During World War II, Slovakia was a client state of Nazi Germany and a member of the Axis powers.
Hitler even promised to transfer all of Slovakia to Hungary in exchange for military support from Budapest in the war soon to be unleashed against the Soviet Union, but the Hungarians were reluctant to engage in warfare.
Hitler asked the newly formed Slovak Republic (independent from March 1939) to join the invasion of Poland.
Hitler and other Nazi leaders distrusted the Slovaks against participating in Eastern European campaigns because they were Slavs.
During the Battle of Uman (3 to 8 August 1941), a mechanized body of the Carpathian Group formed double wings encircling the 6th and 12th Soviet units.
The German occupation troops resumed the pursuit of the Final Solution by deporting Slovak Jews to mass death-camps in Germany and occupied Poland.
Stalin demanded that the advance of the 2nd Ukrainian Front led by General Rodion Malinovsky immediately divert towards Budapest.
By the end of October 1944, the Axis forces (six German divisions and the pro-Nazi Slovak unit) took back most of the territory which the resistance army had occupied, and surrounded the battle groups.
On October 28, General Viest, the commander of the 1st Czechoslovak Army in Slovakia, informed London that the resistance would move towards guerilla warfare.
On October 30, General President Hoffa[citation needed] and Tiso celebrated in Banská Bystrica, with medals for German soldiers for their part in suppressing the revolt.
Special Operations Executive and Office of Strategic Services teams eventually joined[clarification needed] and sent a message requesting immediate assistance.
The German victory in Slovakia only delayed the final fall of Tiso's pro-National Socialist regime.
On January 19, 1945, the Red Army occupied Bardejov, Svidník, Prešov and Košice in eastern Slovakia.
If the uprising had occurred later, when Slovak preparations were complete, the Slovak resistance could theoretically have co-ordinated with the Allies and allowed the Red Army to move quickly through Slovakia (although it is questionable whether the Soviet leadership would have preferred such an option, as this would have significantly empowered democratic forces in Slovakia).
[clarification needed] After signing the Peace Treaty of Paris, Slovakia lost its so-called independence and was reunified with the Czech Republic.