Patton Memorial Pilsen

The museum Patton Memorial Pilsen includes more than a thousand exhibits from private collections. The opening section of the museum presents the final air-raid campaigns in Western Bohemia and the bombing of the Škoda plants. Surrounded by the sound of sirens and authentic film sequences and photographs of that time, visitors are drawn into the atmosphere of the final combat operations of WWII. The exhibition documents the advancement of the US Army in what was then Czechoslovakia, and the deployment of US soldiers until November 1945. Authentic photographs depict the moments of the war´s final days , the arrival of the US troops, moments of relaxation and friendly encounters with locals, as well as some ceremonial events – e.g. recordings from a troop inspection on 15 June 1945 attended by the president Dr. Edvard Beneš. Other exhibits document the UNRRA aid thanks to which people were able to cope with the difficult situation after the war ended – food rations of all sorts, empty and unopened food cans, flour and maize bags or popular chewing gums. There is the gear and equipment of the time, medical material, eating kits, field rations, sports and relaxation equipment, craft tools, printed materials and many other objects which the US soldiers left behind as war relics. A significant part of the exhibition focuses on George S. Patton, the legendary commander of the 3rd US Army and his old friend general Ernest N. Harmon, who provided technical and material assistance for the recovery of our country and who said goodbye to the Czech population together with US troops during the last inspection in November 1945.