But the key was the attack on CKD, where German Hetzer tank destroyers were manufactured. “Production was limited so that after the attack, the capacities of the Libeň ČKD were enough to complete less than a dozen Hetzers. At least fifty other unfinished pieces had to be moved from the rubble of the factory halls to the military training area in Milovice, where part of the ČKD employees had to commute and tried to finish the machines there, “describes Rajlich.
Despite the primary strategic objectives, however, the bombing also affected civilians. This is despite the fact that the Allies tried in advance to minimize these losses by attacking on Sunday. “They expected that there would be as few people at work that day as possible, so that there was as little loss of life as possible. It can be assumed that if it were on a normal working day, there would be far more of those victims, “the historian concludes.
However, due to poor navigation and other factors, the bombs also landed in populated areas and around Prague, such as Mělnicko, Nymburk, Litoměřice and other adjacent places. Vinoř was also one of the worst victims, where according to Rajlich, 49 people died and 70 were seriously injured. In the village, which was not yet part of Prague at the time, the bombs did not escape any house for the first time, 180 were completely destroyed.
Current and current estimates of the death toll vary. After a few days, a number of seriously injured succumbed to the consequences, but they did not make it into the statistics at the time. According to the latest estimates, a total of 562 people died and 1,027 were injured in the March 25, 1945 bombing. The number of February casualties did not reach this raid, but it was not the last. However, the Allies tried to reduce the number of casualties as much as possible.
“A month later, a raid on the Pilsen Skoda took place. And even before that, when the machines were already in the air, the Czech BBC broadcast announced the bombing in advance. The Allies really tried to minimize the number of civilian casualties, “adds Rajlich.