The Nazi Occupation Begins

Right here on March 15, 1939, at 9 AM, German troops entered the city. You're standing where thousands watched as military convoys rumbled past. Tanks. Armored cars. Wehrmacht soldiers in feldgrau uniforms. By afternoon, Hitler stood at the castle overlooking the city, declaring it part of the Reich. Six months earlier, Britain and France had signed the Munich Agreement. It was supposed to guarantee peace. Instead, it guaranteed this. The takeover happened fast. Radio stations went silent. Politicians were arrested. Street names changed overnight. A republic that had existed for 21 years vanished by decree. What most people don't know: the invasion nearly failed because of weather. German motorized columns got stuck in snowdrifts crossing the mountains. Some units arrived hours late, their vehicles pushed through ice by exhausted soldiers. Officers were furious about the delay. The crowds lining these streets stayed quiet. No cheers. No resistance. Just silence and falling snow. By evening, swastika flags hung from every official building. The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia had begun. It would last 6 years, 3 months, and 7 days.