Battle of Slivice
Battle of Slivice
The Battle of Slivice (Czech: Bitva u Slivice) was the last large battle on Czech soil during World War II. It took place on 11–12 May 1945 near Slivice, Milín, in Bohemia. German troops, hoping to surrender to American forces rather than the Soviets, defended themselves against local partisans and the Red Army.
The German defenders were led by SS-Gruppenführer Carl Friedrich von Pückler-Burghauss with Kampfgruppe Wallenstein. They were joined by fleeing German civilians. Because the road to the Americans was blocked by resistance, the Germans dug in and prepared defensive lines.
On May 11, Soviet forces (the 104th Guards Rifle Division) attacked with heavy artillery and rockets, supported by the U.S. 4th Armored Division of the Army’s XII Corps. Units from the Ukrainian Fronts joined the assault. By the night of May 11–12, the German defenses collapsed, and around 3:00 on May 12, Pückler-Burghauss surrendered at Rakovice Mill. The surrender was countersigned by American and Soviet representatives. About 6,000 German soldiers were captured.
After the battle, Czech partisans conducted operations in the Brdy forests to capture or neutralize Waffen-SS troops who had fled there.
Memorials and remembrance:
- In 1970, a memorial designed by Václav Hilský was opened in Slivice.
- Since 2001, Czech military history clubs, the Museum in Příbram, and the Czech Army have held reenactments of the battle.
- A nearby memorial near Čimelice marks the place where German forces tried to retreat and notes that the last surrender of World War II in Europe occurred on 12 May 1945 in this area, with American, Soviet, and German representatives present.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 04:42 (CET).