12 real photo postcards documenting the liberation of Czechoslovakia from the Nazi occupier during World War II. Czechoslovakia, 1945.
All postcards are captioned on the reverse in Czech, printed: destroyed German tank in the Old Town Square, Russian tank near the National Theatre, the Old Town Hall, Wenceslas Square liberated, burning of Hitler in Wenceslas Square, a car crew, Russian tanks on the Mánes Bridge, the damaged astronomical clock on the Old Town Hall, two on a tank, traces of aerial terror in Wenceslas Square, the exit to freedom – “the days have passed and the future.”
The liberation of Czechoslovakia from Nazi occupation took place in May 1945, toward the end of World War II. Most of Czechoslovakia was liberated by the Soviet Red Army, particularly Prague, as part of the Prague Offensive, conducted between May 6 and 11, 1945. In the final days of the war, a local uprising – the Prague Uprising – broke out in the city, during which Czech civilians fought German forces, sometimes using improvised means, until the arrival of the Soviets. At the same time, American forces advanced from the west and liberated the Pilsen area, but were halted, by prior agreement with the Soviet Union, from entering Prague itself. The Nazi occupation, which began in 1939, officially ended with Germany’s surrender, though its severe impact was felt long afterward.
Uniform size: 15×11 cm. Light stains. Good condition.
