 On 14 March 1939 when German troops invaded Czechoslovakia, Pavlík was the Officer Commanding of the 12th machine-gun company of the 8th Infantry Regiment housed in Czajánek's barracks in the town of Místek.After the battle, Pavlík was forced to surrender, and soon the rest of Czechoslovakia fell peacefully to the Germans.Pavlík joined a resistance group called "Za Vlast" ("For the country"), which helped Czechoslovak pilots flee to Allied nations.