Liberation80: Skalica Commemorations Featured Battle Reenactments

Skalica, April 11 (TASR) - A commemorative event marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Skalica was held on Friday with a memorial ceremony in the Liberation Park in Skalica, with battle reenactments that featured model tanks and armored vehicles, together with pyrotechnics and commentary, TASR has learnt. The final withdrawal of German soldiers from Skalica occurred on April 11, 1945. The occupants retreated across the border to the Moravian side without combat, under heavy machine gun fire. However, during their retreat, they destroyed the Green Bridge. Overall, the city suffered only minor damage - nine houses and several dozen farm buildings were destroyed. There were more human casualties, though. "Up to 130 soldiers died in the fighting, including 51 Soviet and 23 Romanian troops, among them Lieutenant Colonel Viktor Savic Pljusc, after whom one of our streets is named today. Among the civilian population, 19 people died, including seven evacuees who had sought refuge in Skalica," the town office stated on social media. According to local authorities, the city’s liberation involved the First Romanian Army, which entered from the direction of Katov, and the 375th Kharkov Division of the Red Army, which advanced from the direction of the vineyards. The Soviet command was set up in the district office building, while the Romanians established their headquarters at the high school, where a field hospital was also established. mf