4th Armored Division - South Bohemia, Czech Republic - Specific Veteran Memorials on Waymarking.com

Endless crowds of German Army soldiers, including refugees and convoys, as well as civilian cars and vehicles drawn by animals were crossing both bridges in the end of April and the ?rst days of May 1945. The elite of Hitler's Superior Nordic race was running away, trying to be taken prisoners by the US Army and not the Red Army.

It was beyond the means of the US Army and revolutionary commitees to such a big number of people prisoners and secure them. The main road Pisek - Tabor was blocked. The same situation was to the north of Pisek. Therefore the US Command decided to stop the move men of German refugees coming from the east banks of the Vltava river and wait for the arrival of the Red Army. And so they did on May 7"‘ 1945. The entrance to the bridge on both sides in the east was closed by sappers entanglements and the west side was secured by guns and machine guns. German refugees were stopped in the area in
front of the east bank of the river. Documentary photos and archival military reports make us being almost sure that they were members of the 35th Tank Battalion Company A, who were ful?lling the orders with their Shermans, Halftracks and Jeeps. Unfortunately we will never
know their names. Most of them have passed away. They were 20-25 years old boys that time.

In order not to forget these historical moments the Military Car Club initiated unveiling a commemorative plaque on the bridge in the year 2000. The scriptwriter took the data from a book called ,,Legacy of the 4th Armored Division“, published in Kentucky, 1990. They were under a photo taken by the US Army photographer on the Podolsky bridge in 1945. Now we can rectife the data after the verification of the facts in a local chronicle and after action military reports. US Army soldiers were waiting here for the Red Army since May 7 to the afternoon hours of May 10, I945. But it does not alter the fact that they were the soldiers bearing sleeve insignia of the 4th Armored Division on their shoulders, who were the ?rst soldiers on both sides of the bridge. The same 4th Armored Division which disembarked in Normandy on the 13th July 1944. After all the war trials and many fierce con?icts with enemy troops in France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany they could enjoy the feeling of victory and the atmosphere of the ?rst days of regained freedom of our country on the bank of the Czech river Vltava.


Plaque Inscription: HERE WE WE GOT TO STOP A WAIT LONG TWO WEEKS FOR THE RUSSIANS TO SHOW UP... 6.TH MAY 1945

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