Plzeň: Convoy of Liberty recreates 1945 liberation with tanks, veterans and military aircraft
The Convoy of Liberty drove through the west Bohemian city of Plzeň on Sunday within the Freedom Festival commemorating the end of World War II and the city’s liberation by the US Army in May 1945.
As the Convoy of Liberty moved through the city, crowds lined the roughly two-kilometer route, waving Czech, American and Belgian flags and holding sprigs of blooming lilac, the flowers with which residents welcomed their liberators 81 years ago.
The place of honour in the convoy, and the loudest applause from spectators, went to two American veterans attending this year’s celebrations – 100-year-old Joseph Thurmond and 101-year-old Gideon Kantor.
Nearly 300 pieces of historic military equipment took part in the parade spearheaded by heavy vehicles of the 16th Armored Division, which first entered the city on morning of May 6, 1945.
First in line were a light M24 Chaffee, a rare vehicle previously missing from Plzeň convoys and originally used in reconnaissance units during the war; the M4 Sherman, the best-known US tank of the Second World War, carrying the name of veteran and longtime Freedom Festival participant George Thomson; and the M36 Jackson tank destroyer.
They were followed by M8 Greyhound armoured cars, which were among the first vehicles to enter Plzeň 81 years ago, as well as half-tracks and jeeps carrying family members of American and Belgian veterans who have visited the city for the celebrations over the decades. Many vehicles displayed photographs of the veterans, as crowds lining the route responded with applause and chanting.
Above the convoy, were flyovers of historic aircraft against a clear blue sky - the unmistakable silhouette and sound of a P-51 Mustang fighter, alongside a Harvard trainer aircraft used in the training of thousands of Allied pilots, including hundreds of Czechoslovaks. A Stearman biplane and a Stinson reconnaissance and photography aircraft also took part in the flyover.
On the ground, spectators could also see armoured vehicles, ambulances, trucks, motorcycles and other military service equipment, as well as marching infantry, Scottish pipers and drummers. Members of historical military clubs provided maximum authenticity, with many vehicles carefully matching their 1945 counterparts.
The re-enactment involved attention to detail: period clothing, girls in traditional Plzeň folk costumes, soldiers handing out sweets to children, and jeeps decorated with lilac branches while swing and jazz music played from the vehicles – a scene just like when the residents of Plzeň greeted the liberators 81 years ago.
Military camps, debates, a run for veterans, a mass and music
The annual Freedom Festival, which took the city back to the heady days of the liberation, opened on Friday with a mass for war veterans at St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral and continued with a wide range of outdoor and indoor events. It offered replicas of historic military camps, meetings with veterans, flyovers by historic aircraft and parachute jumps as well as the anticipated Convoy of Liberty.
The city’s Křižík Park was dotted with military tents in a believable recreation of May 1945. Soldiers from the 16th Armored Division of the US Army went about their business, getting in and out of jeeps, supply trucks and showing visitors the tanks on display. Some were even preparing lunch for the military canteen.
At the camp of the Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade, visitors could see a field hospital, workshops, period catering, guided tours, shooting demonstrations and military training.
Close-by, a camp dedicated to the British Royal Air Force, offered a glimpse into the background of Czechoslovak airmen as well as the history of women’s auxiliary corps.
The Run for the Memory of the Nation was organised by the non-profit group Post Bellum. People could run for their chosen hero – one of the soldiers who liberated Plzeň, members of the resistance, or relatives who stood up to totalitarian regimes. The routes were 5 and 10 kilometres long, and there was a shorter 1-kilometre family run, so as to suit everyone.
At Lokál Pod Divadlem, a public discussion addressed the question of what people today are willing to sacrifice for freedom.
Live music was an integral part of the celebrations with jazz, folk, rock and classical music resounding at different venues around the city.
Queues for 1950s hairstyles
On a lighter note –in addition to tanks, uniforms and music – the end of war celebrations included a period hair salon offering 1950s hairstyles for members of the public. As in previous years, the demand was huge.
Restored Corso Fountain plays Smetana
The restored Corso Fountain in Kopecký Gardens in Plzeň was as good as new for the celebrations. The restored fountain now offers a beautiful spectacle playing compositions by Bedřich Smetana five times a day at 10 a.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Sunday marked the end of the festival’s rich weekend program. From Monday, a series of commemorative ceremonies will take place at monuments, memorials and plaques across the city, culminating on May 6 with the main remembrance gathering at the “Thank You, America!” memorial on Americká Avenue.
