List of author's articles

Full profile page: Jan Vladař / jan vladar

The end of the horrors of war is usually commemorated during the anniversaries in May, but many of the events of the war did not end until long after the war. Let's try to reveal the secret of the sad story of an American pilot who fatally crashed his machine near Ohrobec just before the end of the fighting, but his story did not end until August 62 years ago.

Air strikes at the end of World War II were the only, but very dramatic reminder of the raging war horrors for a large part of Bohemia, not yet affected by direct fighting. However, the sad consequences of the bombings and the deep attacks, which focused almost exclusively on rail transport, often aroused mixed feelings among the population over the activities of their future liberators. However, it is clear that the effort to completely eliminate all traffic in the rear of the German troops was one of the main causes of the rapid end of the war and in its consequences caused the territory of Bohemia to avoid major fighting. The city of Beroun, but especially its railway station forming a junction of several lines, is a monument to this effort.

Today, on the edge of the forest near Boršov nad Vltavou and in the fields near the village of Záluží, we find small monuments commemorating the fatal accidents of two American pilots on April 17, 1945. The places are separated by the Vltava River, but the two sad events are closely related.

Let us recall the small and as yet unclear events connected with the combat actions of the Air Force during World War II, and let us hope that a witness can be found to supplement and clarify the hitherto confusing fragments from the recent past!

The article on air attacks around Lovosice in 1945 was written on the occasion of the 63rd anniversary of the end of World War II and deals with the search for the name of a fallen American pilot who was shot down with his P-47 aircraft near the city.

The issue of the participation of US military units in the liberation of Czechoslovakia has not yet been fully addressed, despite the expansion of interest in this area of history after 1989. Existing publications focus on sub-topics or are a difficult source for the incompetence of authors.

At the end of World War II, the citizens of Reporyje were unwanted witnesses to several fierce air battles. Let us recall the basic data about these dramatic events, asking if a witness can be found to add more details.