Liberating Czechoslovakia                                                                                                                                   - April and May 1945- Told by Verl II Sterns

"After crossing the Rhine River as part of the Third Army's push across Germany, we ultimately moved into Czechoslovakia - liberating the western part of the nation," American, Verl Sterns, remembers.

The Czechs of Pilsen Greet A Sherman Tank

" As our tanks rumbled into Czechoslovakia and into Pilsen, the crowd of liberated Czechs were crying, shouting, applauding, and many jumped on our tanks hugging and kissing each tired and dirty crewman."

" Pilsen was a major city and had the large Skoda manufacturing plant providing military equipment for the Nazis. After liberating Pilsen, we had to stop and wait 3 days for the Russian army to move across the east part and join up with us. We could have taken all of Czechoslovakia and spared the country from communist control, but an agreement made at Yalta witht he Russians limited our advance."

" A few days later, the Germans surrendered. Being just 19 and not married, I was assigned to a contingent going to the States for a 30 day furlough before being sent to the Pacific operation. Retracing our journey across Europe in '40 & 8' freight train cars, we boarded a troop ship. The day we excitedly arrived in New York harbor, the US dropped the atomic bomb on Japan and while home on furlough, the war in the Pacific ended. Instead of being shipped out to the Pacific, I was stationed at Camp Campbell, Kentucky untl discharged in February 1946. At the time of my discharge from service, I held the rank of Technician 5th Grade."

photos taken from www.usembassy.cz