In May 1945, the city of Pilsen was liberated by U.S. forces under the command of General Patton. The troops remained in the city until the final ceremonial parade held in Republic Square (Náměstí Republiky) 20 November 1945, in which the local population bid farewell to the US soldiers.Today, this history is not forgotten. A walk around the city reveals several monuments, museums and landmarks which tell the story of Pilsen's liberation at the end of the Second World War, the role of the US troops and their famous General Patton.

Czech Republic

City of Pilsen

The historical Hotel Slovan

General Patton Monument

Memorial honouring the 18th Armored Division

16th Armored Division Memorial

Memorial in rememrance of the USA war efforts in Pilsen

Thank You America Memorial

Patton Memorial Museum Pilsen

Historical Hotel Continental

Liberation of Pilsen

Below is Ken Jones’ recollection about his time in Pilsen and participation in the liberation of the brewery complex:“My military duties with the 16th Armored Division, U.S. Army, were to serve as Division Information Officer, an important educative responsibility while in training in America, but now functioning as a sort of in-house or staff journalist. Officially, I was a part of the Headquarters Company, but no one seemed to care what I was doing. When I identified the unit which had been instructed to liberate the brewery, I thought that would be news-worthy and attached myself to that unit. This entitled me to claim for posterity that I had helped to liberate the brewery. The German soldiers we found in the brewery complex were eager to surrender so it was almost a "non event. […]My first impression of the Czech Republic was that I was gazing upon the most beautiful, believable countryside I had ever seen. The rolling hills topped by evergreen forests provided a backdrop for fields of waving grain, as men and women harvested the winter wheat and stacked it onto hay wagons drawn by horses. It was like a painting by an 18th century master. If&nbsp;that were not enough, the frequent dark gray granite outcroppings among the wheat were like after-thoughts by an artist to improve on perfection…”After the war, he graduated from American University and Yale Divinity School. Thanks to the support of the City of Pilsen, Ken returned to visit five times: 1995, 2000, 2002, 2005, and 2010.

Liberation of a Brewery – Account of Ken Jones

As the most important public space of the city, it became the location of various ceremonial military parades. On 20 November 1945 a final ceremonial parade was held to bid farewell to departing American forces with the participation of Jan Masaryk, the post-war Czechoslovakian Minister of Foreign Affairs.&nbsp;

Republic Square

From the outset of the war, some countries boycotted Pilsner Urquell as a German product, therefore exports were directed exclusively to Germany. The brewery produced “weak war beer” and survived only because it supplied beer to the workers at the Škoda Works. During the war, protective constructions called “Splitterschutzzelle” (observation towers) or “Einmannbunker” (one man bunker) were built at each of these breweries. As simple precast concrete cylinders with narrow openings, they were probably among the first prefabricated fortified structures. They did not provide adequate shelter during air raids but were used as observation towers for posted patrols. Towards the end of the war, Pilsen experienced bombing and both breweries were extensively damaged while the Gambrinus was almost completely destroyed. After the bombing was over, fire patrols used these observation towers to monitor the results of the air raid and to help to locate unexploded bombs.

Pilsen Urquell Brewery

Klatovská Street 19 was built for Hugo and Helena Semler in the early 20th century by the architect Adolf Loos. Other of his works in Pilsen included the Bummel House and 13 apartment interiors, including Klatovská Street 12, directly opposite the "Thank You, America!” Plaza. In 1939, the Semler family was forced to emigrate to Canada. In 1941, the German military headquarters was established in the house. On 5 May 1945 with the appending approach of American and Belgian forces, resistance fighters and Czech police rebelled against the German occupiers. They occupied all important buildings in the city except the German military headquarters at Klatovská Street 19. General Georg von Majewski, commander of the German garrison in Pilsen, refused to surrender to the Czechs and ordered his troops to resist until the arrival of American forces. Today the house remains an important monument of European architecture of the 20th century and the location of dramatic negotiations in the final days of World War II in Pilsen.

Klatovska Street 19

The bomb shelter of the hotel had been considered one of the safest places in the city. However, the direct hit by the bomb killed 70 people, including hotel owner Václav Ledecký, his son Emanuel, and his father-in-law Arnošt Egert.After the liberation of Pilsen by the American army in May 1945, the hotel became the temporary headquarters of the renown 2nd Infantry Division under General Hinds. Among the most distinguished guests was Marlene Dietrich – who arrived in Pilsen with the Americans to serve as a translator.

Hotel Continental

At the beginning of the occupation of Pilsen, the synagogue was used as a storehouse for confiscated Jewish property. Later it was used as a factory to produce uniforms for German soldiers. After World War II, it was returned to the Jewish community of Pilsen and used as a place of worship until 1973. In 1973 it was classified as a historic monument and was partially reconstructed. During the restoration, a bullet was discovered lodged into one of the tablets of the Ten Commandments next to “Thou shalt not kill” – a remnant of the battle to liberate the city in 1945. Behind the synagogue in the park named after Pilsen-born actor Miroslav Horníček, a mini-memorial can be found made from the parts of the original pylons of the “Thank you, America!” memorial in central Pilsen.

Great Synagogue of Pilsen

The three Stoplersteine outside of house No. 6 sady Pětatřicátníků are inscribed with the names of the Fanta family:Adolf Fanta was born in 1889, deported to Terezin 1942, murdered in 1942 in Izbica.Hana Fantová was born in 1923, deported to Terezin 1942, murdered in 1942 in Izbica.Regina Fantová was born in 1887, deported to Terezin 1942, murdered in 1942 in Izbica.These Stoplersteine are three of more than 75,000 to be installed in 26 countries across Europe. The project was started by German artist Gunter Demnig with the aim of commemorating the victims of the Holocaust and persecution by the Nazi totalitarian regime. Each stone is made out of brass and is placed in the pavement outside of the victims home or place of work. They inscribed with the name, date of birth, deportation date, and date of death.<a href="https://www.stolpersteine.eu" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">More information on the Stoplersteine Project</a>

Stolpersteine for the Fanta Family

As early as 1946, Peace Square (náměstí Míru) was chosen as the location of a memorial to the Victims of Fascism and War in Pilsen. The memorial was erected in the central part of the square only in 1967 on the basis of a&nbsp;competition. The winning design featured a travertine sculpture titled "People" created by the sculptor Slavoj Nejdel, which represents the clenched formation of figures facing violence. The sculpture rests on horizontal granite pedestal with the motto "Honor to the one who defends himself, he can give his life for liberty" and was designed by architect Hynek Gloser Sr. The memorial was reconstructed in 2010.After the closure of the Bory military airfield in 1966, a second monument was moved here dedicated to the Czechoslovak Military Pilots of the Second World War. A third monument located on the square is dedicated to the Czech Popular uprising that broke out in the early morning of 5 May 1945.

Peace Square Monuments

The two opposing slender steles (9.5 metres high slabs each weighing 10 tonnes) are made of special rusted steel (corten), which are intended to resemble the triumphal arch – a traditional symbol of victory. The rust colour itself is reminiscent of the armor of tanks, and also draws attention to the fact that the memorial was not built until 70 years after the war. The creation of the monument took about one year under the sponsorship of Vítkovice Ironworks. A monument to General Patton was intended to be erected ten years earlier in 2004 when a foundation stone was&nbsp;laid in front of the Peklo cultural centre. However, the statue’s design for a realistic depiction of General Patton created by Jaroslav Bocker was rejected by the town hall after it emerged the artist had cooperated with communist Czechoslovakian Secret Police (“StB”). The statue was later placed in the nearby village of Dýšina, the headquarters of the 22nd Corps of Patton's 3rd U.S. Army.

More than a thousand exhibits are on display at the Patton Memorial Museum in Pilsen. The first section provides information about the last air campaigns in Western Bohemia and the bombing of the Škoda factories. Visitors are plunged into the final battles of the Second World War by the sound of sirens, accompanied by authentic films and photographs from the period. The exhibition retraces the progress of the American army in Czechoslovakia and the deployment of American soldiers. Through authentic images, visitors can relive the last days of the conflict, the arrival of the American troops, moments of relaxation and friendly encounters with the local population. There are also recordings of certain important events, such as an inspection of the troops on 15 June 1945 in the presence of the President of Czechoslovakia, Dr Edvard Beneš.Other exhibits in the museum show the extent to which economic support from the United States helped the local population to overcome the difficulties of the post-war period. These include food rations, empty and unopened tins, sacks of flour and corn, and packets of chewing gum. The exhibition also features medical supplies, field rations, sports and relaxation equipment, handmade tools, paper documents and numerous objects left behind by American soldiers. The exhibition is largely devoted to George S. Patton, head of the 3rd US Army, and his old friend, General Ernest N. Harmon. Harmon provided technical and material assistance for the reconstruction of Czechoslovakia after bidding farewell to the population with the American troops during the final inspection in November 1945. The museum also displays documents, newspapers and magazines from the period 1948 to 1989. These texts illustrate the Communist regime's desire to conceal the facts surrounding the American liberation of Pilsen.

The Patton Memorial Pilsen was opened in May 2005 on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the city of Pilsen. The museum retraces the advance of the US Army led by General Patton in WWII. More than a thousand exhibits from private collections present gear and equipment of the time and war relics left behind by U.S. soldiers.

One witness recalls: "I had bought red and white carnations and went to lay them at the memorial. Suddenly, a lorry appeared and several uniformed National Security officers got out. Pointing their guns at us, they shouted at us to disperse us. During the night that followed, trucks came. They took all the bouquets, the flags and even the monument and threw them in the rubbish.In his anecdotes from 1945, another witness expresses his gratitude to the American liberators: "We always wanted to be everywhere at once. We couldn't miss the slightest opportunity. But the Yankees were fantastic. We quickly adopted a few American words as we chatted: "hellow, boys", "choowing gum", "please", "choko", "Jeep", "ou kay", "senk you", etc. We also admired their music and the way they spoke, and we imitated their dances. The Yankees were the first to teach me dance steps. We tried to copy their frenzied boogie-woogie moves and we grew up faster thanks to their presence. They used to come to our place, in particular to taste our famous dish based on pork, quenelles and cabbage, and we were delighted to spend time with them. They left us their photos, addresses and lots of other gifts.One resident also remembers the dance evenings: "The Americans organised dances in the street. They would close off part of the road with four Jeeps and pull out electric cables for the lights, creating a floodlit dance floor. A friend and I climbed into a car to watch the soldiers dancing with young women. We were ten at the time. My poor parents were looking for me. After that, my father argued with me like never before.

The Thank You America Memorial in Pilsen, Czech Republic, was erected in honour of the U.S. forces that liberated Pilsen in May 1945. The monument was renovated in May 2018 and it consists of two columns with inscriptions in both Czech and English.

The soldiers established their command post in Neukirchen shortly before noon. According to an American officer present in May 1945, the German 11th Panzer Division (fully armoured and made up of 12,000 soldiers) surrendered to the US 90th Infantry Division before the soldiers took control of their new sector on the front. German tanks, trucks and armoured vehicles moved through the American positions throughout the night.However, the attitude of the 11th Panzer Division was astonishing. Its soldiers seemed to be among the best in the German army. Unlike other battle-scarred Wehrmacht units, they surrendered in a very orderly fashion, looking clean and rested. A multitude of vehicles and artillery pieces were handed over to the American troops, including tanks and self-propelled guns, as well as hundreds of armoured cars, trucks and Jeeps. The many weapons and munitions, which could have led to a devastating battle, were deposited in designated areas.This memorial to the 2nd US Infantry Division was proposed by Dr Pershing Wakefield, a veteran of the Second World War who served with the Division. This is what he had to say about Pilsen:"The liberation of Czechoslovakia was the best part of our arduous journey from Omaha Beach, via Normandy, Brest and Germany. Our friends welcomed us into their homes without the slightest hesitation. We celebrated this great victory together. The players of the HC Škoda ice hockey club in Pilsen now wear the "Indianhead" symbol and are nicknamed the "Pilsen Indians" in honour of the 2nd Infantry Division" (The Division's logo is a head wearing the Native American feather headdress).

The 2nd Infantry Division Memorial pays tribute to the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division, recognised as a liberating unit by the U.S. Army's Center of Military History and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1993. The division advanced to Pilsen on 8 May 1945.

2nd Infantry Division Memorial

The 16th American Armoured Division was one of the youngest divisions created during the Second World War. Founded in July 1943 and based at Camp Chaffee, Arkansas, it remained there until it entered the European fighting in January 1945, landing at Le Havre, France, in February. At the time of its creation, the Division was commanded by General D. T. Greene. In September 194 he was succeeded by Brigadier General J. L. Pierce, and part of the Division took part in the fighting in Germany alongside the 86th Infantry Division. At the end of April 1945, Pierce's men crossed the River Isar and advanced towards Wasserburg. During this mission, they attacked and occupied various towns. At the end of the operation, the soldiers rejoined the rest of the Division, which was then carrying out exercises and maintaining order in Nuremberg.The Division's campaign in Pilsen was launched on 5 May 1945. The men of the 16th Division, nicknamed the "Armadillo", liberated this town in western Bohemia the very next day, after a brief spell of fighting. They then dispersed to several other towns in the region. The 16th Armoured Division was finally demobilised in October 1945. Although they only fought one campaign, for three days, the people of Pilsen consider Pierce's soldiers to have played the greatest role in their liberation from the occupying Nazi forces. Despite fighting for only a few days, the division lost five members and suffered 28 casualties.

The Memorial commemorates the U.S. 16th Armored Division that liberated Pilsen from Nazi Germany on 6 May 1945, led by General Patton.