US-Soviet Forces Link-up May 10, 1945 Memorial Marker
Details:
In a small park at the roadside.
MarkerAn engraved plaque surrounded by a wall with information signs which describe the liberation of Pisek and maps showing the link of of Soviet and US Forces..
The memorial remembers the May 10, 1945 meeting of the Soviet Ref Army us the US 3rd Army consisting of units 4th Armored Division, 94th Infantry Division, and the 25th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron.
Sources: https://www.vets.cz
Monument Text:
The plaque is inscribed in Czech and reads:
NA PAMÁTKU
SETKÁNÍ SPOJENECKÝCH VOJSK
AMERICKÉ A RUDÉ ARMÁDY
10.KVTNA 1945
MEZI 16-17 HODINOU
V PROSTORU U HEBINCE
VYBUDOVÁNO A ODHALENO
10.KVTNA 2015
MSTEM A BUDDIES
PÍSEK
The translation is:
AT THE MEMORIAL
MEETING OF ALLIED TROOPS
THE AMERICAN AND RED ARMIES
10.MAY.1945
BETWEEN 4-5 PM
IN THE SPACE AT HEBINCE
BUILT AND UNVEILED
10.MAY.2015
BY THE CITY AND BUDDIES
PÍSEK
Text on the Pisek Liberation Plaque is written in Czech, Russia and English. The English Reads:
In early May, 1945, allied forces converged in the street in front of the Land Stud Farm, at that time the principal highway linking the town of Písek with Ceské Budéjovice. As the Wehrmacht garrisoned in the town were willing to surrender, representatives of the municipal and county National Revolutionary Committee requested assistance from the US Army Headquarters in Strakonice - the nearest allied unit able to take control.
The Americans complied with the appeal, resulting in the liberation of the town of Písek on May 6, 1945. The Wehrmacht surrendered and were evacuated from the town. The next day, additional American armoured units were stationed in and around the town. That same day at the Main Headquarters of Gen.
Eisenhower in the French town of Reims, the Unconditional Surrender of Nazi Germany was signed; at 23:01 on May 8, 1945, all hostilities ceased and peace ensued: the war in Europe was over.
American units took control of all principal highways on the town perimeter while awaiting the arrival of the Soviet units whose advance had been unexpectedly stymied by fighting near Ostrava and Brno. The last entry gate to the stud farm as well as both sides of the highway leading into town had been blocked by American units since 8 May, 1945. However; contact between both allied armies occurred no sooner than the afternoon of May 10, 1945, at the place we stand now. Three military formations were charged with the liberation of the country, namely the 1st, 2nd, and the 4th Ukrainian Fronts. The 2nd Ukrainian Front was to establish contact with American Army units along the demarcation line in Southwest Bohemia. A Guard Division of the Red Army, commanded by Major-general Bogdanov, arrived at the Pisek Stud Farm while Soviet troops from the 106th Guard Division crossed the Pisek Mountains and entered the town on 'Na Trubách' Street. The commanders of both armies and the Revolutionary Committee representatives met at 5:30 pm in front of the Town Hall observed by the citizens of Pisck who crowded the town square.
The first wave of Soviet soldiers did not remain in Pisek for very long, and were soon replaced by troops of the 6th Guard Mechanized Division under the command of Major-general Ivanov. Most soldiers settled in the woods around Pisek and along the highway between 'U Vodáka' and 'Flekacky' while officers largely stayed at private quarters in town. Thus, for a time, the town of Pisek became the domain not only of the local people, but also of both friendly armies - the Americans and the Soviets. After about a week, the American Command moved their units out of town and beyond the demarcation line, transferring their temporary authority to the Soviet Command.
Let us remember these events, already fading from living memory, and reflect on the futilities of war which have cost so many lives. Let us pay silent tribute to the soldiers of both allied armies who were willing to sacrifice their own lives in order to defeat Nazi Germany and establish peace and liberty in Europe.






