Pilsen 1945

Pilsen, Western Bohemia, Czech Republic


On May 6th 1945, the American troops of General Patton's 3rd Army entered the city of Pilsen, Czechoslovakia.




For the past six years, the city had been occupied by German troops. In the spring of 1945, as the war was coming to an end, the Wehrmacht was battled-worn and ready to surrender.

2nd Lieutenant Charles T. Schaeffer was the first American soldier to enter the Wehrmacht headquarters in Pilsen. In this short video, he remembers the day.

Sample of an upcoming short documentary directed by Jiri Boudnik.
Edited by Ingrid Patetta.

For a Czech-subtitled version, click here.

To know more about the project, contact:
Jiri Boudnik – jiri.boudnik@gmail.com