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Freedom Celebrations continued in the west Bohemia city of Plzeň on Sunday. Thousands of people turned up to greet the Convoy of Liberty, made up of historical military vehicles carrying around twenty US and Belgian war veterans who helped liberate Plzeň 70 years ago. Although the group of veterans, who are now over 90, have a packed agenda throughout the celebrations, manz of them made the trip through the city center standing in their jeeps saluting and waving as the enthusiastic crowd cheered and threw lilac at the vehicles as people did 70 years ago. Live street bands helped create a festive atmosphere reminiscent of the liberation and there was a fly-over of Gripen fighter jets to mark the occasion.

A memorial to U.S. General George S. Patton who commanded the Third United States Army that liberated Plzeň on May 6, 1945 was unveiled in the town on Friday within six days of Freedom Celebrations. Its unveiling was attended by General Patton's grandson George Patton Waters, representatives of the U.S. embassy and local dignitaries. The city’s mayor Martin Zrzavecký expressed regret that for so many decades it had not been possible to give proper thanks and credit to the US army for liberating the town. During communist rule the role of the US army in liberating west Bohemia was played down.

The west Bohemian town of Plzeň has opened a week of Freedom Celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the city by General Patton’s Army. Visitors to the city will be able to see a reconstruction of a US military camp, there will be a historical re-enactment of the arrival of US tanks and a flyover of jets. There will be live music in the main square including big band, Dixie and gospel. A memorial to US General Patton will be unveiled at 5 p.m. on Friday in one of the city’s parks. The evening will end with a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert. This year’s celebrations in Plzeň are the biggest in 25 years.

The city of Ostrava marks the 70th anniversary of its liberation during WWII on Thursday April 30. Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka will launch events with a commemoration service which will be followed by military parade by units of the Czech army and a series of cultural events in the country’s third biggest city. Ostrava was liberated after a fierce battle by Red Army units from the 4th Ukrainian Front and members of the Czechoslovak Brigade. The city was staunchly defended by Nazi units as Moravia and Silesia still accounted for around 35% of remaining Nazi industrial production. The loss of the area was seen by some Nazi leaders as the final confirmation that the war was all but over.

The pilots of two Gripen fighter jets on Monday conducted the first flyover above Prague Castle in more than a quarter century, launching, together with a military honour guard on the ground, a slew of commemorative events marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. And, on Monday, Prague Castle opened a new unique exhibition of never-before-seen photographs of Czechoslovak serviceman during the war.

In this week’s edition of Czech History we look at the situation in Bohemia and Moravia in late April and early May 1945 in the run up to commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII. We draw on the recollections of US soldiers Czech resistance fighters, and forced labour and concentration camp workers seeking to return home as the hostilities ended.

An Internet petition launched by the Open Doors initiative is calling for a ban on the Night Wolves motorcycle rally marking the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII. The gang, which has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, wants to stage a ride from Moscow to Berlin, passing through Poland, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Austria. The organisers are set to hand over the petition at the Office of the Government on Friday. The group is not preparing any other protests.

Dozens of events, including commemorative ceremonies and concerts attended by top politicians, will be held in the Czech Republic at the end of April and early May to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, the Czech News Agency reports, citing a document the cabinet is expected to approve on Wednesday. The biggest events include a concert for 1,800 guests that is to be held in Prague´s Congress Centre on May 5, and a remembrance event at Prague’s Vítkov Memorial. In Plzeň, west Bohemia, celebrations will mark the anniversary of the liberation of the town by the U.S. troops. Political leaders are also to attend a ceremony in Terezín, north Bohemia, and a meeting marking 70 years from the battle for the Czechoslovak Radio building during the Prague Uprising in early May 1945. Invitations to events have been extended to politicians as well as the head-of-state; the president and the prime minister will deliver speeches on the occasion.

Saturday is the 70th anniversary of one of the blackest days experienced by the Czech lands during WWII, when US planes dropped some 150 bombs over Prague, leaving 700 people dead and levelling around 100 buildings. Foggy conditions had led the American airmen to mistake the city for Germany’s Dresden, over 100 kilometres to the north. I discussed the tragic error – and other aspects of the events of February 14, 1945 – with historian Jan Adamec.

Remembrance events marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, organized by the European Jewish Congress in the Czech Republic have strained relations between Prague and Warsaw and left Czech politicians fending off accusations that the country is pandering to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was not invited to attend the commemorative events in neighbouring Poland.