On the German Fourteenth Army’s left (western) flank, the 2nd Mountain Division would cross the river Thaya (Dyje in Czech) into the thick woods of the Thayatal (or Podyji). The “German” division had been formed that summer from former units of the Austrian Federal Army, and remained understrength in most areas, notably artillery and vehicles. The Czechs had not expected the Germans to be foolish enough to attack in this sector, but covered it with a border garrison anyway.

The Czech border battalions, organized into division-sized groups, were designed for independent action with their own engineer, mortar and anti-tank elements. On a map devoid of terrain, the advance west of Znojmo (Znaim) probably made a certain amount of sense. But this was no place to conduct blitzkrieg, especially with troops who had been preparing to fight the Germans just seven months previously and had been given a mostly-new slate of officers.