Czech reserve battalions were often swapped with Hungarians (or others), and in Budějovice, the Hungarian Infanterieregiment Nr. 101 replaced them.

Hašek was surely part of this transfer and describes it in his novel. According to Jan Vaněk, he arrived in Királyhida under arrest, just like Švejk did. In the literature about Hašek, there has been contradictory information regarding the actual date of the transfer. Radko Pytlík gives various dates in early May, whereas Jaroslav Kejla claims it occurred on the 20th. František Skřivánek remembered that Hašek wrote him a few lines of goodbye, dated 5 May. The actual transfer took, however, place much later, on 1 June 1915. This is confirmed by Jihočeské listy, Budweiser Zeitung, and Deutsche Böhmerwaldzeitung. The newspapers describe the departure scenes by the station, corresponding to Hašek's description, that a sizable crowd was gathered, etc. In the first two newspapers, many lines were removed by the censors. Perhaps these contained the Czech nationalist sentiments that the author describes?

The departure took place before noon in two stages. Their replacement, Infanterieregiment Nr. 101 from Hungary, arrived during the evening of the 9th and occupied the now vacant Mariánská kasárna.

Bruck/Királyhida

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Hašek in IR. 91, probably by Żdżary in August. To the left of him is František Strašlipka (with the cigarette).

Jaroslav Hašek ve fotografii, Josef Kalaš,1959

As we already know, Jaroslav Hašek had on 25 May been partly superarbitrated on health grounds and assigned lighter duties (capable of Rettungsdienst, i.e. rescue duties). After arriving in Királyhida, he served with Jan Vaněk, a staff sergeant responsible for accounting and logistics. Vaněk was subsequently to find his way into world literature through this encounter. He was arguably the most obvious of all the “prototypes” found in The Good Soldier Švejk. Hašek helped him with the office duties and got to know the cook Perníček, perhaps an inspiration for cook Jurajda. Vaněk was to provide valuable testimonies about Hašek's time in the k.u.k. Heer, as retold by Jan Morávek in 1924 in Večerní České slovo. The series from 1924 is by far the most detailed we have on Hašek's period in the Austro-Hungarian army and should be considered the very first contribution to “Švejkology”. Morávek also personally met Hašek in Királyhida.

XII./91 Marschbataillon

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Hašek in IR. 91. According to Morávek, this photo was taken at the beginning of September 1915 with Hašek already promoted to Gefreiter.

Jaroslav Hašek ve fotografii, Josef Kalaš,1959

XII. Marschbataillon of IR. 91 was formed around 1 June 1915, and the soldiers continued training and preparation for front duty. The commander of the battalion was Franz Wenzel, a major who served as inspiration for the literary figure Major Wenzl.

Each battalion consisted of four companies, and Hašek was assigned to the 4th (deduced from the Qualifikationsbeschreibung of Hans Bigler). Kejla, however, assigns him to the 3rd company and Vlček to the 2nd! In any case, it can be ruled out that Švejk’s 11. Marschkompanie ever existed. This fictional unit is rather a projection of 11. Kompanie in which Jaroslav Hašek was soon to serve.

On 1 June 1915 Rudolf Lukas was appointed commander of the 4th March Company. With this Oberleutnant, Hašek developed a good relationship, a bond that found its way into world literature some six years later. Lukas kept his hand over the author and even urged him to stop drinking. In the march company, he also met Hans Bigler again, the prototype of Kadett Biegler, and František Strašlipka, the servant of Lukas. Apart from his position as an officer's servant, Strašlipka is also believed to have inspired Švejk’s incessant storytelling and was one of Hašek's closest friends in the regiment.

Departure for the front loomed, and on 24 June, the men were barred from leaving the camp as they were to depart three days later. Hašek disappeared and was only found after three days, according to one report, drunk in a haystack; according to another, he was discovered in the same state in a café by the railway station, and according to Jan Morávek (interview printed in Průboj on 3 March 1968) he was found in U zlatého růže (Zur Goldene Rose). Jan Vaněk's diary reveals that the march battalion departed from Bruck station at 8:15 PM on 30 July.

Across the Carpathians

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Hašek in IR. 91 (extracted from the picture above)

Jaroslav Hašek ve fotografii, Josef Kalaš,1959

The journey from Bruck to Sambor is not documented in any known official material, but Jan Vaněk's diary gives a rough idea. It details the departure and some places along the route and mentions three dates. Hašek himself adds substance through The Good Soldier Švejk but, even more importantly, in his poem “Cestou na bojišti” (On the road to the battlefield). The poem was written more or less on the spot, so it is likely to be more accurate than his later writings. Vaněk described a route that was identical to Švejk’s from Bruck (30 June 1915), Győr, Budapest, Miskolc and Humenné (2 July). Thereafter, there is no mention of any places until Sambor.

Jan Vaněk confirms that the train journey terminated in Sambor, a town they approached on 4 July 1915. Hašek in Dobrý voják Švejk v zajetí even has the soldiers continue beyond Sambor to a station he calls Kamenec (not identified). In The Good Soldier Švejk, a very different picture is painted: it has the march battalion leave the train much earlier, in Sanok. Hašek mentions the Łupków Pass in The Good Soldier Švejk in captivity, so we can safely assume that the route described in The Good Soldier Švejk is accurate until Zagórz by Sanok. On the way to Sambor, the train would have passed more places that are familiar to readers of the novel: Krościenko, Chyrów and Felsztyn.

The only stretch where Hašek's and Švejk's routes diverge is between Sanok and Krościenko. Given the timing- and geographical constraints, it can not have taken place as described in the chapter "Marschieren Marsch!" and the battalion would not have been marching with any brigade. The map shows XII. Marschbataillon's route to the front (updated with information from the diary of Jan Vaněk, 1 June 2014).

Einkantonierung and marching to the front

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The orders directing IR. 91 to their Einkantonierungsgebiet east of Sambor.

© ÖStA

Official 2nd Army orders were the following: the “Einkantonierungsgebiet” was Komarno (ukr. Комарно), east of Sambor, and the daily legs are outlined in detail. Note that this was the planned route, not necessarily the one carried out.

  • 5 July: Komarno - Szczerzec (ukr. Щирець)
  • 6 July: Szczerzec - Zagorsze (ukr. Заґiря)
  • 7 July: Zagorsze - Stare Sioło (ukr. Старе Село)

In the “Einkantonierungsgebiet” the 12th march battalions from Infanterieregiment Nr. 11, IR73, IR. 91 and Infanterieregiment Nr. 102 were to gather and form the 18th March Brigade and continue to the front. Interestingly IR. 91 disappears from the records, whereas the march battalions from the other three regiments are reported to have arrived at their destination on 9 July. Jan Vaněk's diary gives us the most reliable information: on 4 July, they are still in transport but approaching Sambor. Then, on 5 July, they left Sambor for Rudki, and on 6 July, they marched to Szczerzec. This indicates a delay of one day compared to the 2nd Army orders.

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The planned route towards the front.

© ÖStA

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Hašek as Kriegsordonnanz in IR. 91/11th field company

© VÚA

Another of Jaroslav Hašek's poems lists towns and villages on a line between Sambor and Łonie (the village by Gołogóry where the XII. Marschbataillon joined the field battalions of IR. 91). This description in the poem corresponds almost perfectly to official orders stored in Kriegsarchiv in Vienna (2nd army files). Jan Vaněk adds several confirmatory items in his entry from 10 July. The places he mentions are Wańkowce, Lahodów, and Jaktorów. In the last place, he notes that on 10 July, they were waiting to join the regiment in the afternoon. The only slight contradiction between the various sources is the actual date the march battalion joined the regiment. According to Jan Eybl and Vaněk it was on 10 July, Inft. Reg. 91 Galizien... claims 11 July.

Joining the 11th Field Company

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Fähnrich Biegler and Einjährig-Freiwilliger Hašek from the 11th company were awarded silver medals for courageous conduct at Sokal. Feldwebel Vaněk and Offiziers-Diener Strašlipka were given bronze medals.

© VÚA

Hašek’s journey to the front is patchily documented, but his stay at the front from around 10 July to 24 September 1915 is well covered. Morávek’s above-mentioned series focuses mainly on this period. Additionally, Inft. Reg. 91 Galizien... covers the regiment's route in great detail, at times down to the hour, and with accurate geographical information. The diaries of Jan Vaněk and Jan Eybl describe the events even more precisely.

When the march battalion (approximately 800 men) joined the IR. 91 operative body, Rudolf Lukas took command of the renewed 11. Kompanie, with Hašek as his messenger. Hans Bigler was also assigned to this company as a squad leader (Zugsführer), and Jan Vaněk and František Strašlipka served in this unit. Companies 9 to 12 made up III. Feldbataillon, commanded by Čeněk Sagner, who had left for the front around mid-June. Franz Wenzel assumed command of the 2nd battalion (Companies 5-8).

From now it should be clear that the 11. Kompanie (field company) and part of its command structure have been projected directly onto the march units described in the novel. Hašek was named messenger in the 11th field company soon after 11 July 1915. This is a role Švejk gets much earlier in the 11th March company (although Hašek may have been a messenger also in his March company).

After Żółtańce

Although the novel geographically ends at Żółtańce (IR. 91 made a 2-hour 15-minute break here on 16 July), the period after is still interesting even seen from the view of the pure “švejkologist”. Fragments from IR. 91's continuous march still appear in the novel and the most notable of those is Sokal which is dedicated a chapter header as early as Királyhida, in the final chapter of Part Two. The vicious battle that was fought here during the last week of July was no doubt intended to play a prominent part in the unfinished Part Four.

Some real events have been shifted forward in time. The order to build a bridge across the Bug was given on 17 July, i.e. not in Királyhida as the novel states. Brought forward in the same way is the order to march to Sokal. It was only issued on 20 July, after the regiment had started building that bridge by Kamionka Strumiłowa. During the march to Sokal, the regiment met German troops in Mosty Wielkie and Sokal (IR. 91 replaced German units there). Both these encounters may have inspired the various meetings with German military units and Švejk observing the well-fed Germans at Żółtańce town square (a place IR. 91 never set foot at).

Belohnungsantrag

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Application for reward, 2 August 1915.

© ÖStA

Hat in den Kämpfen am 25./7. nächst Poturzyce unermüdlich u. mit Lebensverachtung in die Schwarmlinie [= Schützen- oder Gefechtslinie] wichtige Befehle und von dort Situationsmeldungen überbracht, wobei er die Mannschaft durch Erheitern u. Zurufe aufmunterte, selbst freiwillig Rekognoszierungen [Erkundungen] durchführte und kleine Gruppen in entsprechende Linien vorführte.
Steht seit 30./6. l. J. [laufenden Jahres] im Felde

Antrag: Silb. Tapferkeitsmed. II Kl.

Standort, am 2. August 1915
Transkription dank Doris & Gert Kerschbaumer

Jaroslav Hašek was indeed decorated with the Silver Medal for bravery (II. Class) in the aftermath of the battle by Sokal. The application for his decoration was written on 2 August 1915 and signed by Steinsberg (for the regiment). Oddly enough, his rank is noted as "Kriegsfreiwilliger" (war volunteer). If this is correct, it means that he joined the army voluntarily.

The justification for the award was his bravery on 25 July 1915, the first day of an Austrian attack whose aim was to recapture the strategically important Góra Sokal, 254 metres. Without regard for his own life, he carried important messages to and from the trenches, encouraged his comrades with shouts, voluntarily undertook reconnaissance, and led smaller groups into position.

On 4 August 1915 the application was approved by Mossig for the brigade and Schenk for the division. The medals were handed out on 18 August. Soldiers from Hašek's 3rd battalion were decorated by Rudolf Kießwetter . That day, Hans Bigler, Jan Vaněk, and František Strašlipka also received their awards.

The official rubber stamp was given by the central authorities as late as 20 November, at a time when the author was already in Russian captivity.

More loyal than made out to be?

Much has been made of Jaroslav Hašek's alleged disloyalty to the k.u.k. Heer, an impression he, for obvious reasons, was eager to promote from 1916 onwards. Before the war, he also talked about his intention to defect. For years, it was, therefore, claimed that he actively crossed over to the Russians at Khorupan on 24 September 1915, that he tried to desert on several occasions before that, and that he was even given a three-year sentence for attempted desertion.

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Jaroslav Hašek had no disciplinary record in k.u.k. Heer

© VÚA

None of these claims have been verified, and his military record shows no sign of punishment. On the other hand, it is documented that he was awarded a silver medal for bravery, taking risks that he didn't have to take, and he may even have signed up as Kriegsfreiwilliger, i.e. volunteered for his emperor. Nor was he forced to enlist at the reserve officer's school in Budějovice. His superior in k.u.k. Heer, Rudolf Lukas, told Jan Morávek that Hašek was a good soldier, that his main problem was drinking, and did not mention any political stance. Bohumil Vlček quoted Hašek from Sokal: "This war we must win at all costs". On the other hand, he volunteered for reconnaissance patrols at Sokal, and it is known that Czech soldiers used this method to get over to the other side. That he intended this would, however, be pure speculation.

There is no doubt that he, like Einjährigfreiwilliger Marek, was locked up in the garrison prison occasionally, but again, it was likely to be public order offences rather than politics. The only known instance where he was disciplined for political reasons was in České legie in 1917 (after his infamous article The Czech Pickwick Club). It is also tempting to ask why it took him eight months to land on the "other side" if he was so convinced in his anti-Austrian views. He probably could have done what the main target of his scorn in the "Czech Pickwick Klub", Bohdan Pavlů, did in late 1914: join the Czech volunteers on the spot of capture or shortly thereafter. Ernst Kollmann, who was in the same prisoner transport as Hašek, noted that Družina were already recruiting in the transit camp at Darnytsa, so he surely would have had a chance to join there.

Hašek's time in Russia reflected in Švejk

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Kriegsgefangenenkartei

© ÖStA

Jaroslav Hašek and his time in Russia (1915-1920) is comprehensively covered under the headline České legie, and little from this period is directly reflected in The Good Soldier Švejk. One exception is the author's general description of officer's servants, where he mentions the Legions directly and describes a "pucflek's" journey into captivity carrying his master's luggage. The route described is at least partly identical to Hašek's (see Dubno, Darnytsa).

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Čechoslovan,17.7.1917

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Betreffend: Hochverräterische Umtriebe von österr. Čechen im Auslande,1917

A more coincidental connection is the story of a tomcat soiling a picture of the emperor, a clear parallel to the scene from U kalicha where the flies were equally impertinent to his majesty. The story Povídka o obrazu císaře Františka Josefa I. was published in the Kiev weekly Čechoslovan on 17 July 1916 and described the owner of a paper shop, Mr. Petiška from Mladá Boleslav, who traded pictures of the emperor in Jewish liquor shops and also eagerly hoisted the flag on official state holidays. Unfortunately, a tomcat emptied his bladder on the pictures, making them unsaleable. The story was picked up by the Austrian intelligence services and led to an investigation in absentia of the author for high treason (Hochverrat) and defamation of His Imperial Majesty (Majestätsbeleidigung). The case was jointly investigated by c.k. policejní ředitelství and the k.u.k. Divisionsgericht in Vienna.

Thanks to this story, Jaroslav Hašek earned a place in the book ‘The Treacherous Activities of Austrian Czechs Abroad’, published by c.k. policejní ředitelství in 1917[a]. It named around 1,000 people, and the author of the tomcat story was in good company: Professor Masaryk, future Czechoslovak president Eduard Beneš, Hašek's friend Vlasta Amort, and, more surprisingly, James Joyce. How the latter became involved with ‘Austrian Czechs’ is baffling. According to the police records, his nationality was unknown, he lived in Zürich and was classified as politically suspect!

Credit: Radko Pytlík, Jaroslav Šerák, Břetislav Hůla, Jan Morávek, Jan Vaněk, Bohumil Vlček, Jaroslav Kejla, František Skřivánek, Franta Hofer, VÚA, ÖStA

Literature
References
aHochverräterische Umtriebe von österr. Čechen im AuslandeK.k. Polizeidirektion Prag1917
© 2008 - 2026 Jomar Hønsi Last updated: 21 January 2026