WWII buff wounded in battle re-enactment

A 43-year-old man was severely wounded during a WWII battle re-enactment near the community of Slivice, some 50 km southwest of Prague, on Saturday. The re-enactor was handling explosives that went off in his hands, the Czech news agency reported. He lost one of his hands and several fingers on the other hand in the explosion, and was taken to hospital by a helicopter. The history buff was taking part in the re-enactment of the last battle of the Second World War in Europe, which occurred near Slivice on May 11, 1945 between the retreating German troops and local guerrilla groups, assisted by the US Army. The fighting went until the early hours of May 12, four days after Germany surrendered to the Allies.