How it started...
Munich Agreement = Betrayal between Nazi Germany, United Kingdom, the French Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy saw the beginning of Nazi expansion that lead to start of the WW2.Shortly after, the Sudetenland (part of Czechoslovak Republic), was given to Nazi Germany in September 1938 after the Allies tried to appease Adolf Hitler who then went on to occupy Prague before separating Czechoslovakia to the Slovak puppet state aka 1st Slovak Republic and renaming Czechia as the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.
After the Munich Betrayal and the division of Czechoslovakia, many patriotic young men already serving in military decided to escape the country and join Czechoslovak foreign legions, allowing them to fight for their country from abroad.
Many were trained as pilots, paratroopers and special operations members once in England in an effort to be ready to get back to and fight for their country. Amongst those who made their way to England were Josef Gabčík, Jan Kubiš, Josef Valčík, names irrevocably linked with Operation Anthropoid.
Reinhard Heydrich Arrives in Prague 1941 - 1.0 Heydrich Terror
The real horror in Protectorate for locals started in 1941 with Reinhard Heydrich, who was tasked with mission to crush any local resistance and eliminate not only Czechoslovak Jews, but all Czechs in general.Heydrich, also called the ‘Blonde Beast’ or the ‘Butcher of Prague’, was also the principal architect of infamous ‘Final Solution’. The highest ranking Nazi outside of Germany, Heydrich possessed the power over life and death, or who would live or who would die. Heydrich was also occasionally referred to as Hitler’s or Himmler’s brain to a degree and even his Nazi colleagues feared him, his power and influence absolute.
The first of Heydrich’s ‘Era Heydrichiada’ directives started immediately upon his arrival in Prague in 1941. The Gestapo had conducted a major crackdown on Sokol – patriotic gymnastics organization, arresting around 1,500 of their functionaries in the autumn of 1941 and banning all Sokol activities before transporting 800 older Sokol’s members to the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria for execution.
This horrific act let to incredible acts of resistance mostly consisting of family members of tortured and executed Sokols. They also played a key rolls in successful assassination of Heydrich on the 27th May 1942.
Arrival of Paratrooper Soldiers 1941
28th December 1941Operation Anthropoid, Silver A and Silver B, were dropped into the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.
Discover and explore more about these brave patriots and their heoric acts here.
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