Paul Strassmann was born on January 24, 1929 in Trenčín, Slovakia. His father was an army officer for Austria-Hungary in World War I. He joined the Hashomer Hatzair at a young age. His family went into hiding as Christians in late August 1944. His mother and sister, Ella, were discovered and sent to Ravensbrück. His father, Adolf, was caught by the Gestapo and sent to Sachsenhausen. Strassmann joined the Jegorov Brigade, a partisan group, in September 1944 and then the Czech Army in April 1945. He fought in Bratislava, Slovakia until the end of the war. He left Czechoslovakia just before the Communists took power, living briefly in Paris and London before immigrating to the United States in October 1948. He studied engineering, worked in information system, and served as a government advisor.
Circular bronze medal with an attached grosgrain ribbon. On the front is an embossed image of a woman, head in left profile, attired in a flowing Grecian style gown with cape, grasping a broken sword with Slovakian text embossed around the border. The back has text embossed in the center. At the top is a bail with a metal ring through which is threaded the ribbon, which has 3 vertical stripes of equal width: blue, red, white.
overall: Height: 3.500 inches (8.89 cm) | Width: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm) | Depth: 0.125 inches (0.318 cm)
Commemorative Medal of The Order of the Slovak National Uprising
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Pamětní Medaile Řádu Slovenského Národního Povstání [Commemorative Medal of The Order of the Slovak National Uprising] awarded to Paul Strassmann. This revolt erupted in August 1944 as Communists, Slovak nationalists, Army officers, and partisans, including Jewish underground fighters from the labor camps, united to overthrow the pro-Nazi Tiso regime. In October, thousands of German troops arrived and the rebellion was crushed on October 27. Paul and his family, who were from Trencin, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) went into hiding as Christians in late August 1944. His mother and sister Ella were discovered and sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp in Germany. His father Adolf was captured by the Gestapo and sent to Sachsenhausen. Paul, 15, joined the Jegorov Brigade, a partisan group, in September 1944. He joined the Czech Army in April 1945 and fought in Bratislava until the end of the war in May 1945. He left Czechoslovakia just before the Communists took power and immigrated to the United States in October 1948.
The medal was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1989 by Paul A. Strassmann.
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