Marking the 71st anniversary of the end of World War Two, the U.S. Embassy Prague hosted the Convoy of Liberty on Friday, April 29. The Convoy is the traditional tour of Bohemia by the military history clubs in authentic, refurbished vehicles from World War II; this tradition began eleven years ago. The convoy is a tribute to the U.S. army that liberated Western and part of Southern Bohemia.
At the Embassy, Ambassador Andrew Schapiro welcomed the Convoy, commemorating the brave man and women who sacrificed their lives, and added that “one of the lessons of World War II is that people still helped each other, especially those who were in need. Today, those fleeing war and violence in other parts of the world still need help. And our responsibility is to help them.”
The authentic military vehicles of allied troops from the World War II will be driven by a dedicated group of men and women who don period uniforms. Their tour will culminate in Plzeň during the Liberation Festival. As part of the liberation ceremonies, individual military history clubs will ride along routes of allied armies.
In the coming days, American diplomats will also participate in many ceremonies commemorating the liberation of the country from Nazi occupation in 1945.
