Hi! Ondrej from Charles Games here with one of the last posts before the release of Svoboda 1945: Liberation on August 3, 16:00 CET! Yes, that's right and we cannot be more thrilled - our three-year work goes public in 6 days. Which is the best time to give you, our fabulous fans, some historical context for the story that'll start unwinding on Tuesday. You might know some of these facts, but even in Czech school this is not something commonly talked about. So - let's get into it.

Where does Svoboda 1945: Liberation takes place?

The unofficial name of this region is Sudetenland, the Czech-German border area. Our village is situated in the atec region. Roughly there:

The region had a sizable German-speaking minority since the inception of Czechoslovakia, so it's been a multi-ethnic republic from the start.

What happened in Sudetenland during World War 2?

The key date is September 30, 1938, when the Munich Treaty happened. Enduring a long pressure from Nazi Germany, Czechoslovakia was ultimately (with the consent of Britain, France and Italy) forced to give up Sudetenland to the Third Reich. The popularity of Nazi-affiliated parties in these areas of Czechoslovakia was rising ever since Hitler came to power in Germany. This will be important later. In March 1939, the rest of Czech lands were taken over by Nazis and made into the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. That is what our Attentat 1942 is about.

And what about when the war ended?

After the Nazi surrender, Sudetenland was returned back to Czechoslovakia. But the post-war reconciliation was not so easy - enter the story of Svoboda 1945: Liberation. At first wildly, later officially by the government, most German speaking citizens were being expelled and their property expropriated. Often violently. Around 2.4 milion people were made to leave their homes.

How is this important today?

The fate of Sudetenland formed the contemporary face of the Czech Republic. Former Sudetenland regions are generally the poorer parts of the country, often ridden with social problems. And the expulsion itself is still a controversial topic, often stirring up heated debates about guilt, justice or nationalism. This is, of course, just one of the many events that took place in the turbulent time right at the end of the war - death marches, coming of Volhynian Czechs, liberation efforts, communist putsch, collectivization. With Svoboda 1945: Liberation we want to add our piece to the historical puzzle, showing what happened in a nuanced, truthful and moving way. I hope you are now better prepared to take the plunge on August 3. See you on Tuesday! Ondrej Charles Games