| Leskovice massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of theGerman occupation of Czechoslovakia | |
| Location | Leskovice,Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia |
| Date | 5 May 1945 (80 years ago) |
| Deaths | 25 |
| Perpetrators | Waffen-SS led byWalter Hauck |
TheLeskovice massacre was the mass murder of twenty-five Czech civilians in May 1945 byWaffen-SS troops on the orders of Nazi officerWalter Hauck inside the village ofLeskovice during theWorld War II.
On 5 May 1945,Czech partisans inPelhřimov took refuge in a local forest after they fought a battle with the Germans. Once the Germans had left, they tried to sneak back into town, only for theSchutzstaffel at the lead of Walter Hauck to return at 4:00 AM.[1]
The Nazis surrounded the village, then set fire to the houses as they proceeded to go on a killing spree. German troops decapitated and tortured numerous civilians during the massacre.[2]
According to the testimony of survivor Stanislav Pech:
"They began murdering civilians at the bottom of the village. One family - a husband, his wife and two daughters -- were tied up with wire while their home was set alight. They burned to death. Another person killed was 13-year-old Pepik Vaverka. Usually those who paid the highest price were those who said 'We didn't do anything'."[1]
By the end of the killings, 25 inhabitants of Leskovice were murdered,[3] and 31 houses burned to the ground. General consensus places the massacre's fault at the hands ofWalter Hauck.[4][5]
In 2005, an investigation of the massacre was launched by Czech authorities.[6]
49°25′49″N15°4′49″E / 49.43028°N 15.08028°E /49.43028; 15.08028
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