Czechoslovak formations in the Second World War. How European corporations helped Hitler The Czech Army in World War II
The role that some European countries played in World War II is extremely controversial. One of these countries is the Czech Republic. Czechoslovak units fought in the USSR and against the British, and usually showed both military professionalism and courage in battles. There were also underground fighters in the Czech Republic, and even partisans appeared towards the end of the war, however, for the most part with Russian and Ukrainian surnames of commanders and fighters. The book “Report with a Noose Around the Neck” by Czech patriot Julius Fucik is one of the most famous works of anti-fascist literature.
Czech patriots parachuted from England executed Hitler's governor, Heydrich. There were cases of Germans reprisals against civilians (the tragedy of the village of Lidice is the most large-scale example). We wrote about all this in sufficient detail in the socialist era, and all of this was an indisputable truth.
But they didn’t always talk about something else. The Czech Republic, which surrendered to the Germans without a fight in 1938–1939, became a real weapons workshop for the Third Reich during World War II. A powerful military industry and skilled Czech workers and engineers produced aircraft engines, weapons and ammunition for Germany and its allies. Czech factories made a particularly notable contribution to the production of armored vehicles for Hitler.
According to historian Yuri Nersesov, the Germans received from the Czechs more than 1.4 million rifles and pistols, over 62 thousand machine guns, and about 4 thousand guns and mortars. In 1939, 5 Wehrmacht infantry divisions were equipped with Czech trophies, and in 1940 - 4 more.
Hundreds of Czech armored vehicles, wedges and light tanks entered service with the German, Romanian and Slovak armies, the latter being then considered the best in the world, “the ideal vehicle for blitzkrieg.” On June 22, 1941, Czech-made armored vehicles made up a quarter of the German fleet tank divisions 1st echelon. Later, the occupied factories began to produce self-propelled and assault guns instead of tanks that were obsolete by that time.
Here is what, for example, researcher Dmitry Pyatakhin writes about the famous Hetzer assault gun: “The creator of the Hetzer is rightfully the famous ČKD enterprise in Prague, which during the occupation was called Boehmisch-Mahrish-Maschinenfabrik (BMM).
Initially, the plant planned to produce StuG IV, but the plant’s technology was rebuilt in a short time for production new car failed, although VMM had previously been involved in repairing German self-propelled guns... The main manufacturer of Hetzers was the VMM plant, but later, when it became clear that it could not cope with the first order for 1000 cars, the Skoda plant in Pilsen joined production ...
"Hetzers" were widely used in battles for East Prussia, in Pomerania and Silesia, as well as during the Ardennes Offensive German army. Thanks to rational armor angles and a low silhouette, the Hetzer was an excellent example anti-tank gun, capable of fighting from ambushes, quickly changing position... “Hetzer” was an ideal close-combat weapon.”
About how many crews of Soviet T-34 and American Shermans burned out after successful hits from these self-propelled and assault guns, no information...
The trust of German customers in the reliability of Czech manufacturers was so great that they were even entrusted with the production of Germany's last hope - the “miracle weapon”. Czech factories even produced ME-262 jet fighters, on which Hitler had special hopes.
The city of Brno supplied the Nazis with small arms. The famous Zbroevka plant is located here. Individual acts of sabotage and sabotage do not change the overall picture. Czech workers, engineers and designers, for the most part, justified the trust placed in them by the Germans and produced high-quality military products...
From time to time I get asked a question about where people work in Europe and the Czech Republic. After all, many tourists think that in the Czech Republic people only work as guides, waiters, office managers or tram drivers. In fact, in European countries A wide variety of industries have been developed, employing hundreds of thousands of highly qualified workers. And today I will introduce you to one of these productions, namely Czech weapons.
As you know, Czech weapons played important role during the Second World War, because the occupation of the Czech Republic was very important for Hitler, because he needed equipment and weapons for the army, and in the Czech Republic there were a lot of weapons, and in their own way technical specifications it was ahead of many countries. Currently, the Czech Republic is also an important player in the market small arms and ranks 14th in the export of pistols, small arms and ammunition, earning more than $100 million annually.
Before we move on to consider modern Czech weapons, I will tell you about the Czechoslovak weapons of the Second World War.
Czech weapons of the Second World War
ZK-383- a submachine gun created in Czechoslovakia in the early 1930s at a factory Zbrojovka Brno in the city of Brno. After the occupation of Czechoslovakia by German troops, production of the ZK 383 was continued, and the stocks available in warehouses entered service with the Slovak army, Waffen-SS units and police forces, and were also transferred to Bulgaria. ZK 383 was exported to Bolivia and Venezuela. ZK-383 submachine guns were chambered for 9x19 mm.
Shotgun MSS-41 was also created at the Czechoslovak arms factory Zbrojovka Brno. The gun later entered service in Germany. A special feature of the MSS-41 was that it was made according to the bullpup design ( impact mechanism and the magazine are located in the butt behind the trigger). In addition, these anti-tank rifles were first used as large-caliber sniper rifles. The SS troops had special teams armed with MSS-41 with optical sights, whose main task was to destroy firing points from long distances, as well as bunkers and bunkers. One of the advantages of the gun is that it can be carried by one person. In terms of armor penetration, this anti-tank rifle was quite consistent with its modern counterparts. foreign analogues. With its help it was possible to hit armored cars and armored vehicles, but against the average and heavy tanks it was powerless.
ZB-53 heavy machine gun was developed by the Czechoslovak company Zbrojovka Brno. The machine gun was in service with the Czechoslovak army and was mass-produced. After the occupation of Czechoslovakia by German troops, machine guns were transferred to the German army. Machine guns were exported to China, Romania, Afghanistan, Argentina and Yugoslavia. By the beginning of World War II, the German army had 12,672 such machine guns in service. The gun operated using the energy of air-cooled powder gases. Shooting was carried out with standard 7.92x57 mm Mauser cartridges with light and heavy bullets. The machine gun served as infantry support and as a transport weapon. Release license similar weapons bought by Great Britain and released a machine gun called BESA.
- ground weapon of the Czechoslovak army during the Second World War. This is one of the most famous guns produced in Czechoslovakia. This light machine gun, developed in 1924-1926. chambered for the German cartridge 7.92x57 mm, adopted by the Czechoslovak Army in 1926 and exported to 24 countries (Iran, Great Britain, Spain, Poland, Sweden and others).
It is not surprising that the machine gun won love in so many countries: not only did it have excellent tactical and technical characteristics, it was also unpretentious in use, and the overheated barrel could be easily changed.
Modern Czech weapons
The most famous Czech company that produces pistols is Ceska Zbrojovka from the town of Uherski Brod. Ceska Zbrojovka began its activities in the production of pistols at the beginning of the 20th century with the production of pistols CZ 22, CZ 24, CZ 27 and others. The CZ 27 model was very popular and more than 700 thousand of these pistols were produced. Naturally, the Czechoslovak army was equipped with such pistols.
After the Second World War, production of the CZ 45 and CZ 50 pistols began. The CZ 45 used 6.35x15 mm Browning cartridges. The CZ 50 used 7.65x17mm cartridges. Design CZ 50 strongly resembled the design "Walter", although there was a difference: the fuse box was placed not on the frame, but on the shutter-casing; the pin indicating the presence of a cartridge in the chamber protruded not from the back, but from the side of the bolt casing; the safety bracket was made together with the frame as one part, and disassembly was carried out after pressing the latch on the side of the frame. The pistol was not used in the army, but it became the pistol of the Czech police.
Pistol CZ 75
The pistol, developed in Czechoslovakia in 1975, is considered one of the best combat pistols in the whole world! Initially, the pistol was created for export, but the model turned out to be so successful that it began to be supplied to the Czech police. CZ 75 pistols were supplied to Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Thailand, and Poland. They are currently used by a number of large police departments in the United States (for example, Special Forces "Delta"). Clones of this pistol are produced by companies in different countries, in Turkey, China, Italy, Israel, Switzerland and the USA. Features of the pistol can be found in the American Springfield P-9, Israeli Jericho 941, Italian Tanfoglio GT-21, Swiss Sphinx AT-2000.
Pistols CZ-75 combine excellent reliability, survivability, strength, shooting accuracy, ergonomics, and at the same time their price is kept at an acceptable low level. CZ-75 pistols are produced by the most various modifications and for different cartridges, for example, 9x19mm parabellum, 9x21mm.
CZ 82- a compact semi-automatic pistol developed in Czechoslovakia for the Czechoslovak army chambered for a 9x18 mm live cartridge. In terms of its characteristics, the CZ-82 is superior to its main competitor - the Makarov pistol. The CZ-82 has a larger magazine capacity (12 rounds instead of 8), a more comfortable grip, a more comfortable trigger, a noticeably better finish, is more durable and more accurate when shooting.
Automatic CZ SA Vz.58
CZ SA Vz.58- a 7.62 caliber assault rifle, developed in Czechoslovakia in 1958 at the Česká Zbrojovka plant in the city of Uherský Brod for the Czech army. Externally, the assault rifle is similar to the Kalashnikov assault rifle, but due to the difference in design, the Czech assault rifle can fire single shots and continuous bursts. The machine gun was exported to Iran, India, Cuba and African countries.
The CZ 805 BREN is a modern 5.56 x45mm assault rifle designed as a custom weapon for the Czech Army. The machine meets high requirements and operates stably in difficult conditions (dust, sand, dirt, high changes in air temperature). Thanks to the design of the machine, you can quickly change its caliber to 7.62x39 mm and 6.8 mm Remington SPC. The machine was introduced in 2009 and, in terms of its characteristics and convenience, is ahead of its competitors, for example the Belgian SCAR machine.
Currently, three variants of the CZ-805 BREN assault rifle are being produced: a standard version (CZ-805 BREN A1), a version with a shortened barrel (CZ-805 BREN A2) and a third version (CZ-805 BREN A3) with an extended barrel for use as a machine gun or sniper rifle, equipped with a removable bipod handle and a tactical flashlight.
As you have already noticed, one of the most successful arms factories in the Czech Republic is Česká zbrojovka from the city of Uherská Brod. In addition to pistols and machine guns, the company produces rifles, small-bore rifles, 12-gauge shotguns for the American market, sporting weapons, ammunition and much more. Over the course of a year, the plant produces more than 200 thousand weapons worth more than 100 million dollars! The plant supplies its products to 90 countries, the most popular export destinations are the USA, Western Europe and Southeast Asia. The Česká zbrojovka plant is a major employer in the Czech Republic, employing 2,000 workers.
Army of Czechoslovakia at the end of September 1938
If you calculate carefully, it turns out that at the end of mobilization the Czechs had 21 infantry and four “fast” (rychlych) divisions. Plus the 1st Infantry Division, which was deployed for mobilization in the Prague UR. A total of 26 divisions of field troops.
There were another 12 so-called. border areas (hranicnich oblasti), which did not have a regular structure, but were approximately equivalent in number infantry division. By design, they were parts of the field filling of fortified areas.
There were also two “groups” (skupini) of approximately division strength and one “group” of brigade strength. Total: 40 and a half divisions - 1.25 million people.
The Germans confiscated in Czechoslovakia in 1938: aircraft - 1582, anti-aircraft guns- 501, anti-tank guns - 780, field guns- 2175, mortars - 785, tanks and armored vehicles - 469, machine guns - 43876, rifles - 1,090,000, pistols - 114,000, cartridges - more than a billion, shells - more than 3 million, armored trains - 17.
Not all Czech guns fell to the Germans as trophies. After Munich, the Czechoslovak Ministry of Defense decided to reduce the army and began to sell off weapons. It is known, for example, that they were looking for buyers for LT vz.34 tanks, but did not find them. But they found it for artillery. Germany.
Just shortly before the occupation, on February 11, 1939, the Czechs managed to sell to the Germans all their high-power and special-power artillery (17 305 mm mortars, 18 210 mm mortars and 6 240 mm guns) and some field artillery- 122 80-mm cannons model 30, 40 (that is, that’s all, too), 150-mm heavy howitzers model 15 and 70 150-mm howitzers model 14/19. With ammunition and tractors.
To maintain internal security and order, German authorities in the summer of 1939 established the armed forces of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Only “Aryans” were allowed to serve, that is, not Jews or Gypsies.
Most of the commanders and soldiers had previously served in the Czechoslovak Army. They even retained the same uniform, emblems and system of awards (the German-style uniform was introduced only in 1944).
It is no secret that the patriotic upsurge in Czech society testified to its readiness to fight right up to the notorious Munich Agreement and the Vienna Arbitration of 1938 (under which the Sudetenland was transferred to Germany, the southern regions of Slovakia and Subcarpathian Ruthenia to Hungary, and Cieszyn Silesia to Poland).
It is believed that in the tragic autumn of 1938 the moral will of the Czechs to resist the aggressor was actually suppressed, and they were overcome by despondency and apathy, which contributed to the surrender of March 14-15, 1939.
By the spring of 1939, the Czechoslovak army was significantly weakened military policy President Emil Haha, a famous Germanophile, and his government, who set a course for maximum concessions to Hitler in order to avoid war.
In order “not to provoke the Germans,” the reservists were demobilized, the troops were returned to their places of permanent deployment, staffed at peacetime levels and partially staffed.
According to the garrison schedule, the 3rd battalion of the 8th Silesian Infantry Regiment (III. prapor 8. pesiho pluku "Slezskeho"), consisting of the 9th, 10th and 11th Infantry and 12th th machine gun mouth, as well as the “armored half-company” of the 2nd regiment of combat vehicles (obrnena polorota 2. pluku utocne vozby), which consisted of a platoon of LT vz.33 wedges and a platoon of OA vz.30 armored vehicles.
The head of the garrison was the battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Karel Shtepina. Taking into account the fact that Slovak soldiers, in light of the maturing independence of Slovakia, deserted en masse and fled to their homeland across the nearby Slovak border, no more than 300 military personnel remained in the Chayankov barracks on March 14.
Most of them were ethnic Czechs, there were also a few Czech Jews, Subcarpathian Ukrainians and Moravians. About half of the soldiers were recent recruits who had not yet completed basic training.
On March 14, German troops crossed the borders of the Czech Republic (Slovakia on this day, under the auspices of the Third Reich, declared independence) and began advancing in marching formations deeper into its territory.
Flying to Berlin for the fateful “consultations” with Hitler, President Emil Haha ordered the troops to remain in their places of deployment and not offer resistance to the aggressors.
Even earlier, the disheartened Czechoslovak General Staff began sending out capitulation orders. The Wehrmacht's armored and mechanized forward columns raced against these orders, capturing key points and objectives.
In a number of places, individual Czech soldiers and gendarmes opened fire on the invaders, but the Nazis encountered organized resistance from an entire unit only in the Chayankov barracks.
With the start of the firefight, the officer on duty, Lieutenant Martinek, announced to the garrison combat alert. Czech soldiers hastily dismantled their weapons and ammunition. Captain Karel Pavlik raised his company and ordered the deployment of the machine guns at its disposal (mostly the Česka Zbroevka vz.26) at improvised firing positions on the upper floors of the barracks.
Shooters with rifles, including soldiers from other companies who voluntarily joined Pavlik’s company, positioned themselves at the window openings. The captain entrusted the command of the defense sectors to the senior non-commissioned officers (cetari) of his company, Štefek and Gola.
The first attempt of German soldiers to break through to the gates of the Chayankov barracks was easily repelled by the Czechs with losses for the attackers. Having retreated, Wehrmacht units began to take up positions under the cover of surrounding buildings.
An intense firefight ensued using small arms and machine guns. According to eyewitnesses, local residents, who suddenly found themselves in the epicenter of a real battle, hid in cellars or lay down on the floor in their houses.
Only the owner of the beer hall located around the corner did not succumb to panic, who, already during the battle, began to serve the occupiers who ran in to “wet their throats” for Reichsmarks.
The commander of the 84th Infantry Regiment, Colonel Steuwer, soon arrived at the place of unexpected resistance. Having informed the division commander, General Koch-Erpach (General der Kavallerie Rudolf Koch-Erpach) and received the order to “solve the problem on our own,” the colonel began preparing a new attack on the Chayankov barracks.
To support the advancing infantrymen, on his orders, 50-mm and 81-mm mortars of the infantry units participating in the battle were deployed, one 37-mm anti-tank gun RAK-35/37 from the anti-tank company of the regiment, and an armored vehicle (probably one of the assigned reconnaissance regiment Sd.Kfz 221 or Sd.Kfz 222).
The headlights of German army vehicles were directed at the barracks, which was supposed to blind the eyes of Czech riflemen and machine gunners. The second attack was already a completely thoroughly, albeit hastily, prepared assault.
After a short fire training, the German infantry, supported by an armored vehicle, again rushed to storm the Chayankov barracks. The guard soldiers holding forward positions, two of whom were wounded, were forced to leave the trenches and take refuge in the building.
The Wehrmacht soldiers, under fire, reached the fence and lay down behind it. However, that was where their success ended. The mortar and machine gun fire of the Germans and even the 37-mm shells of their anti-tank guns could not cause significant damage to the powerful walls of the barracks, or serious losses to their defenders.
At the same time, Czech machine guns fired a dense barrage, and the riflemen extinguished the car headlights one after another with well-aimed shots. A German vehicle attempting to break through the gate was forced to turn back after its commander (sergeant major) was killed in the turret, which was barely protected from above.
By this time the battle had lasted more than 40 minutes. The Czechs' ammunition was running out, and Colonel Steuver was pulling all available forces to the barracks, so the outcome of the fight remained unclear...
However, what was decisive in the fate of the battle for Chayankov barracks was not another German assault, but an order from the headquarters of the Czech 8th Infantry Regiment. Colonel Eliash ordered an immediate ceasefire, enter into negotiations with the Germans and lay down arms, threatening the “disobedient” with a military court in case of disobedience.
After four hours of “internment,” the Czech soldiers were allowed to return to their barracks, and the officers were placed under house arrest in their apartments. The wounded on both sides were treated by German and Czech military doctors, after which they were admitted to the civilian hospital in the city of Mistek.
On the Czech side, in the battle for Chayankov barracks, six soldiers were wounded, including two seriously. The local population, fortunately, was not harmed, except for material damage. German losses ranged, according to various sources, from 12 to 24 killed and wounded.
The government of the dying Czechoslovak Republic hastened to blame the “regrettable incident” in the city of Mistek on the officers commanding the garrison, but not one of them was brought to either the Czech or the German military court for these events.
The most dramatic was the fate of the commander of the desperate defense, Captain Karel Pavlik, who can safely be called one of the most prominent figures of the Czech anti-Nazi resistance.
When in 1942 Hitler's secret police captured and forced to cooperate one of the leaders of JINDRA, Professor Ladislav Vanek, he handed Karel Pawlik over to the occupiers.
Captured Karel Pavlik by the Nazis after interrogation and brutal torture sent to the notorious Mauthausen concentration camp. There, on January 26, 1943, the sick and exhausted Czech hero was shot by an SS guard for refusing to comply.
http://samlib.ru/m/mihail_kozhemjakin/karel_pavlik.shtml
Division and destruction of Czechoslovakia as independent state with the participation of Germany, Hungary and Poland in 1938-1939. These events are not officially included in the history of World War II, but are inextricably linked with it and may well be the first stage of this war.
1. Polish 7TR tanks enter the Czech city of Teshin (Cieszyn). October 1938
3. Poles replace the Czech name of the city with the Polish one in the city railway station town of Teshin.
4. Polish troops enter Cieszyn
5. Polish soldiers pose with the deposed Czechoslovak coat of arms at the telephone and telegraph building they captured during Operation Zaluzhye in the Czech village of Ligotka Kameralna (Ligotka Kameralna-Polish, Komorní Lhotka-Czech), located near the town of Tesin.
6. Polish tank 7TR from the 3rd armored battalion (tank of the 1st platoon) overcomes the Czechoslovak border fortifications in the area of the Polish-Czechoslovak border. The 3rd Armored Battalion had a tactical sign “Silhouette of a bison in a circle”, which was applied to the tank turret. But in August 1939, all tactical signs on the towers were painted over, as if they were unmasking.
7. Handshake of Polish Marshal Edward Rydz-Śmigła and German attaché Colonel Bogislaw von Studnitz at the Independence Day parade in Warsaw on November 11, 1938. The photograph is notable because the Polish parade was particularly linked to the capture of Cieszyn Selesia a month earlier.
8. An armored unit of Polish troops occupies the Czech village of Jorgov during the operation to annex the Czechoslovak lands of Spis. In the foreground is a Polish TK-3 wedge.
9. Polish troops occupy the Czech village of Jorgov during the operation to annex the Czechoslovak lands of Spis.
Interesting further fate these territories. After the collapse of Poland, Orava and Spis were transferred to Slovakia. After the end of World War II, the lands were again occupied by the Poles, the government of Czechoslovakia was forced to agree to this. To celebrate, the Poles carried out ethnic cleansing against ethnic Slovaks and Germans. In 1958 the territories were returned to Czechoslovakia. Now they are part of Slovakia. - approx. b0gus
10. Polish soldiers at a captured Czech checkpoint near the Czechoslovak-German border, near the pedestrian bridge built in honor of the anniversary of Emperor Franz Joseph in the Czech town of Bohumin. The not yet demolished Czechoslovakian border pillar is visible.
11. Polish troops occupy the Czech town of Karvin during Operation Zaluzhye. The Polish part of the population greets the troops with flowers. October 1938.
The Czechoslovak city of Karvin was the center of heavy industry in Czechoslovakia, coke production, and one of the most important centers of coal mining in the Ostrava-Karvin coal basin. Thanks to Operation Zaluzhye carried out by the Poles, former Czechoslovak enterprises already at the end of 1938 provided Poland with almost 41% of the iron smelted in Poland and almost 47% of the steel.
12. Bunker of the Czechoslovak fortification line in the Sudetes (“Beneš Line”).
13. Sudeten Germans break down a Czechoslovak border post during the German occupation of the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia in late September-early October 1938.
14. German troops enter the Czech city of Asch (on the border with Germany in the Sudetenland, the most western city Czech Republic). Local Germans, who made up the majority of the region's population at the time, joyfully welcomed unification with Germany.
15. Commander-in-Chief of the German Ground Forces, Colonel General Walter von Brauchitsch welcomes German tank units (PzKw I tanks) at the parade in honor of the annexation of the Czech Sudetenland to Germany. Appointed to the post of Commander-in-Chief ground forces having been awarded the rank of Colonel General shortly before the operation to annex the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia to Germany, Walter von Brauchitsch was one of the organizers of this operation
16. Column of Czechoslovak tanks LT vz. 35 before shipping to Germany. In the foreground is a tank with registration number 13.917, entered service with the Czechoslovak Army in 1937. Was assigned to PUV-1 (PUV - Pluk Utocne Vozby - literally: regiment of assault vehicles). In 1942, it was converted by the Germans into an artillery tractor (Mörserzugmittel 35(t).
17. Units of the Polish 10th Mounted Rifle Regiment of the 10th Mechanized Brigade are preparing for a ceremonial parade in front of the regiment commander to mark the end of Operation Zaluzhye (occupation of Czechoslovak territories).
18. Handshake of Polish Marshal Edward Rydz-Śmigła and German attache Major General Bogislaw von Studnitz at the Independence Day parade in Warsaw on November 11, 1938. The photograph is notable because the Polish parade was particularly linked to the capture of Cieszyn Selesia a month earlier. A column of Cieszyn Poles specially marched at the parade, and in Germany the day before, from November 9 to 10, 1938, the so-called “Crystal Night” took place, the first mass act of direct physical violence against Jews on the territory of the Third Reich.
19. Soldiers of the Czechoslovak border detachment “State Defense Units” (Stráž obrany státu, SOS) from battalion No. 24 (New Castles, Nitra) on the Maria Valeria Bridge over the Danube in Parkano (present-day Šturovo) in southern Slovakia are preparing to repel Hungarian aggression.
20. Funeral of the Carpathian Sich members and soldiers of the Czechoslovak troops who died in battle with the Hungarian troops that invaded Czechoslovakia.
21. Italian-made Fiat Ansaldo CV-35 wedges of the Hungarian occupation forces enter the streets of the Czechoslovak city of Khust.
After Slovakia declared its independence on March 14, 1939 under pressure from Hitler and Czechoslovakia disintegrated, Hungary received permission from Germany to occupy part of Slovakia - Subcarpathian Ruthenia. On March 15, the Prime Minister of Subcarpathian Ruthenia, Augustin Voloshin, declared the independence of Carpathian Ukraine, which was not recognized by other states. On March 16, 1939, Hungarian troops launched an assault on Khust, which included the 24th Hungarian Border Guard Battalion and the 12th Scooter Battalion, and captured the city.
22. Hungarian Italian-made Fiat Ansaldo CV-35 wedges and soldiers on the street of the captured Czechoslovak city of Khust in Carpathian Ukraine. In the background is the headquarters building of the “Karpatska Sich” with traces of battles.
23. Civilians greet Hungarian soldiers with flowers in occupied Slovakia locality in southern Slovakia (Slovak name - Horná zem, Hungarian - Felvidék) with a significant Hungarian population
24. Fraternization of soldiers of the Hungarian and Polish occupation forces in occupied Czechoslovakia.
25. Ruler (regent) of the Kingdom of Hungary, Admiral Miklos Horthy (on a white horse) at the head of a parade of Hungarian troops in the occupied Czechoslovak city of Kosice (in Hungarian Kassa) after its occupation on November 2, 1938.
26. German officers near the Czechoslovak-German border they observe the capture of the town of Bohumin by Polish troops. Germans stand on a pedestrian bridge built in honor of the anniversary of Emperor Franz Joseph.
Exactly 70 years ago on this day, March 15, 1939 year, the Wehrmacht entered the territory of the remnant of Czechoslovakia, cut off by the Munich Agreement. There was no resistance from the Czechs. Neither England nor France made any attempts to save the remnants of the formerly capable ally state, although only six months in Munich they solemnly gave it guarantees in case of aggression. On March 16, Hitler declared a German protectorate over this territory under the name of Bohemia and Moravia. Thus, the Czech Republic was included in the Third Reich and ceased to exist as a state; Slovakia separated and became its satellite.
* * *
Photographer Karel Hajek took pictures on that gloomy March day on the streets of Zlatna Prague, so familiar to many - and these photographs ended up in the Life archives after the war. Many places, I think, are familiar to those who have been there (wenceslas square and the castle are in the pictures, etc.), and you can easily recognize them.
German troops entered Prague demonstratively, in columns, and moved along the main streets, with a large crowd of Prague residents looking at this spectacle.
1. German technology on Wenceslas Square.
2. On Wenceslas Square. An official ceremony took place - a Wehrmacht parade with the passage of equipment and an orchestra. 
3. Motorcyclists on the streets of Prague. 
4. I still don’t understand whether the trams ran while the equipment was passing through. In many frames they even block the movement (see previous photo). 
5. Here the tram is visible (on the left). On the right there are foot columns, light equipment is driving along the street. 
6. Traffic is controlled by Wehrmacht military traffic controllers. 
7. Although, it must be said, there is a variety of vehicles, including those coming from side streets. 
8. There are traces of snow on the equipment, which apparently fell during the march. 
9. Traces of snow are also visible here. Are there Czech policemen in the foreground? 
10. A Wehrmacht vehicle, a tram on the other side of the road and a civilian car there. 
11. Germans near the Malostranskaya bridgehead tower at the entrance to Charles Bridge. They were surrounded by city dwellers. 
12. German motorcyclist on Wenceslas Square. There are people in uniform standing nearby (possibly Czechs). 
13. A huge crowd of Prague residents and narrow passage between them. Are they waiting for something? 
14. Wehrmacht parade on Wenceslas Square, party and military flags of the Third Reich are hung. The host of the parade is General Keitel. 
15. However, here’s what’s interesting: the military flag at the parade is framed not only by the party flag (on the right), but also by the Czechoslovak flag (on the left). 
16. The orchestra accompanied the passage of troops with music. 
17. Parking near Prague Castle. 
[from here]
The outcome of Gakhi’s negotiations with Hitler in Berlin, in fact, was predetermined in advance. The question was about one thing - whether the Czechoslovak army would resist, or whether the occupation would take place peacefully. The Nazi leadership staged a real spectacle, putting extreme mental pressure on the elderly president, who was feeling unwell (Hakhi had a hypertensive crisis). Gakha himself, in a conversation with journalist Karel Gorky, later described the end of his night audience with Hitler and Goering: “When the tension reached its limit, and I was exhausted and half-dead, but somehow still held on, Goering took me by the hand and took me away in a friendly way. aside and supposedly began to gently persuade me - they say, is it really necessary for this beautiful Prague to be razed to the ground in a couple of hours, for everything to fly up into the air, and only because we do not want to understand the Fuhrer, who does not want thousands young Czechs laid down their lives in a senseless struggle.”
Emil Gaha returned to Prague a broken man. In a radio address to the people, he, sometimes finding it difficult to find words, said:
“...Our duty is to accept what happened with courageous calm, but also with the awareness of a serious task: to do everything to preserve for our future generations what is left to us from our, perhaps, too rich heritage... Observing that that is approaching, I decided, with the consent of the government, at the last moment to ask for a meeting with Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler... After a long conversation with the Reich Chancellor, after analyzing the situation, I made a decision - to announce that I am placing the fate of the Czech people and state in my hands with full confidence leader of the German people."
All pictures – (c)