Bombing of Prague

Prague, the capital and largest city of the German-occupied Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, was bombed several times by the Allies during World War II.

The first Allied aircraft to fly over Prague was a single bomber of the French Air Force in April 1940, but it dropped propaganda leaflets, not bombs.

Prague was then bombed three times by the United States Army Air Forces between the fall of 1944 and spring of 1945.

At noon on 15 November 1944, an estimated twelve bombs were dropped by two aircraft of unknown origin (probably American) on the municipal power plant (about 300 metres west of today's Nádraží Holešovice metro station).

According to American pilots, it was the result of a navigation mistake: at the same time, a massive bombing of Dresden was under way, 120 km north-west from Prague.

Forty B-17 Flying Fortresses of the Eighth Army Air Force dropped about 152 tons of bombs on many populated areas of Prague.

Many homes and national sites were destroyed, for example the Emmaus Monastery, Faust House and Vinohrady Synagogue [arz; cs; de; pl].

One of the pilots of the lead group, Lt. Andrew Andrako flying B-17 serial number 43-38652 V, "Stinker Jr." was of Czech descent.

The attack was aimed at the ČKD factories in eastern Prague (mainly Vysočany) and the military airfields of Kbely, Letňany and Čakovice.