President: Dukla Pass Battle example of pride and determination

The Carpathian-Dukla Operation is an example of unbending national pride and determination in the fight against Nazi oppression, President Peter Pellegrini said in his speech on the 80th anniversary of the Dukla Pass battle on Sunday. "But it is also a permanent warning signal against the danger which in the form of fascism, extremism and intolerance lurks even today," he said at the Memorial of the Czechoslovak Army Corps at Dukla.

The battle of the Dukla Pass began on September 8, 1944 and was expected to last only a couple of days, but due to stiff opposition the Soviet forces weren't able to reach the other side of the pass until October 6. The operation, which ended up lasting a total of 80 days, claimed over 70,000 casualties. Subsequently, one of the valleys in the pass came to be known as the Valley of Death.

Source: TASR