)
)
Germany’s third most powerful man, after Hitler and Himmler, was born a son of a musician and was a skilled violin player himself. He wanted a career in the army, but was suspended because he seduced the daughter of a powerful politician. After the incident, he decided to enter Hitler’s Nazi Social Democratic Party, but continued his life of a ladies’ man. He was an excellent pilot in the World War II and was shot down in Soviet Union. His career was going straight up despite the rumor that his grandmother was Jewish. Heydrich dismissed the claims, but researches after war proved that they were true.
Heydrich’s reputation was very good, he was punctual, respected the political authorities and was named governor of the Czech and Moravian Protectorate. He victoriously entered Prague swarming with rebels and activists. Heydrich immediately imposed martial law and started his politics of fear.
Very strong Czech exile in London organized sky troops to land near Prague in the spring of 1942. Their mission was to help the resistance movement in Prague, which was completely destroyed by Heydrich’s intervention. Another mission was to kill the governor himself. Two troopers, Gabčík and Kubiš, planned the assassination. They had information on Heydrich’s route and waited for his car. After a problem with a handgun, Kubiš threw an explosive into the vehicle. Heydrich was wounded and died in hospital of infection, seven days after the assassination. New governor, Kurt Daluege, was appointed by Hitler. The Gestapo started looking for the troopers who were hiding in houses of Prague citizens, slowly escaping Daluege’s reach. Their last hideaway was the Church of Saint Cyril and Method in Prague. One of eleven troopers sent from London was caught by the Nazis and gave away his friends, including Gabčík and Kubiš, who were all killed.
Hitler was shocked by these events and had Daluege “punish the Czechs for their impertinence”. Two villages, Lidice and Ležáky, were wiped out, men and women killed, children transported to concentration camps or Germanized. Some call the assassination a huge mistake, paradoxically resulting into deaths of hundreds of people, the others see it as an important political act that saw the Czechs opposing the Nazi regime.