Slim, William (1891–1970) strike directly toward Germany and relieve pressure on the Red Army The operation would have involved mostly British and Commonwealth forces, and was for that reason and other sound strategic reasons opposed by the British Chiefs of Staff and by Churchill at a London conference held from July 18–22, 1942 The result of British refusal to carry though SLEDGEHAMMER led directly to American agreement to British proposals for the alternative TORCH landings, the invasion of North Africa in November SLIM, WILLIAM (1891–1970) British general He fought in the East African campaign (1940–1941) and in the expedition to Syria Slim had years of prewar experience with the Indian Army and was seen as a natural commander of Indian troops in the second Burma Campaign (1943–1945) In October 1943, he was given command of British 14th Army, which he led in fighting in the Arakan and during the Imphal offensive in 1944 See also unconditional surrender SLIT TRENCH British and Commonwealth term for a rectangular shallow pit, dug to provide protection against snipers and shelling It was larger and accommodated more soldiers than an American foxhole, the U.S Army one or two-man equivalent See also octopus pot SLOT, THE See Guadalcanal campaign (August 7, 1942–February 7, 1943) SLOVAKIA See Czechoslovakia; Slovak Uprising SLOVAK UPRISING (1944) Some in the fascist Slovak Army tried to play a clever game of rising against the Germans before the arrival of the Red Army, to assert a primary political claim for the postwar period As with the Warsaw Uprising, the problem was fatal mistiming On August 29, 1944, Slovak resistance fighters rose against the Germans, declaring “Free Slovakia” while hoping for help from the approaching Red Army That same day, seven Soviet Fronts were ordered onto the “strict defensive” along the Eastern Front Toward the end the VVS flew in supplies and some Czech and Slovak fighters to an isolated pocket of continuing resistance in north-central Slovakia Czech pilots in the VVS flew air cover over the area and a Czech–Slovak brigade was parachuted in Otherwise, the uprising in Slovakia was left to burn itself out The last stronghold of the rebels was crushed on October 27 A few survivors made it into the Carpathians Most were wiped out by the Wehrmacht and punitive Schutzstaffel (SS) and criminal brigades, the latter with hands still bloody from mass murders committed in Warsaw Slovakia was not liberated by the Red Army until 1945 994