Anyone can provide information about the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Patton in 1945?Any info--especially about the battle(if there was such thing of course :roll of Pilsen--would be much appreciated.
There was small scale fighting in Plzen, some units resisted in the city by barricading themselves into buildings but most willingly gave themselves up... several armored battallions would have offered the Americans a problem had they joined in but they were encourntered sittingly idly on the road to Plzen, waiting for surrender... AFAIK there were no armored engagments, only a few small arms clashes as the inhabitants of Plzen had been fighting a guerilla war against the Germans for a few days... The Americans were greeted by smiling townsfolk standing in front of Germans they had hung... The main importance of Plzen was its factory, Skoda-works, which produced tanks and heavy guns for the Germans. It was bombed in April, later Czechoslovaika's pro-communist government would dismiss this as allied attempts to sabotage Czechoslovakia's socialist future and industrial capacity ... A little know fact is that Allied recon units did make their way to Prague during the second world war... However as the city had already been liberated and was completely in control, there was no excuse for the Ameicans in Plzen to push further to 'aid' their 'allies'... The soviets also had expected to liberate Plzen and since there were as of yet no orders to the contraray, Soviet forces in Prague marched towards Plzen on 11 May, instructing the Americans to step aside... The Americans initially refused but were ordered to do so on May the 14th
Yeah, the problem of american policy in that time, was a lack of cohesion beetwen actions of army and politicians. In political sens it would be better for the Europe if the army stayed in Pilzen but unfortunately it were generals to decide. Americans left political matters till the end of war. Then it was too late.
