<sod>The capitulations at Luneberg and Haar could do nothing however for the bulk of German forces in [[Army Group Centre]], fighting the Soviets in [[Bohemia]] and [[Saxony]].  On 4 May Dönitz, together with [[Karl Hermann Frank|Karl Frank]] the Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, conceived of a device whereby Army Group Centre might be able to surrender to General [[George S. Patton| George Patton]]'s American forces, who had been entering the [[Sudetenland]] areas of former [[First Czechoslovak Republic|Czechoslovakia]] from the west, and approaching [[Pilsen]].  Dönitz proposed that Frank should dissolve the [[Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia]] and resign in favour of the puppet Czech government; who would then declare [[Prague]] an [[Open city]] and invite the Americans in.  Once Pattton was in Prague, it should be much easier for Army Group Centre to negotiate surrender terms with him while maintaining their resistance to the Soviets, if possible dragging American and Soviet armies into direct confrontation. Frank had hopes that "we can engineer a disagreement between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union even more serious than that of Poland". The ploy was proposed as being put into effect on 5 May, but was overtaken by the outbreak of the [[Prague uprising]] on that date; and over the succeeding three days, far from surrendering Prague as an Open city, SS forces launched a savage response to the insurgents, with brutal reprisals against Czech civilians and widespread destruction in central Prague. Orders to fire-bomb the whole of the [[Old Town (Prague)|Old Town]] were only averted due to lack of fuel for Luftwaffe bombing units. Alerted to the German machinations through intercepted [[Ultra]] signals, Eisenhower ordered Patton to stand still in Pilsen in spite of ever more desperate calls for help from the insurgents. Prague was finally relieved by General [[Ivan Konev|Konev]]'s forces on 9 May 1945<eod>
<sod>The capitulations at Luneberg and Haar could do nothing however for the bulk of German forces in [[Army Group Centre]], fighting the Soviets in [[Bohemia]] and [[Saxony]].  On 4 May Dönitz, together with [[Karl Hermann Frank|Karl Frank]] the Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, conceived of a device whereby Army Group Centre might be able to surrender to General [[George S. Patton| George Patton]]'s American forces, who had been entering the [[Sudetenland]] areas of former [[First Czechoslovak Republic|Czechoslovakia]] from the west, and approaching [[Pilsen]].  Dönitz proposed that Frank should dissolve the [[Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia]] and resign in favour of a puppet Czech government; who would then declare [[Prague]] an [[Open city]] and invite the Americans in.  Once Pattton was in Prague, it should be much easier for Army Group Centre to negotiate surrender terms with him while maintaining their resistance to the Soviets, if possible dragging American and Soviet armies into direct confrontation. Frank had hopes that "we can engineer a disagreement between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union even more serious than that of Poland". The ploy was proposed as being put into effect on 5 May, but was overtaken by the outbreak of the [[Prague uprising]] on that date; and over the succeeding three days, far from surrendering Prague as an Open city, SS forces launched a savage response to the insurgents, with brutal reprisals against Czech civilians and widespread destruction in central Prague. Orders to fire-bomb the whole of the [[Old Town (Prague)|Old Town]] were only averted due to lack of fuel for Luftwaffe bombing units. Alerted to the German machinations through intercepted [[Ultra]] signals, Eisenhower ordered Patton to stand still in Pilsen in spite of ever more desperate calls for help from the insurgents. Prague was finally relieved by General [[Ivan Konev|Konev]]'s forces on 9 May 1945<eod>