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21 August 1968. Between the nights of August 20 and
August 21 1968, Eastern Bloc armies from five Warsaw Pact countries invaded
Czechoslovakia.
During the invasion, Soviet tanks ranging in numbers from 5,000 to 7,000
occupied the streets. They were followed by a large number of Warsaw Pact
troops ranging from 200,000 to 600,000.
The Soviets insisted that they had been invited to invade
Prague and
the country, stating that loyal Czechoslovak Communists had told them that
they were in need of "fraternal assistance against the counter-revolution". A
letter which was found in 1989 proved an invitation to invade did indeed
exist.
During the attack of the Warsaw Pact armies, 72 Czechs and Slovaks were killed
(19 of those in Slovakia) and hundreds were wounded (up to September 3, 1968). The occupation was followed by a wave of
emigration (estimate:
70,000 immediately, 300,000 in total), typically of highly qualified people.
Western countries allowed these people to stay and work without complications.
New Page 2
What can I say about this page? It happened long time
ago. Shall we forget it? We can't, we were there, and we lived it. Some day I
will sit down and write more about it, how I remember it.....
Right now:
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