Czechoslovakia Front

Czechoslovakia Front
Part of Eastern Front, World War II
Date 1942-1945 Location Czechoslovakia and Slovakia Result Allied victory
Belligerents
File:Flag of Czechoslovakia.png Czech Resistance Soviet Union United States Britain	Nazi Germany File:Flag of Slovakia.png Slovakia File:Flag of Bohemia and Moravia.png Bohemia and Moravia
Commanders and leaders
File:Flag of Czechoslovakia.png Eduard Benes George S. Patton	Konstantin von Neurath Reinhard Heydrich † Kurt Daluege Wilhelm Frick Karl Frank

The Czechoslovakia Front was a front on the European Theater of World War II, and fighting began in 1942, when Czechoslovakian President Eduard Benes declared war on Germany. The Czech Resistance ambushed German troops until 1945, when the USA, Britain, and Russia invaded Slovakia, defeating the Axis troops and liberating the country.

Background

In March 1939, the Germans invaded Czechoslovakia, a year after annexing the Sudetenland, a region of Czechoslovakia that had a considerable German population. On March 14, the Germans announced the Republic of Slovakia, and a day later, the Protectorate of Bohemia & Moravia was announced, the latter being under direct German control, while the first one was a puppet state of the Nazi regime. Josef Tiso became the President of Slovakia, with its capital at Bratislava. When World War II broke out in September, the Slovak Army assisted in the invasion of Poland, with Field Army Bernolak (led by Ferdinand Catlos) helping to defeat the Polish Army. However, no fighting broke out in Czechoslovakia until President Benes declared war on Germany in 1942, and war began.

Campaign

In May 1942, the SAS and Czech Resistance ambushed a convoy of vehicles, shooting the protector of Bohemia and Moravia, Reinhard Heyrdrich, killing him. In response to this, the Germans burnt down the town of Lidice and killed all of the men, while the boys were gassed in Chelmno and the girls were Germanized. After this, the Czech Resistance stepped up its activities, avenging the Lidice Massacre. They continued resistance alone until 1945, when the Soviets invaded the country from the east, while the British and Americans came from the west. General George S. Patton's US Third Army advanced deep into the country, and they liberated Prague alongside the Soviets on May 9, ending the theater.