In memory of the American pilots shot down on April 25, 1945.
Ten American pilots died near Křimice—formerly an independent village, now a district in Pilsen—during the bombardment of the Škoda Works in Pilsen, which was the last major German arms plant in the final phase of the war. Nearly 300 bombers took part in the raid. Seven of these were shot down; four crash-landed very close to Pilsen, near Křimice and Vejprnice, and also Čemíny and Litice. A total of 22 American soldiers died during these events.
The monument in Křimice, which was relocated to the close vicinity of two other memorials in 2014, is dedicated to the airmen of two Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses. The first was hit by a German flak cannon and crashed into the meadows between Skvrňany and Křimice towards Radčice, while the second fell near Vejprnice.
These tour routes copy the movements of the US Army during the liberation of West Bohemia in the spring of 1945. Commemoration sites are connected into these tour routes in a way that ensures each site leads into the next. You’ll also find regional and private museums, as well as tourist activities connected with these military memorial sites.
We present to visitors a timeline that follows the advance of the US Army and individual parts of it from the German border to Domažlice and from there on towards Pilsen. The time information in this timeline will gradually gain in scope and detail.
The Paths of Liberation — The Pilsen Region