Prague during World War II


 

When you walk through Prague today, you might be able to see not only the centuries of history in the architecture and sights but also reminders of the times that were not so merry. One of these times was certainly World War II.

Have you ever walked around the city and wondered how it looked during the war? What happened to the locals and how was the city transformed under the Nazi rule? This article will give you a brief response to these questions.

It all started on March 15, 1939

Hitler at The Prague Castle

Hitler looking at Prague from the Prague Castle’s window – by ČTK – Reflex.cz

The history of Czechoslovakia right before World War II and events that caused Slovakia to declare an independent Nazi state just one day before Hitler marched to Prague are complex. The shadow fell on Prague on March 15, 1939 when Hitler made his appearance. It was his first and last visit. On that day, he signed a document naming Czechoslovakia the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. After that, he announced the news from the Prague Castle. Overnight, cars had to start driving on the right side and Germans in the country automatically became citizens of the German Reich. Czechs kept their own government. The truth is that the Czech President had no real power. The power was in the hands of Hitler’s personal representative – the Reichsprotector.

November 17, the important day in 1939

Opletal's funeral

Jan Opletal and his funeral – Image processed by CodeCarvings Piczard – Netky.sk

Those of you living in the Czech Republic for some time now know that November 17 is a National Holiday. Visitors coming to the country around that day will notice stores being closed and people laying flowers on certain spots in the city. By paying attention to the international news, you probably noticed that even this year, on November 17, there were enormous demonstrations happening. These demonstrations called for the Prime Minister to step down. But why is it always November 17?

It all started in 1939. Just a little over half a year after the Nazi troops marched into Prague with Hitler at the front, first large demonstration against the occupation took place. But how has it started? What forced people to stand against the uniformed soldiers?

October 28, 1939 would have been the 21st anniversary of the Declaration of the Independent Czechoslovak State and people were celebrating. The celebration turned into a demonstration during which a young student, Jan Opletal was fatally wounded. His funeral was schedule for November 15, 1939 and it again turned into another demonstration. Following this event, the Nazis sentenced 9 students to death. All universities in the country were closed and some 1200 students sent to the concentration camps. Their execution took place on November 17.

Fast forward 50 years later on the same day, students initiated a demonstration we know today as the Velvet Revolution. This time November 17 marked the end of the Communist rule in the country.

1942- heroes for some, assassins for others

Parachutes hiding place

Parachutes’ hiding place turned into a memorial – by Honza Groh – CC BY 3.0 – Wikimedia Commons

After you complete your checklist of what to see in Prague and wonder what to do next, consider visiting the Saints Cyril and Methodius Cathedral. This is the principal Czech and Slovak Orthodox Church and its name was written in the history in 1942. On May 27, 1942 it was a place where Czech and Slovak parachutes were hiding after they assassinated the German Reichsprotector Reinhard Heydrich.

Reinhard Heydrich was known as one of the men who created the so-called ‘Final Solution’ and stood very high among the Nazis. After his assassination, Nazi soldiers chased the parachutes across Prague and found them in the Saints Cyril and Methodius Cathedral. The parachutes barricaded themselves inside and fought hard. Regardless, their lives ended there.

If you visit the Cathedral today, you will be able to see the holes cause by the bullets in the walls. There is also a monument dedicated to the fallen parachutes in its crypt. The assassination is known as the so-called Operation Anthropoid. The movie called Operation Anthropoid was released in 2016, you can watch the trailer here:

The destructive bombing of Prague

Prague was bombed 5 times during the War. The first time is not considered an actual bombing, as the air crafts were used for dropping the propaganda leaflets instead of bombs. This mission was organized by the French Air Force.

More serious were the 4 bombings that came after. The first bombing took place just one year after the leaflets were dropped in 1941. This time French Airforce was replaced by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Prague had no choice but to receive four firebombs.

Second bombing came in 1944. Even though it is not certain who sent the raid, we assume that this was a raid by the US troops. The target was a municipal power plant which was not damaged. However, several workers were killed and many people injured by the splinters.

Third time a charm or a tragic mistake?

Prague during 1945 bombing

Old Town City Hall and the Astronomical Clock after the bombing – by Stanislav Maršál – WordPress.com

On 14 February 1945, the navigators of 62 air crafts reported to be above their target. They stated to be ‘somewhere above Dresden’. On that day, their job was not an easy one. Since their departure from the UK, they flew in a heavy fog and the visibility was very low. There was also a reported navigation failure. Consequently, around 152 tons of bombs were dropped on mostly heavily populated areas of Prague instead of Dresden. Tragically, Prague was not even a secondary target during this operation.

The mistake resulted in around 700 people killed and more than a thousand wounded. Around hundred houses and historical sites were destroyed and an additional 200 heavily damaged. All the people killed were civilians and none of the buildings were factories that might have been used by the Germans.

American pilots voiced their regrets many times after this event. Later, the US paid for renovations of some of the historical buildings. This raid was used in a propaganda against The Allies by the Nazis, and also later on by the Communist Regime in former Czechoslovakia.

When you walk along the Vltava River today you might want to see the Dancing House. You might admire the beauty of the architecture or want to take a picture. Can you imagine that the house stands on a place of bomb landing? It’s true. One of the bombs from February 1945 actually exploded just there.

No more mistakes – the last bombing was well planned

The last raid on Prague was intentional and happened only one month later. The day was purposely selected on the Palm Sunday to minimize casualties. The targets were factories and military airfields around Prague. This raid involved around 50 aircrafts and left more than 200 dead, 400 injured, 90 building destroyed and more than 1,300 heavily damaged.

World War II ended with the so-called Prague Uprising led by the Czech resistance to liberate Prague from the German occupation. The Uprising started on May 5, however on May 8, 1945, President Benes signed an agreement with the Soviet leaders. The agreement stated that from now on, the Czechoslovak territory would be under the Czechoslovak civilian control.

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