| Leskovice massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of the German occupation of Czechoslovakia | |
| Location | Leskovice, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia |
| Date | 5 May 1945 (79 years ago) |
| Deaths | 25 |
| Perpetrators | Waffen-SS led by Walter Hauck |
The Leskovice massacre was the mass murder of twenty-five Czech civilians in May 1945 by Waffen-SS troops on the orders of Nazi officer Walter Hauck inside the village of Leskovice during the World War II.
On 5 May 1945, Czech partisans in Pelhřimov 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 the Schutzstaffel 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 of Walter Hauck.[4][5]
In 2005, an investigation of the massacre was launched by Czech authorities.[6]