American day in Plzen

I was never much interested in history in school, especially European history and the ins and outs of the two World Wars. However, living here in Prague has awakened an interest in the subject, as reminders of the wars are everywhere. It's helpful to learn about the history of the wars and occupations as it helps to understand the mindset of the people here.

There are many plaques on buildings in the residential areas of Prague, with names and a date of birth. The date of death is most often May 5, 1945. The short version of events associated with that date is that the American armed forces led by General George Patton had been
working their way through Czechoslovakia, liberating towns and villages that were under German occupation. The Russians were also involved in this effort. When General Patton reached Plzen on May 5, the Czechs in Prague assumed that he would soon come to liberate them, and they initiated a civil uprising. Unfortunately, General Patton was ordered not to go to Prague, but to allow the Russians to liberate that city. It took the Russians a few more days to reach Prague, and many Prague citizens lost their lives in the uprising that was successfully quelled by the German occupying force.

The people of Plzen (yes, that's the home of the Pilsner Urquell brewery ) were so thankful for their liberation that every year since they were freed from communist control they hold commemorative activities to honor the American military for their efforts.


We attended some of the festivities last Saturday, and it was a strange sight indeed to see the American flag flying next to the Czech flag on light poles and on all public buildings.



In addition to the food and beer vendors, there were several displays and "camps" set up to recreate the feeling of that era. The gentleman in the photo below, Andre, approached us when he heard us speaking English. He said, "You're not speaking Czech", and I said "You're not either!" He explained he was Dutch, and had gotten into ham radio as a hobby. Then he began to collect military radio equipment, and as he put it "Before you know it you have a car full of shit."

He lives just next to the area that was the drop zone for Operation Market Garden. He seemed to enjoy speaking English, and talked our ear off for many minutes. He was quite proud of his role in this encampment recreation as radio operator. His brother is a collector of military field telephone equipment, and the two of them spend a lot of time traveling throughout Europe setting up their displays.

Andre and the field telephone

A Marine flag...

The Americans left most of their military equipment at war's end, and the Czechs, being frugal and thankful people, stored the American vehicles and tanks throughout the Soviet occupation. Once free of communism, the military vehicles have been proudly displayed in May as a reminder of the liberation.

We assume Buffalo, NY....

We also jumped on a bus that took us out into the countryside to see several memorials that have been erected to honor those killed in battle.

This one is quite moving.