ALPHABETICAL LIST OF HISTORIC SITES

Bělá nad Radbuzou

The memorial to US Army soldiers in Bělá nad Radbuzou depicts a young man lying on the ground. Its pedestal bears a relief with a motif of running horses suggesting a herd of Lipizzans and the words “Operation Cowboy.” Two American soldiers died during this operation at the end of World War II. Their names are listed on the plaque.

Díly

Inscription on plaque – NA VĚČNOU PAMÁTKU OBĚTEM OKUPACE 1938 – 1945 NA VĚČNOU PAMÁTKU AMERICKÉ ARMÁDĚ, KTERÉ VDĚČÍME ZA SVÉ OSVOBOZENÍ 1. KVĚTNA 1945. IN MEMORY OF THE MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO WHOM WE OWE DEEP GRATITUDE FOR OUR LIBERATION MAY 1 1945. .

Domažlice

An iconic photograph of American officer Matt Konop—of Czech origin—liberating Czechoslovakia alongside the US Army. This photograph shows Domažlice citizens carrying Konop on their shoulders on May 4, 1945.

Holýšov

Little-known Polish heroes liberated the concentration camp in Holýšov and fought side by side with General Patton’s 3rd Army during the liberation of western Bohemia. Right after the liberation of this concentration camp, the Polish soldiers moved onward to their positions in Všekary, Kvíčovice, Štichov, and Neuměř. One day later, on May 6, they reconnoitered with a patrol of the advancing 3rd US Army led by General George Patton and became part of the US Army.

Horšovský Týn

After the occupation of the Czechoslovak borderlands in 1938, Horšovský Týn—as a bastion of Henlein’s Sudeten German Party—became part of the Third Reich and served as a regional seat. It fell within the Egerland government district. The events at the war’s end thus played out a bit differently in the different parts of this district. While the Americans had to fight furiously to advance in the neighborhoods directly by the Czech-German border, the actual liberation of the remainder of Horšovský Týn was only accompanied by a few local conflicts. One interesting source of testimony on the 2nd Infantry Division’s further advance out of Horšovský Týn into Pilsen is the diary of Col. Matt Konop, the Czech American who established a command station in the local castle on May 5, 1945.

Hostouň

In 1963 an American studio released a movie named “Miracle of the White Stallions” on the rescue of the horses from the Hostouň farm; its name directly evoked the pearly manes of the Lipizzaner stallions from the famous Viennese school. Yet the mayors in the villages where Operation Cowboy took place only learned of it 2006—from enthusiasts mapping the suppressed history of the region’s liberation by the US Army.

Kdyně

The first American tank rolled into town on May 4 around 6:00 p.m. to inspect the situation and returned to Všeruby after a brief delay. In the final hours of May 5, 1945, the first actual units rode in, and the locals welcomed them excitedly. The American army remained in town until October 1945.

Kladruby

“To those who died in 1938–1945 so that we might live” Těm, kteří padli, abychom my žili v letech 1938 - 1945" PMonument: A large granite object on an articulated pedestal-like base with a plaque bearing this text: “Těm, kteří padli, abychom my žili v letech 1938 – 1945.” (“To those who died in 1938–1945 so that we might live.”)

Klatovy

A pair of memorial plaques on the town hall building bear the texts “Dne 5. května L.P. 1945 byly Klatovy osvobozeny od německé nadvlády severoamerickými vojsky III. armády gen. G.S. Pattona.” Na paměť budoucím věnováno obcí města Klatov.” and “To future generations in remembrance of the liberation of Klatovy on 5th May 1945 from the German oppressors by General G. S. Patton’s Third U.S. Army.”

Klenčí pod Čerchovem

Houses were set ablaze in Klenčí pod Čerchovem before the American army arrived. On April 30, several incendiary bombs were dropped from US Air Force planes. On the right side of Klenčí, opposite the church, several buildings were set on fire. The attack was not without reason—a convoy of soldiers fighting for the Germans was passing through this town in the Sudetenland, and shots had been fired from it at American low-flying pilots passing the town. They were rumored to be fighting under the turncoat General Vlasov. The surrounding area was heavily shelled by artillery as well. The first to arrive in Klenčí was Colonel Matt Konop, whom General Walter M. Robertson, the 2nd Infantry Division’s commanding officer, had appointed as the commander of the 2nd Infantry Division’s vanguard due to his Czech roots and fluency in the Czech language. Col. Konop set up the American army’s local military headquarters at the Klenčí post office.

Koloveč

Memorial plaque with the inscription “Na paměť osvobození Kolovče armádou U.S.A. 6. května 1945” (“In memory of the liberation of Koloveč by the US Army on May 6, 1945”).

Konstantinovy Lázně

On May 7, 1945, Konstantinovy Lázně were liberated by the American 97th Infantry Division commanded by Brig. Gen. M. B. Halsey. Three days later, they were replaced by J. L. Pierce’s American 16th Armored Division.

Křimice

In memory of the American pilots shot down on April 25, 1945.

Merklín

Merklín was liberated in the late morning hours of Sunday, May 6, 1945, precisely eleven months after the English/Canadian and American armies had disembarked onto the Normandy shores.

Nýrsko

On May 4, 1945 the US Army liberated Nýrsko. Its German population was then expelled on the basis of the Potsdam Agreement.

Pístov

Tragic fates and pointlessly wasted human lives tend to be one cruel cog in the gears of every war. The journey to victory brings with it sacrifices of innocents who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. On April 21, 1945, near the hamlet of Pístov in the Tachov district, the grave awaited a total of 68 prisoners during what was already a death march from Legenfeld to the Flossenbürg concentration camp.

Pocínovice

Pocinovice is the largest of the former eleven villages in the “Chodsko” region surrounding Domažlice, and it is also the easternmost, lying 10 km southeast of Kdyně.

Postřekov

Postřekov bears the rare honor of having had nine citizens in the resistance during the war. They are: Josef Kapic, Josef Buršík, Jiří Knopf, Josef Knopf, Vavřinec Strecker, Štěpán Holl, Pavel Tauber, Karel Kreuz, and Jakub Kreuz. Names that this town’s citizens will never forget. Josef Buršík was even decorated as a Hero of the Soviet Union during the war. But in 1949, he was sentenced and jailed based on false treason charges. His friends helped him escape to Great Britain. In 1990, his name was cleared, and he was given the rank of Major General. He died in Northampton, England on June 30, 2002, and it was only posthumously that he received the Order of the White Lion—the Czech Republic’s highest state recognition. In 2003, the citizens of Postřekov unveiled a memorial plaque in his honor.

Prádlo

Prádlo’s Tilted Obelisk monument was erected at the spot where ten American pilots passed away on February 22nd, 1944 during the crash of a B-24J Liberator. This monument was ceremonially unveiled on May 3, 2009 by World War II veteran Raymond A. Noury, the only member of its crew to survive this tragedy—who is also an honorary citizen of the town of Nepomuky and the village of Prádlo.

Staňkov

Former Staňkov citizen Karel Brožovský reminisces about the end of World War II and liberation in Staňkov: :

Stod

On April 13, 1945, four thousand people from the Buchenwald concentration camp arrived in a transport train at the station in Stod.

Stříbro

Every year, representatives of towns, villages, and the Army of the Czech Republic and members of the convoy join in a ceremony in which flowers and wreaths are laid down at the monument to the liberators by the Slavia cinema and the monument to the victims of fascism at the local cemetery.

Újezd

It was April 30, 1945. The end of the war in Europe was approaching rapidly. The densely wooded frontier between Domažlice and Waldmünchen was shaking from exploding artillery shells. This was the Americans’ way of saying: “We are here.” The 90th Infantry Division fought the resisting German units at the mountain passes marking the entry into the Bohemian basin. Tactical air forces, especially heavily armed Thunderbolt “Jugs” from the US Ninth Air Force, provided support to US infantry and armored units.

Všeruby

A monument commemorating the capitulation of German armies on May 4, 1945 in Všeruby was unveiled at a special ceremony precisely 70 years after the event: on Monday May 4, 2015 in front of House No. 1 in Všeruby.

Výhledy

V TĚCHTO MÍSTECH POLOŽILI SVÉ ŽIVOTY PŘI OSVOBOZOVÁNÍ CHODSKA AMERIČTÍ VOJÁCI. ČEST JEJICH PAMÁTCE DUBEN 1945 (“AMERICAN SOLDIERS LAY DOWN THEIR LIVES TO LIBERATE THE CHODSKO REGION. HONOR TO THEIR MEMORY! APRIL 1945.”)