The City of Troppau was the site of the first battle of World War II, when war broke out in 1938. The German Army launched an offensive aimed at the town with Panzers, backed up with air power. The Germans also used radio to communicate with their forces while the Czechs did not. This allowed the Wehrmacht to concentrate their troops where they needed them the most and in force. Overwhelmed, the Czechs were driven from their fortifications and forced back into the town, and retreated altogether not long afterwards.