Czechoslovakia invasion

On this day, August 21, 1968, the Soviet Army entered Czechoslovakia.

It was originally planned that the first troops to enter the country would be NVA troops - GDR Army. They were in place on the border but were suddenly stood down and in fact never took part in the Warsaw Pack invasion of the country.

Irony woud have it that, 23 years later, also on August 21, this time 1991, the Baltic state of Latvia declared independence from the USSR.