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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.....
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