Editing Plzeň (section)

===World War II===
Following [[Czechoslovakia|Czechoslovak]] independence from [[Austria-Hungary]] in 1918 the ethnic German minority in the countryside bordering the city of Plzeň hoped to be united with Austria and were unhappy at being included in Czechoslovakia. Many allied themselves to the [[Nazis]] after 1933 in the hope that [[Adolf Hitler]] might be able to unite them with their German-speaking neighbours.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

Following the [[Munich Agreement]] in 1938, Plzeň became a frontier town as the creation of the [[Sudetenland]] moved [[Nazi Germany]]'s borders closer to the city's outer limits. During the [[German occupation of Czechoslovakia|German occupation]] from 1939 to 1945, the [[Škoda Works]] in Pilsen was forced to provide armaments for the ''[[Wehrmacht]]'', and Czech contributions, particularly in the field of tanks, were noted. The Nazis operated a [[Gestapo]] prison in the city,<ref>{{cite web |title=Gestapogefängnis Pilsen|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=100000353|website=bundesarchiv.de|language=de|access-date=2021-11-07}}</ref> and a [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] camp in the Karlov district.<ref>{{cite web |title=Arbeitserziehungslager Pilsen-Karlow|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=100000331|website=bundesarchiv.de|language=de|access-date=2021-11-07}}</ref>

Between 17 and 26 January 1942, the majority of the city's Jewish population, over 2,000 people, were deported by the Nazis to the [[Theresienstadt concentration camp]] in [[Terezín]].

[[File:Plzeň, pomník osvobození U Práce.JPG|thumb|Memorial to the [[16th Armored Division (United States)|16th Armored Division]] of the [[United States Army]] at the top of Americká, the main commercial boulevard]]
In April 1945, as World War II neared its end, Plzeň endured its most devastating air raids. On 17 April, British [[Royal Air Force]] bombers targeted the city's marshalling yard, aiming to disrupt German military logistics. The attack resulted in significant civilian casualties and widespread destruction of residential areas. Just days later, on 25 April, the U.S. [[Eighth Air Force]] launched a major bombing mission against the [[Škoda Works]] armament factory in Plzeň. This operation marked the last heavy bomber mission by the Eighth Air Force against an industrial target in Europe. The raids caused extensive damage to the city's infrastructure and left a lasting impact on its inhabitants. These attacks were part of the Allies' final efforts to cripple Nazi Germany's war capabilities.<ref>{{cite web |title=April 1945: The deadliest air attacks on Plzeň came at the end of WWII|url=https://english.radio.cz/april-1945-deadliest-air-attacks-plzen-came-end-wwii-8849305|publisher=[[Czech Radio]]|date=2025-04-25|access-date=2025-04-28}}</ref>

On 6 May 1945, in the final days before the [[end of World War II in Europe]], Plzeň was liberated from Nazi Germany by the [[16th Armored Division (United States)|16th Armored Division]] of General [[George Patton]]'s [[United States Army Central|Third Army]]. Also participating in the liberation of the city were elements of the 97th and 2nd Infantry Divisions supported by the Polish [[Holy Cross Mountains Brigade]]. Other Third Army units liberated major portions of Western Bohemia. The rest of [[Czechoslovakia]] was liberated from German control by the Soviet [[Red Army]]. Elements of the 3rd Army, as well as units from the 1st Army, remained in Plzeň until late November 1945.<ref>{{cite web |title=Plzeň osvobodil Patton, komunisté o něm ale po únoru 1948 mlčeli|url=https://www.echo24.cz/a/SQpGJ/plzen-osvobodil-patton-komuniste-o-nem-ale-po-unoru-1948-mlceli|work=Echo24.cz|language=cs|date=2020-05-06|access-date=2025-05-12}}</ref>

After the end of the war, the city's ethnic German minority population was [[expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia|expelled]] and their property was confiscated in accordance to the provisions of the [[Potsdam Agreement]].