The Paths of Liberation—The Pilsen RegionMay 9, 1945
Horní Planá, Želnava, Pernek – 26th Infantry Div. (101st Infantry)
Velešín, Plešovice – 26th Infantry Div. (328th Infantry)
Horní Planá, Želnava, Pernek – 26th Infantry Div. (101st Infantry)
Velešín, Plešovice – 26th Infantry Div. (328th Infantry)
Karlovy Vary – 9th Armored Div., 1st Infantry Div.
Netolice, Vodňany – 26th Infantry Div. Division command in Prachatice.
Přídolí, Kaplice, České Budějovice – 26th Infantry Div. (104th, 328th) Reconnaissance in the suburbs of České Budějovice.
Rokycany, Karlovice, Manětín – 16th Armored Div.
Příbram (reconnaissance) – 16th Armored Div.
Nepomuk – 2nd CRS.
Pilsen, Starý Plzenec, Rokycany – 2nd Infantry Div., division command in Pilsen.
Sušice – 90th Infantry Div. (357th Infantry).
Division command relocated from Bavory to Sušice.
Volary – 26th Infantry Div. (101st Infantry).
Český Krumlov, Prachatice – 26th Infantry Div. (104th, 328th Infantry).
Reconnaissance in the direction of České Budějovice (Dlouhý Most).
Milešice, Strakonice, Volary, Nýrsko – 5th Infantry Div.
Rokycany, Karlovice, Manětín – 16th Armored Div..
Rozvadov 5:30 a.m., Bor u Tachova – 16th Armored Div.
Stříbro, Skvrňany 7:45 a.m.
Pilsen 8:15 a.m. – the 23rd CRS from the 16th Armored Div. was the first to arrive in Pilsen, at 8:15; in the course of the day, this armored division arrived as a whole, and in the early evening, the 386th regiment of the 97th Infantry Div. rode in.
Kdyně, Klatovy, Dobřany – 2nd Infantry Div., 612th TDB
Division command in Klatovy.
Klatovy, Přeštice – 102nd CRG (38th, 102nd CRS)
Cheb, Kynšperk, Kynžvart – 1st Infantry Div.
Division command with the 655th Pioneer Battalion
Cheb, Sokolov (named Falknov at the time) – 9th Armored Div., 1st Infantry Div.
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Rudolec, Loket, Chodov, Krásno
Konstantinovy Lázně – 97th Infantry Div.
Strážný, Horní Vltavice, Vimperk – 4th Armored Div. (CC A)
Strakonice, Písek, Sedlice, Mirotice
Out of the entire US XXII Corps, the leading elements of the 4th Armored Div. advanced the farthest eastward: they stopped near Podolský Mlýn, 15 km east of Písek, on the bridge over the Vltava.
Regen, Železná Ruda, Dobrá Voda – 4th Armored Div. (CC B)
Hartmanice, Sušice, Horažďovice, Blatná, Velký Bor, Lnáře.
Division command in Horažďovice.
Kvilda – 42nd CRS
Dolní Vltavice, Český Krumlov – 26th Infantry Div. (104th Infantry)
Dolní Dvořiště, Vyšší Brod – 26th Infantry Div. (328th Infantry)
Horní Dvořiště, Český Krumlov, east of Volary – 26th Inf. Div.
(101st Infantry). Division command was located in the village of Schlegel, Bavaria.
Horní Vltavice, Zátoň, Borová Lada – 5th Infantry Div. (11th Infantry)
Knížecí Pláně, Kvilda
Vimperk – 5th Infantry Div. (10th Infantry)
Volary – 5th Infantry Div. (2nd Infantry)
Division command was located in the village of Leopoldsreut (Bavaria).
Janovice – 2nd CRS
Všeruby, Brůdek, Kdyně – 2nd Infantry Div. (9th Infantry)
Division enters at 10:00 a.m., advance by 24 km.
Hluboká, Loučím, Klatovy – 2nd CRG, 2nd Infantry Div. (9th Infantry)
Kout na Šumavě, Mrákov, Domažlice – 2nd Infantry Div. (38th Infantry)
Folmava, Spálenec, Pasečnice – 2nd Infantry Div. (38th Infantry)v
Stráž, Nevolice, Havlovice, Horšovský Týn – 741st TB
Kynšperk – 1st Infantry Div.
(18-km advance from Františkovy Lázně towards Sokolov).
Planá (u Mariánských Lázní) – 97th Infantry Div.
Dobrá Voda, Hartmanice, Prášily, Rejštejn, Dlouhá Ves, Shari – 90th Inf. Div. (357th Inf.)
Strážný (named Kunžvart at the time) – 90th Infantry Div.
Division command was located in Zwiesel (Bavaria).
Prášily – 42nd CRS
Dolní Vltavice – 26th Infantry Div. (101st Infantry)
Kunžvartské sedlo, Strážný, Žleby – 5th Infantry Div.
Srní, Prášily, Zhůří – 2nd CRS
Všeruby – 90th Infantry Div.
Aigen (Bavaria) – 26th Infantry Div. (101st Infantry), relocation of division HQ to the village of Aigen.
Advance by the US V and XII Corps from the borderlands into the center of S and SW Bohemia
On May 4, 1945, at 10:00 p.m., General Patton ordered the US V and XII Corps to advance to the eastern checkpoints in the Upper Palatinate Forest and the Bohemian Forest at the Czech-Austrian border.
The attack had been timed for the early morning hours of May 5, 1945.
Čachrov, Javorná – 2nd CRS
Nýrsko – 90th Infantry Div.
Hostouň u Horšovského Týna – 2nd CRS
Bělá nad Radbuzou – 97th Infantry Div.
Zvonková – 5th Infantry Div.
Železná Ruda, Rozvadov, Špičák – 2nd CRS
Díly — 3. divize
Klenčí, Chodov Trhanov, Postřekov, Pec, Tlumačov u Domažlic – 90th I. Div.
Folmava, Capartice (u Domažlic) – 90th Infantry Div. (358th) Česká Kubice, Babylon – 90th Infantry Div. (359th Infantry.
Svatá Kateřina, Alžbětín (u Nýrska) – 90th Infantry Div.
Dolní Paseky, Vernéřov – 1st Infantry Div. (26. Infantry).
Cheb, Františkovy Lázně, Tachov – 97th Infantry Div.
On the routes into Cheb, the divisions fought past a vigorous defense mounted by Reg. Maj. Geisler’s 33rd Inf., the Hitlerjugend, and the Volksturm.
Aš – 2nd CRG (only 42nd CRS) Patton’s Ghosts.
The village of Hranice u Aše – 90th Infantry Div. (358th Infantry)
The US V Corps’ first contact with Czech territory came at 10:00 a.m., via the 90th Infantry Div. (after this, the entire division relocated to the area around Strážný—named Kunžvart at the time—towards the US XII Corps).
These tour routes copy the movements of the US Army during the liberation of West Bohemia in the spring of 1945. Commemoration sites are connected into these tour routes in a way that ensures each site leads into the next. You’ll also find regional and private museums, as well as tourist activities connected with these military memorial sites.
