Bombing of Prague in World War II
Encyclopedia
The Bombing of Prague occurred during the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 (February 14, 1945) when the US Army Air Forces carried out an air raid over Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

. The city was the capital of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

 and (since the Nazi occupation in 1939) the main city of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was the majority ethnic-Czech protectorate which Nazi Germany established in the central parts of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia in what is today the Czech Republic...

. According to American pilots, it was the result of a navigation mistake—at the same time, a massive bombing of Dresden
Bombing of Dresden in World War II
The Bombing of Dresden was a military bombing by the British Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Force and as part of the Allied forces between 13 February and 15 February 1945 in the Second World War...

 was under way, 120 km north from Prague.

Impact of the attack

Forty B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 8th American Air Force dropped about 152 tons of bombs on many populated areas of Prague. The carpet-bombing hit Vyšehrad
Vyšehrad
Vyšehrad is a castle located in the city of Prague, Czech Republic. It was probably built in the 10th century, on a hill over the Vltava River...

, Zlíchov, Karlovo náměstí
Karlovo námestí
Karlovo náměstí is a Prague Metro station on Line B. Its name is Czech for "Charles Square", after the plaza to which it is adjacent. The station has two exits, one leading to Charles Square and the other to Palacký Square , both of which are major tram hubs.-Station characteristics:Karlovo náměstí...

, Nusle, Vinohrady
Vinohrady
Vinohrady is a cadastral district in Prague. It is so named because the area was once covered in vineyards dating from the 14th century...

, Vršovice and Pankrác
Pankrác
Pankrác is a neighborhood of Prague, Czech Republic. It is located south of the city centre on the hills of the right bank of the Vltava River and is part of the Prague 4 district as a deal of Nusle quarter. The name derives from the local baroque initially very old church of St Pancras, which is...

. The bombing resulted in the deaths of 701 people and the wounding of 1,184. About a hundred houses and historical sites were totally destroyed and another two hundred were heavily damaged. All the casualties were civilians, and not one of the city's factories, which might have been of use to the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...

, was damaged.

Many homes and national sites were destroyed, allowing damage to innocent civilians. Some of Prague's most famous modern buildings, like the Dancing House
Dancing House
The Dancing House or Dancing Building or Ginger & Fred is the nickname given to the Nationale-Nederlanden building in downtown Prague, Czech Republic at Rašínovo nábřeží 80, 120 00 Praha 2...

 or the Emauzy church, were constructed in locations where the bombs destroyed existing buildings.

The pilot of the lead ship was Harold Van Opdorp, a Czech citizen "born and bred in the city" of Prague. Two members of his family were included in those killed as a result of a direct attack.http://www.398th.org/FlakNews/Articles/Mission_14Feb1945/14Feb1945_Book_Dresden.html

Controversy

The Americans voiced their regret many times. The history of 398th Bomb Group based at RAF Nuthampstead
RAF Nuthampstead
RAF Nuthampstead is a former World War II airfield in England. The airfield is located mostly in Hertfordshire between the villages of Nuthampstead and Anstey in Hertfordshire and Langley and Lower Green in Essex. The eastern part of the airfield including part of the East-West Runway, the Fuel...

 which carried out the raid, indicates the attack was an accident. Radar navigational equipment on the aircraft was not functioning correctly, and high winds en route produced a Dead Reckoning
Dead reckoning
In navigation, dead reckoning is the process of calculating one's current position by using a previously determined position, or fix, and advancing that position based upon known or estimated speeds over elapsed time, and course...

 navigational error of some 70 miles causing the formation to arrive over the supposed "target" which was believed to be Dresden at the time bombing commenced. Prague was mostly obscured by broken cloud, with occasional glimpses of the Vltava
Vltava
The Vltava is the longest river in the Czech Republic, running north from its source in Šumava through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice, and Prague, merging with the Elbe at Mělník...

 river. Prague and Dresden also looked similar from the air, with rivers running through both cities. The bombing was carried out as a "blind attack" using radar.

After the war, the Americans were charged to pay for some of the damaged historical buildings. The raid was used for anti-American propaganda purposes both by the Nazis and the subsequent Communist Regime in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

.http://www.radio.cz/en/article/63404

External links

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