The Slovaks embarked on a large-scale uprising to remove the Slovak PeopleΓÇÖs Party of Hlinka from power, and to free the state from its dependence on Nazi Germany. The plans rested on the hope that the Soviet army would concurrently break through the German lines on two fronts. Thus, the rebels hoped they could hold out against the Germans until the Soviets came. Even before the uprising, the partisans controlled much of eastern and central Slovakia. On August 28, the Germans invaded Slovakia to keep the partisans from taking over further territory. Most of campaign went against the rebels, as the Germans held supremacy in troops and firepower. However, the endurance of the resistance, especially the partisan units, dashed the GermansΓÇÖ hopes of quelling the uprising within several days. About 10 percent of the partisan fighters were Jewish, and several Jewish parachutists from Palestine participated as well. Wherever the Germans put down the rebel forces, they combed the area for Jews. In all, they captured and killed approximately 5,000 civilian Jews and 1,900 Slovak fighters. Some 13,000 additional Jews were deported to Auschwitz and Theresienstadt.
