From church bells into tanks

After the German occupation in 1939 the Czech lands did not just turn silent politically. Nearly all of the Protectorate‘s church bells ended up in the forges of the Reich.

Between 1940-1945, 87 percent of Bohemian and 94 percent of Moravian church bells were processed by the German armaments industry. This made quite an impact of many villages, which were dependent on church bells announcing the time and the beginnings of services.

Altogether, around 14,000 bells were melted down into artillery pieces and tanks.