The Town of Cheb cordially invites you to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Cheb

In April 1945, Cheb, then known as the Reich city of Eger, was declared a fortress. It was clear that its capture would not be easy.

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The task of occupying the city was assigned to the 97th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army, which advanced in three directions on April 24:

• The first column moved along the route Waldsassen – Hundsbach – Svatý Kříž.

• The second column advanced through Hohenberg – Schirnding – Pomezí – Bříza.

• The third attacked via Silberberg – Libá – Hazlov – Františkovy Lázně.

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The assault on Cheb itself began on April 25. The Americans had to overcome a well-organized defense, and by the evening, as they reached the city's outskirts, they had suffered significant losses. The fiercest battles took place at the railway cut towards Schirnding and near the barracks on the road to Františkovy Lázně.

A turning point came on the morning of April 26. During an unexpected skirmish, an American M8 Greyhound armored reconnaissance vehicle destroyed a staff car carrying the city's defense commander, Major Geissler, who was killed in the attack. The loss of leadership led to the collapse of the German defense. Later that morning, Cheb's mayor, Dr. Janka, signed the city's capitulation at the local hospital.

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However, the fighting continued. The core of the German defenders retreated to a well-fortified airfield behind the cemetery, where additional units were stationed. The first American assault was repelled, and the 97th Division focused on securing the city and regrouping.

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The final attack on the airfield took place on April 28. The Americans deployed machine-gun jeeps, Sherman tanks, and Priest self-propelled guns. The defenders could not withstand such firepower, and the airfield fell.

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The battle for Cheb came at a high cost—the U.S. Army lost 71 soldiers, with many more wounded. The exact German losses are unknown, but records indicate more than 200 casualties. The battle for Cheb was the largest engagement fought by the Americans on Czechoslovak territory and also the one in which they suffered their heaviest losses.

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Even during the fighting, the 97th Division was being replaced by the famous 1st Infantry Division, known as "Big Red One". After the city's capture, it remained in Cheb, preparing for the final offensive into the interior, which began on May 5, 1945.

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The 1st Infantry Division thus completed its wartime journey in Cheb, which had begun with its landing in North Africa, continued through the invasion of Sicily, and culminated on June 6, 1944, with the landing on Omaha Beach in Normandy. Its advance through Europe is commemorated by a large stone obelisk, erected in 1946 at the former Y intersection.

 

After the communist coup in 1948, American memorials were systematically destroyed, but this one, known as "Ypsilonka", was spared. The reason was simple—in 1945, the District Administrative Commission offered the American side a 2,000 m² plot for the construction of a memorial, which the Americans accepted. The monument was built using granite quarried near Wunsiedel, Germany.

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Thanks to this, even during the communist era, the bravest citizens could still come each year on May 8, albeit under the watchful eye of the secret police (StB), to pay tribute to the fallen and lay flowers at the place where history was made.

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This year, we commemorate the 80th anniversary of these historic events.

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The event is brought to you by the City of Cheb in cooperation with the Ocelová Pěst military history club.