Jan Syrový (24 January 1888 – 17 October 1970) was a Czechoslovak general who was the prime minister of Czechoslovakia during the Munich Crisis. Early life and military career Jan Syrový studied building at a technical school. Following his graduation in 1906, he became a one-year volunteer in the Austro-Hungarian army. After that, he studied at a technical college in Russia. During World War I, he fought in the Czechoslovak Legions of the Russian Army and lost his right eye at the Battle of Zborov. By the end of the war, he commanded the Legions and the anti-Bolshevik forces on the Trans-Siberian railway. A well-known veteran commander, he served as Chief of Staff of the Czechoslovak Army from 1926 to 1933 and as its general inspector from 1933 to 1938. He helped to prepare the Czechoslovak Air Force with the help of Jan Antonín Baťa and moved military personnel and materials away from Nazi Germany. Munich Crisis When Milan Hodža's government resigned on 23 September 1938, President Edvard Beneš appointed Syrový to head a national unity government. Syrový demurred at first by insisting that he was just a soldier, not a politician, and that he lacked the qualifications and the relevant experience for such an important post. Beneš told Syrový that the nation needed him and added that as a soldier, Syrový should consider it as not an offer but an order. With some reluctance, Syrový then accepted and took the defence portfolio as well. As Prime Minister, he was forced to accept the terms of the Munich Agreement on 30 September. Announcing the acceptance of the agreement in a nationwide radio address, he stated that Czechoslovakia was not in a position to turn the agreement down because without British or French support, the country was outnumbered and any conflict would result in severe casualties. "We were abandoned", he said. "We stand alone". After the resignation of Beneš on 5 October, Syrový assumed most presidential duties, in accord with the Czechoslovak Constitution until Emil Hácha was duly elected President on 30 November 1938. He resigned the premiership on 1 December 1938 and remained as Minister of National Defence until 27 April 1939. He did not join the anti-German resistance since he was too well-known a figure for his involvement to be anything other than a liability. However, he arranged the transfer of substantial sums from a Legionary relief fund to