A team of Czech resistance fighters in Churchill’s army set out to kill the SS General and author of the Holocaust, Reinhard Heydrich.
Reinhard Heydrich
Heydrich was known as The Hangman and The Butcher of Prague because of the ruthless tactics by which he ruled. He rose quickly through the ranks of German Naval Intelligence. However, he was eventually dismissed for a love affair. Heydrich then joined the SS Intelligence and again quickly rose through the ranks. He would become head of the Gestapo and eventually the third highest ranking member of the Nazi party.
Churchill’s Secret Army
After the Czech government went into exile in London, their remaining soldiers were trained by the British Intelligence Service. From there, they set out to launch sabotage missions into enemy occupied countries. This was part of the British Special Operations Executive. The SOE became known as Churchill’s Secret Army.
Operation Anthropoid
When Heydrich was put in charge of Prague, he was also made a high value target of the Czech government and the SOE. Two Czech soldiers, Jozef Gabcik and Jan Kubis were selected for the mission to take him out. The mission’s code name was Operation Anthropoid. The Czech team decided to ambush him on his daily routine drive. Despite one man’s sub machine gun jamming, another was able to strike Heydrich with a grenade. Although Heydrich survived the initial attack, his injuries led to blood poisoning and he died eight days later.
Nazi Response
The aftermath launched by the Gestapo destroyed an entire village as retaliation. They also killed all the men while separating the women and children to different concentration camps. Eventually, one of the accomplices betrayed the Czech agents. This lead the SS to their church hideout where a battle ensued that took the lives of the Czech team.
Watch the Nazi Hunters episode for the entire true story.