A personal account written by Colonel Charles Hancock
Reed
The rescue of the breeding herd of the Piber Austrian
Lipizzaner horses, which supplied the stallions for use
in the Spanische Reitschule, took place on the 28th of
April 1945 at Hostau, Czechoslovakia. It was
accomplished by a small force formed for the mission
from Task Force Reed – which was composed of the 2nd
Armored Cavalry Group, 2nd and 42nd Squadrons; an
artillery battalion; engineer battalion and an anti-
aircraft unit.
It must be admitted that a great element of chance gave
the opportunity for this happy event. On the 25th of
April, Captain Ferdinand P. Sperl, I.P.W. Team No. 10
attached to the Group received information of a large
German intelligence unit bivouacked in and around a
hunting lodge on the Czechoslovakian border – it lacked
transportation to proceed further on its flight from
Berlin to the proposed Bavarian bastion.
After some dangerous negotiations with the commander of
the unit, Captain Sperl, on the 26th of April, led an
attack on the unit, which after the arranged formal
exchange of harmless gun fire, surrendered most
promptly. The commander of the intelligence unit, a
fine appearing German General, proved most hospitable,
and finding that on this early advance I had missed my
breakfast, invited me to join him and his staff for
theirs.
We found that we had mutual horse interests and he
showed me quite beautiful pictures of the Lipizzaners
and Arabs, which he had recently taken at Hostau. He
also stated that several hundred Allied prisoners of
war were held there. We mutually agreed that these fine
animals should not fall into the communists hands, and
the prisoners should be rescued.
A German bicyclist was sent to Hostau to arrange for a
German officer to come through our lines that night to
arrange terms. A radio message was sent through XII
Corps to 3rd Army Headquarters requesting permission
for the operation. Shortly, a laconic message was
relayed from General Patton – “Get them. Make it fast!
You will have a new mission.”
About 8:00 P.M. – Captain Lessing, Staff Veterinarian
at Hostau, arrived at one of our border outposts riding
one Lipizzaner stallion and leading a second. He was
brought to 2nd Cavalry Headquarters – dinner had been
delayed pending his arrival – after cocktails and
dinner, agreement was reached that, provided we
furnished an officer to show good faith to ride back
with him, he, Captain Lessing, would be able to arrange
for the surrender of Hostau (officers and men there
were mostly ex-horsemen). He stated however, that
between us and Hostau were stationed elements of an SS
Division who would fight. That bothered us very little
as we planned a quiet day or so – then a great attack
to over-run them.
Captain Thomas M. Stewart of Tennessee, a fine horseman
and son of the then Senator from Tennessee, volunteered
and rode back with Captain Lessing. On the night of the
27th of April, he was returned to our lines by Lessing
in a motorcycle side car – after some rather harrowing
experiences behind the German line – for which he was
decorated. He reported that all was arranged in Hostau
– except for one Czech Lt. Colonel in the German army
who opposed this – but had no support from the German
officers.
A small task force for the operation had already been
formed from the 42nd Squadron – A Troop – elements of
Troop C – a platoon of tanks from F Troop and a platoon
of Troop E assault guns. All under the command of Major
Robert P. Andrews, with Captain Stewart as his
assistant. At daylight all elements in the front line
opened a fire fight – the Task Force broke through, and
after some fighting at Bela Nad Radbuzou and a delay
caused by an unmapped town showing up in their line of
march, the town of Hostau was reached – no problem
there – appeared as a fiesta rather than a battle.
Townspeople and Allied prisoners of war lined the
streets – the German soldiers presented arms – German
flag went down – ours went up – and after placing
outposts, the officers, intelligence personnel, and as
many soldiers as could be spared, went to look at the
wonderful array of captured horses.
Allied prisoners of war released totaled about 400
Americans, British, French and Polish. Regulations
required the immediate return of all of these to their
own nations – the Poles could not go at that time – but
we immediately started the evacuation of the others.
Here we ran into an unexpected problem. Many of the
prisoners has been at Hostau several years – had
achieved a kind of “trustee” status and were well fed
and cared for. Many had married or taken up living with
Czech or German girls – some even had children – these
men refused to be evacuated except with their families
– a problem not easily solved to everyone’s
satisfaction.
Horses captured consisted of about 300 Lipizzaners, the
Piber breeding herd plus the Royal Lipizzaner stud from
Yugoslavia – well mixed together. Over one-hundred of
the best Arabs in Europe, about two-hundred
thoroughbred and trotting bred race horses collected
from all of Europe – finally about 600 Cossack breeding
horses – Don and Urals.
Enemy captured consisted of about one battalion of
Germans, about the same of Czech volunteers in the
German army and a Sotnia of White Russian Cossacks who,
opposing communism, had joined the German army in its
invasion of Russia, bringing with them the Cossack
horses mentioned above. The Cossacks were commanded by
an ex-Cossack prince and colonel who was a most
pleasant and helpful person during the time we had the
animals under our care.
The following morning – 29th of April – part of the
force under Major Andrews rejoined the 2nd Cavalry
Group preparatory to assuming a new mission of
advancing towards Pilsen via the Eisenstein Pass. Troop
A – under Captain Carter Catlett, with one platoon of
tanks, were left to control Hostau – under the command
of Captain Stewart. He immediately organized a defense
force with the American troops as a base – but included
the German troops – who seemed anxious to maintain the
horse farm, plus the Cossacks and some of the released
Polish prisoners whom he armed with captured weapons.
This was done as we feared a counter-attack by the SS
troops defeated at the border – it was an excellent
plan as, late on the 30th of April, they attempted an
attack on Hostau – our multi-national force defeated
them with heavy losses – as the attacking Germans had
no tanks and ours proved most effective weapons.
The 2nd Armored Cavalry Group, with additional
attachments, proceeded on its new mission – leaving
Captain Stewart and his command to control Hostau. By
May 7th, date of the complete surrender of Germany, the
Task Force was on the general line about 10 miles
southeast of Pilsen – Horsice – Zinkovy – Nepomuk in
Czechoslovakia, facing the Russians and preventing
their penetration into American held territory.
Headquarters were established at the Skoda Schloss at
Zinkovy. It was here about May 9th that I received a
message from 3rd Army that General Patton had been in
contact with Colonel Alois Podhajsky, head of the
Spanische Reitschule. That the colonel with the trained
Lipizzaner stallions was at St. Martin in Austria. That
he would be flown up to my headquarters as soon as
practical – to check the breeding herd and arrange for
its repatriation to Austria in the vicinity of St.
Martin.
Here it is best to clarify a certain misunderstanding
of the sequence of events surrounding the rescue of the
Piber breeding herd. The actual rescue took place on
the 28th of April – nine days before Colonel
Podhajsky’s meeting with General Patton and pleading
for their rescue.
When General Patton answered Podhajsky’s request,
either through language difficulties or a
misunderstanding on the part of the officer who
transmitted the message to Podhajsky, he understood
that General Patton was sending the 2nd Cavalry Group
to rescue these breeding horses. Actually General
Patton knew by the 29th or 30th of April that the herd
was in our possession at Hostau. He probably sent this
information with the word that Podhajsky would be sent
up to check them. This error in sequence was
perpetuated by the Walt Disney movie, whose script
writer interviewed me in Virginia and seemed attached
to the idea of the rescue taking place after Patton saw
the school horses perform at St. Martin. It made better
“show business”.
On or about the 14th of May, Podhajsky arrived at
Zinkovy by American plane, where he spent the night and
was entertained at dinner by our staff. Most cordial
relations were established that evening and basic plans
were laid for the return of the breeding herd to him in
the vicinity of St. Martin as soon as practical.
A day or so after the German surrender it became
evident to me that the Czech and Russian communists
were showing a great interest in the captured horses –
in fact, they made several stealthy visits to Hostau,
apparently to connive with the Czech born lieutenant
colonel, who was second in command when we arrived.
This information was transmitted to General Patton’s
headquarters, with recommendations that the entire herd
of horses be transferred to a safer base in Bavaria at
a large installation at Schwarzenburg, where the
communists would not be tempted to claim the animals.
None of the herds or individual animals came from
Czechoslovakia, but had been transported there from
other German controlled countries because of the fine
grazing and other facilities. The Army promptly
authorized the operation and issued orders giving the
horse movement priority on all needed roads during the
time necessary.
The movement was started at dawn on the 12th of May,
and the entire plan was completed by late that night.
Since few trucks were available most of the animals
were driven in small herds – each preceded and followed
by an American vehicle – outriders and guides for each
herd were provided from German personnel and the
Russian Cossacks assisted by a few volunteer cavalrymen
from the Americans – very young colts were with their
dams and mares heavy in foal were moved in trucks –
personnel – German and Polish – and Russian – women and
children with scanty possessions and as much food for
men and horses as possible were moved on some trucks
and in horse drawn wagons and carriages, pulled by
animals broken to harness.
The day after Podhajsky’s arrival at Zinkovy he and I
drove together to Schwarzenburg where he closely
checked and identified the animals belonging to the
Piber herd. His intimate knowledge and quick
recognition of them was most helpful and he seemed
quite pleased with their condition. He evidenced no
interest in the Yugoslavian Lipizzaners, as he did not
wish their blood crossed with the Austrian strain.
Since the distance to St. Martin was so great the move
had to be made by available trucks – refitted to carry
horses. These were not ideal and unfortunately, a few
horses were injured in transport and two mares suffered
broken legs requiring their destruction. The movement
was made in two convoys the 18th and the 25th of May
and was fairly well carried out considering the lack of
transportation and personnel difficulties – a total of
215 animals were returned to Austrian control. The
remaining horses were later transferred to the large
and most suitable German horse breeding establishment
of a remount depot in Hessia – this included the
Arabians, racing horses, the Yugoslav Lipizzaners and a
portion of the Cossack horses. Since all were war booty
of the American Army, the best of these and other
captured animals were later shipped to the United
States for use by the United States remount service.
The 2nd Armored Cavalry Group performed admirably many
more difficult and dangerous operations in the European
campaigns. However, all of our members – recall with
special pride their contribution to Austrian culture
and happiness – “The Rescue of the Lipizzaners at
Hostau”.
Written by Colonel Charles Hancock Reed (Ret.)
November 4, 1970
(Excerpt from obituary supplied by Jane Reed.)
Colonel Reed, a career soldier, was born in Richmond,
VA and was an undergraduate at the University of
Virginia before going to West Point, where he graduated
in 1922.
In civilian life he served as president of Williams &
Reed of Richmond, a wholesale dry goods distributor. He
was president of the Virginia State Fair for 20 years
and a director of the Bank of Virginia.
Colonel Charles H. Reed died following a stroke. He was
79 years old.
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