Prague Uprising 1945: Calling all Czechs!
Uncover the dramatic story of Czech Radio's role in the May 1945 Prague Uprising.
By Czech Radio
Czech Radio Archive
The revolution began with the memorable words of announcer Zdeněk Mančal „It is now sechs o'clock” on the morning radio broadcast – all in Czech except for „sechs”, the last German word to be heard on air. From then on, despite orders from the German administrators, the radio broadcast only in Czech and played banned Czech songs. The photo on the right shows announcer Zdeněk Mančal in a makeshift studio in the basement.
A plea for help was sent out on the airwaves
„We are calling the Czech police, the Czech gendarmerie, and the government army. Come immediately to the radio building — the SS want to eliminate us!” The call was heard by many Prague residents, who set out to fight the occupiers.
In the basement
Radio workers tried to prevent the Germans from finding their way around the radio building by removing German signs. Later, some of them barricaded themselves in the basement of the building, then and now still located on Vinohradská Street.
A battle for the side entrance to the radio building on Balbínova Street (May 1945) by UnknownCzech Radio
A fierce battle for the side entrance
On Balbínova Street, the insurgents obtained a Praga RND truck belonging to Václav Štrop, which they used to ram the gates to the building and break them down.
A battle for the side entrance to the radio building on Balbínova Street (May 1945) by UnknownCzech Radio
A fierce battle for the side entrance
After heavy fighting, which also took place on the roof of the building and in the adjacent streets, the Germans were forced to surrender in the early evening.
Czech Radio moved to the building in Prague's Vinohrady district in 1933. The Nazi German occupying forces were aware of the importance of radio as a medium, which is why they strictly controlled and monitored broadcasting during the war. These two photos compare Czech Radio during the First Republic and during the occupation.
Czech Radio shortly after the end of the Uprising (May 1945) by UnknownCzech Radio
Barricades
Radio was such an important target that the Nazis tried to recapture it throughout the Uprising. Barricades were quickly erected in front of the building to prevent the arrival of heavy military equipment and repel attacks by German troops.
The German bomb attack
On May 6, a German Messerschmitt 262 jet fighter dropped a quarter-ton bomb on the main radio building. It fell through two floors and exploded in the radio foyer.
The interior of the radio building after the explosion of an aerial bomb (1945-05-06) by UnknownCzech Radio
The German bomb attack
In addition to the entrance hall and adjacent rooms, the broadcasting equipment was also severely damaged. The revolutionary radio broadcasts were briefly silenced.
However, radio technicians managed to restore broadcasting from a makeshift studio at the Strašnice transmitter in just 80 minutes. From May 7, they broadcast from the Hus Congregational House back in the Vinohrady district.
The end of the battle
The fighting in Prague definitively came to an end with the arrival of Soviet Red Army tanks, which began to eliminate the last pockets of German military resistance. The radio building and its surroundings were now free.
After the fighting
Immediately after the fighting ended, radio reporters set out into the field to report on events in Prague. The photograph shows Miloslav Disman (right) and Josef Cincibus (center) filming on Wenceslas Square on May 11, 1945.
The president’s speech
President Edvard Beneš also returned to a liberated Prague. The photograph shows him giving a speech at a memorial ceremony in Lidice on June 10, 1945, which was broadcast live on the radio thanks to the enormous efforts of editor Alfréd Technik.
After the war, the radio also became a place of hope for those searching for their loved ones. It broadcast so-called “search reports” about missing persons and helped find forced laborers and survivors of concentration camps.
The fmemorial act in front of the radio building (1948-05-23) by UnknownCzech Radio
A commemorative event in front of the radio
Since May 1945, a commemorative event has been held every year in front of the radio station.
In 1946, all those who actively fought for the building in 1945 were awarded the Honorary Badge of Radio Fighters. On May 23, 1948, a large crowd gathered in front of the building on what was then Stalin Street (now Vinohradská Street) to participate in the unveiling of memorial plaques bearing the names of the victims.
The major program meeting at the radio (1946) by UnknownCzech Radio
The major program meeting
In 1946, a program conference was held at the radio building, attended by the Minister of Information Václav Kopecký (standing). Despite the presence of the flags of the United States and Great Britain, it was already clear what direction things would take.
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