How veterans remember American bombing of Czechoslovakia
Allied pilots targeted strategic locations in Czech cities during the Second World War. How do veterans recall these missions? What significance did they hold for them, and how do they view them now? I explore this and more in our next episode of our series on the end of the Second World War.
Allied bombing over the Protectorate
From 1944 onwards, residents of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia increasingly witnessed Allied bombers in the sky—American bombers by day and British bombers mainly by night. Czechoslovakia housed strategic targets that were vital to disable in order to secure an Allied victory in the Second World War.
Although later Communist propaganda exaggerated civilian casualties and questioned the purpose of these operations, the air raids played a key role in disrupting war industries, such as weapons factories, and critical infrastructure, including railways, bridges, railway stations, and refineries. However, Czech and Slovak cities were not destroyed to the same extent as cities in Germany or Austria.
Strategic bombing objectives
The Protectorate gradually fell within the range of American bombers, which primarily targeted refineries in Záluží near Most, Kolín, Pardubice, and Kralupy nad Vltavou.
The industrial region of Ostrava, the Škoda factories in Pilsen, railway stations, and other strategic sites in České Budějovice and Ústí nad Labem were also attacked.
Brno and Prague were bombed three times: in November 1944, February 1945, and March 1945. Slovak cities, particularly Bratislava and the key railway hub in Nové Zámky, were also struck.
Keith Lancester—veteran of bombing missions
Allied bombers launched from both western bases in the UK and southern airfields in Italy. It was from Italy that the aircraft of the 781st Bombardment Squadron, 465th Bombardment Group, which included the now centenarian veteran Keith Lancester, took off to bomb Prague on March 25, 1945. With his squadron, Lancester participated in raids on Bratislava and Nové Zámky.
I came across Lancester by chance while searching for veterans in Georgia in 2024. He was surprised to learn that, even at 100 years old, Lancester remains independent and drives without any issues. The veteran first volunteered for the army in May 1943, at the age of 18.
After extensive and challenging training, he joined the crew of a B-24J Liberator bomber. It was with these aircraft that the Americans carried out bombing raids on Nazi-occupied territories from Italy. Interestingly, Czechoslovak pilots also flew Liberators as part of the 311th Bombardment Squadron of the RAF in the British Isles.
Critical Moments
Keith Lancester views his wartime experiences as an adventure. However, two of his missions ended dramatically—his aircraft was struck by enemy fire, forcing the entire crew to bail out. By sheer luck, they made it into Allied territory and were able to continue their missions.
The 781st Squadron primarily focused on bombing operations over Germany, Austria, Italy, and Yugoslavia. The veteran’s records detail four air raids in which the squadron participated: on December 6, 1944, over Bratislava; on March 14, 1945, over Nové Zámky (then part of Hungary, now Slovakia); on March 25, 1945, over Prague (specifically Letňany Airport); and on March 26, 1945, again over Bratislava.
Roger Charbonneau—the last veteran of the raid on Karlovy Vary
Roger Charbonneau, likely the last surviving veteran of the Karlovy Vary air raid, lived in Iowa until recently.
I had the chance to record his story in July 2024 by pure chance—while visiting a retirement home to speak with another veteran, the staff directed the historian to him. Charbonneau served as a rear gunner on B-17G bombers with the 563rd Bombardment Squadron, 388th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force.
It’s important to remember that bombing civilian areas was not solely carried out by the Western Allies; the Soviets also engaged in such actions. A tragic example is the Soviet raid on Mladá Boleslav, which occurred after the German surrender and the end of the Second World War in Europe.
Jiří Klůc is a Czech historian with a profound interest in the intricacies of 20th-century history, particularly the events surrounding World War II. He graduated from Charles University Prague, and is currently pursuing his Ph.D., focusing on the history of Czechoslovakia and Central Europe during the 20th century. He is committed to helping preserve the stories of Holocaust survivors and War veterans, with the goal of safeguarding their testimonies for future generations.
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