“We were liberators”: WWII hero Herman Geist dies at 100

Herman Geist, a U.S. Army First Lieutenant who entered the city of Pilsen on May 5, 1945, as part of the American liberation of Western Bohemia, has passed away at the age of 100. One of the last living witnesses to the end of WWII in Europe, Geist remained a beloved guest of the Czech Republic’s Liberation Festival for decades. His personal connection to Pilsen and its people endured to the very end, earning him not just medals, but the affection and gratitude of generations.

Herman Geist—World War II veteran, liberator of Pilsen, and lifelong symbol of Czech-American friendship—lived to be 100. A First Lieutenant with the U.S. Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, Geist helped lead the entry into Pilsen on May 5, 1945, as Nazi Germany’s surrender neared. “Captain Harries and Colonel Gilbert sent me in first,” Geist recalled. “We entered the city of Pilsen, and the Germans surrendered to us. That was the end of World War II.”

The US army of General George Patton in Pilsen|Photo: Patton Memorial Pilsen

The city of Pilsen, forever grateful to the American troops who brought peace in 1945, has never forgotten its liberators. Nor did Geist forget Pilsen. He first returned in 1990 for the inaugural “Thank You, America!” celebrations and became a regular guest of the annual Liberation Festival.

His last visit was in 2022. Then, at 98 years old, he traveled from New York with fifteen members of his family. “It’s always beautiful to return to a place you love,” he said at the time. In Pilsen, Geist was not just welcomed—he was celebrated. “People lined up for two and a half hours to have us sign autographs,” he said of one of the many events. “Some brought family bibles, others asked us to sign for grandchildren soon to be born, so they would remember the freedom from the Germans. It was very emotional.”

American soldiers liberating Pilsen in 1945|Photo: Czech Television

Geist's wartime service began in 1943 when he enlisted in the Army. He landed in Scotland in late 1944 and fought across Europe, including in the brutal Battle of the Bulge. “My career of public service began 71 years ago,” he once said with modest pride. For his valor, he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Combat Infantry Badge.

But for him, the most enduring honor came from the people of the Czech Republic. “They closed down for a whole week. The mayor and vice mayor never left our side. They took us to the Pilsner Brewery for lunch. We met the US ambassador (Norman Eisen). With the Czechs, you can't say enough.”

One of the most touching moments came when a Czech woman recognized herself as a child in a photo from 1945, on display at an exhibition. “She went to the exhibit and saw a picture of her family—herself as a five-year-old,” Geist recalled, his voice filled with awe.

Until the end, Geist remained one of the last living American veterans who directly took part in the liberation of Pilsen. As mayor Roman Zarzycký (ANO Party) stated, “Another of the heroes who indelibly marked the history of Pilsen has passed away. It was an honor to know him.”

Convoy of Liberty in Pilsen|Photo: Barbora Hakenová, Radio Prague International

In recent years, as the number of surviving WWII veterans dwindled, Geist’s presence at the Liberation Festival became even more symbolic. “I was a liberator,” he once said simply. “They told me I got my medal for saving Czechoslovakia.”

But perhaps his most enduring legacy is not the medals, but the deep and human connection he cultivated with a foreign city that became, in many ways, a second home.

“I’m not a kid anymore,” he once joked. “But it’s good to get home.”

In tribute to Geist, the city of Pilsen placed flowers at the “Thank You, America!” monument and the 2nd Infantry Division memorial on July 1. A condolence book has also been opened to the public at the town hall. As the convoy of liberty moves on each year, the memory of Herman Geist will continue to ride at its front.