Battle of Opava (WFAC)

The Battle of Opava was fought between 1 October and 5 October 1938, between the forces of Czechoslovakia and Germany. It was one of the first battles of the during the initial stages of the Invasion of Czechoslovakia. Around 20,000 Czechoslovak soldiers defended a fortified line of border fortifications for five days against more than 60,000 German troops. Although defeat was inevitable, the Polish defence stalled the attacking forces for five days and postponed the encirclement of the Czechoslovak First Army a fighting retreat from Bohemia towards Slovakia. Eventually the tanks broke through the Polish line and eliminated all the bunkers one by one. The last bunker surrendered around midday on October 5.