Dramatic demonstration at u sv. Jiří commemorated the battles for Pilsen

The location near the Church sv. Jiří became the scene of an extraordinary dynamic combat demonstration, which was part of the program of the Liberation Festival. The reconstruction of historical events attracted two and a half thousand spectators, who had the opportunity to watch a simulation of the occupation of a German anti-aircraft position, known as a flak. There were several of them in the vicinity of the then strategically important Škodovka at the end of World War II, for example in nearby Švabiná, under Chlum or directly near Pecihrádek, which is a place only a few hundred meters away from the event. The story of the demonstration focused on the efforts of representatives of the Czechoslovak National Committee, gendarmerie and former soldiers to disarm the German garrison defending the anti-aircraft equipment and searchlights. Although the local resistance fighters tried to resist with their own forces, the German army fiercely defended itself and the insurgents had to be saved in the end only by the decisive intervention of the American army.

Over a hundred members of various military history clubs participated in the production, who demonstrated more than 20 pieces of authentic equipment to the audience. The most interesting vehicles included the American M8 Greyhound armored car, the Halftrack M3 half-track transporter, and the German SdKfz 251 and SdKfz 222 vehicles. The entire event, which was organized by the K.u.K. Infanterie Regiment No.35 together with the city of Pilsen and the fourth city district, was also watched by distinguished guests, family members of Belgian veterans. The main goal was to bring the public, and especially the younger generation, closer to the authentic course of the liberation of Pilsen through specific local stories. Commemorating these historical milestones directly in the places where they once took place serves as an important reference for the future and underlines the importance of the freedom that the city gained in May 1945.

source of information and photo: https://umo4.plzen.eu/