Prague uprising

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the events of Spring 1968, see Prague Spring

The Prague Uprising was an attempt by the Czech resistance to liberate the city of Prague from German occupation during World War II. Events began in May 5, 1945 and went on until May 8, 1945. Roughly 1,700 Czech insurgents died during the fighting.

1 Broadcast
2 Uprising
3 Liberation
4 Participants
5 Summary
6 References
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] Broadcast

The uprising was triggered on the morning of May 5, 1945 by a broadcast on Czech radio. In a mixture of Czech and German, the broadcast announced "It is just six o' clock". A group of Czech policemen attempted to seize the radio building on Vinohradská street, without realising that a detachment of SS soldiers was already stationed there, which resulted in bitter fighting. With the sounds of combat in the background, the radio station continued to broadcast, encouraging citizens to revolt.

[edit] Uprising

In the afternoon of May 5, 1945, the Prague mayor formally switched allegiance to the National Committee in the City Hall. The Czechs in the streets tore down the German traffic signs and store inscriptions. They attacked any Germans within sight and seized their weapons. The Germans were retaliating.

At about 1am on the May 5, 1945 the radio announcer asked people to build barricades; by morning May 6, 1945 over a thousand barricades were erected. Resistance troops had managed to seize half of the city before Germans reacted. German garrisons were surrounded, and the insurgents forced the besieged German garrisons to surrender by cutting off their electricity, water supplies and telephone wires. German forces outside Prague started to move toward the city center in order to relieve their trapped countrymen. Their other objective was the capture of the railroad and highway communication network in order to secure free passage westwards to the allied lines for the Wehrmacht's Army Group Centre (Heeresgruppe Mitte).

During May 6, 1945 the Germans attempted to recapture the radio station building. As they ran into significant resistance, both in the building itself and barricades in nearby streets that hindered the German advance, they decided to use bombers instead. This attack was a success. However, Czech resistance managed to continue to broadcast from another location.

With news that Americans were already in Pilsen, hopes were initially high about their tanks reaching Prague soon, but insugents were not aware of the demarcation line agreement. The radio appeals to the US Army remained unanswered. Insurgents did not know where the Red Army might be at the time and the German military pressure was increasing.

On May 7, 1945 elite Waffen SS tank and artillery divisions stationed outside Prague, frustrated by the lack of decisive progress made by the Wehrmacht infantry, launched several furious tank attacks on the city defenders. The situation was grave. Waffen SS started to use their heavy equipment and even the feared Luftwaffe air raids were launched on Prague and many downtown historical landmarks were bombed. In the next hours, the German occupation forces gradually overwhelmed the Czech fighters. The resistance had only a few anti-tank weapons to counter a large number of German tanks and its ammunition was running out.

At this crucial moment, the anti-communist Russian Liberation Army (also known as Vlasov's Army) joined Czech insurgents in the fight against the SS. Unlike the rebels, these forces were relatively well equipped and trained. However, it soon turned out that Vlasov would not stay in Prague during the entire uprising, because he apparently did not have the full support of the Czech insurgents and he was afraid they would betray him and his soldiers to the approaching Soviets.

On May 8, 1945 faced with no arriving allied help and the imminent destruction of the city, the insurgents were forced to negotiate, and accepted the German surrender terms presented by Gen.Toussaint, the German Military Governor. It called for the immediate capitulation and unhindered passage of German forces, including civilians, through Prague. In return, Prague would not be destroyed. Although the compromise seemed to give the Germans most of what they wanted, the Czechs were confident that Germans would not have enough time to benefit from it.

[edit] Liberation

On May 9, 1945 the Soviet Red Army arrived in Prague. US Army units had been closer to Prague than Russians, and their reconnaissance units were already present in Prague suburbs when the uprising begun. However, the Americans did not help the Czech insurgents. Instead they waited for the Red Army to liberate Prague, as had been requested by Soviets.

[edit] Participants

The Insurgents were the ethnic Czech residents of Prague, forced to work for the Nazis. Although spared most of the horrors of war like the draft and massive air raids, they despised anything German and were the first to rise spontaneously without waiting for political orders. Lacking military training, they armed thernselves with small arms captured from the Germans. They fought surprisingly well trying to hinder the superior German forces by an extensive network of hastily established street barricades. Although they did sign the act of German capitulation in order to gain time, their tactics of blocking the German movement proved successful. Their main goal of demonstrating Czech resistance was reached. However, it was a close call, in which every single hour counted. Thanks to them, Prague liberated itself before the arrival of the Soviets. The Czech National Council, loyal to President Beneš in London, represented them in negotiations. The participating communists stayed loyal to their provisionary govemment in Košice, Slovakia.

The Protectorate government police, the customs, and other security forces. Comprised mostly of native Czechs, they tumed their weapons and equipment against the Germans they were supposed to protect. Although no match for the well-trained German military, they voluntarily handed over large part of their small arms stockpile and communication (signals) equipment to the insurgents. They were supposed to guard Prague against the internal enemy, but in reality faced their former allies attacking from outside. Formerly considered traitors by the Czech civilians and now by the Germans, they had no escape route and had to fight, come what may.

The Wehrmacht, regular German army of conscripts, was actually trapped both inside and outside Prague. They found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. They needed the huge Prague communication network to move west in order to surrender to the Americans. Superior in numbers, equipment and training, they were pressed only by time. However, the signing of the Surrender Act with the Czech National Council by their commander, Gen. Toussaint, may be considered only a partial victory, as only a minor part of German forces passed westward. Some units were even supposed to suppress the SS, their ally, which refused to surrender.

The Waffen SS were the best equipped, trained, and motivated of all German forces. They mostly consisted of Kampfgruppe Wallenstein that was created by the units from Benešov where was a large training area for SS. There were 2 main units created, each with one leader. They had the strength of 4 (respectively 3) regiments and were accompanied by smaller number of tanks, artillery and the armoured units. As the most fanatical of all Nazi units, they had the most to lose. In case of capture they expected (and received) no mercy. They did not honor the signed Surrender Act and considered all those, who did, traitors. Their last remains were mopped up and liquidated by the Red Army in the woods southwest of Prague as late as May 11.

German civilians residing in Prague, administrators, officials, and family members of the german military were the easiest targets of Czech anger. They had to flee by any means, including stolen vehicles, in order to save bare lives. Many useless cruelties were committed on both sides as some Germans, mainly the SS, took revenge on the Czech non-combatants.

The Vlasov troops, Russian and Ukrainian nationalists, recruited in the POW camps to help the Germans fight the Red Army. In the end they tumed their German weapons against the Nazis in false hopes of obtaining mercy from victorious Stalin. They did help Prague when it needed most. These Russian-speaking troops were often mistaken for the Red Army. However, they fought well and saved the uprising at the crucial hours. In spite of that, the Communists in the Czech National Council refused to accept them as allies and considered them fighters by their own choice. Most were later captured by the Red Army and taken to Siberian labor camps. Gen. Vlasov himself was executed by Stalin in 1947.

The Red Army arrived unexpectedly in Prague on May 9, took the city, ended the conflict, and paved the way for the Czech govemment to arrive from both East and West. As the people welcomed Soviet tanks, the last German units were leaving the city under the Surrender Act terms. Although the allied military command reserved Prague for the Red Army to secure, the insurgents were unaware of the Soviet move to assist them to the very last moment and signed the German capitulation 13 hours before the first Russian tanks approached the city from the north.

The Americans were forced by politicians to play a passive role due to the previous agreement establishing the demarcation line some 70 km west of Prague. Although they were able to reach Prague in few hours, the Red Army Command insisted upon strict adherence to the established positions, disregarding the actual situation in Prague. Patton was wanted and expected in Prague by everybody but the Communists, yet he was not allowed to move, even when his reconnaissance units were reported a mere 20 km south of Prague. In any case, a US Army mission was sent all the way, to East Bohemia in order to persuade Field Marshall Shoerner to surrender. On the way, the US Army negotiators stopped in Prague and helped persuade Gen.Toussaint, the German military commander in Prague, to offer his capitulation.

[edit] Summary

During the uprising in Prague 1,694 Czechs were killed and another 1,600 seriously wounded. Almost 1,000 Germans were killed, including civilians. The Vlasov Army lost 300 men. On May 9, the Red Army casualties amounted to 30, including some 10 soldiers killed in combat. However, many other victims were never identified.

[edit] References

Roučka, Zdeněk. Skončeno a podepsáno: Drama Pražského povstání (Accomplished And Signed: Pictures of the Prague Uprising), 163 pages, Plzeň: ZR&T, 2003 (ISBN 80-238-9597-4).