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Matthew Courchaine

Ms. Girasole

The Fourth Genre, Honors – Level 2

23 March 2012

Operation Anthropoid – The Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich

“One more point,” said General Moravec, “Under no circumstances – and I mean

none at all – is either of you to get in touch with the underground, directly or indirectly. You

are absolutely on your own. The underground is infested with informants; Heydrich has

done his usual masterful job. For this reason we have not sent out one word about you,

even to the most trusted leaders there. If anyone approaches you and says that he comes

from the underground, he is a provocateur. Treat him as such.”

The planning for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, known as ‘The butcher of

Prague’ in some circles, or ‘The man with the iron heart’ in others, was nearing completion.

It had taken some time. There were various questions that had needed to be answered

prior to.

Which member of the Nazi party residing in Czechoslovakia was most influential?

Though Heydrich was the ‘Protector’ of Czechoslovakia, he was most certainly not the only

Nazi there. In fact, Heydrich was not General Moravec’s first choice. The original target was

a man named Emanuel Moravec. But, to the Czech government this man was simply a

worm. “He was not well known abroad, and Czech prestige would not be raised

significantly by crushing a worm” (Jaggers). Thus, Heydrich was selected for assassination.

Who could be persuaded to participate in the operation? All politicians that had fled

Czechoslovakia in a desperate attempt to escape the German onslaught were now

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scrambling to maintain those positions in the provisional government operating out of

London; Czech financiers were more concerned with their wallet than their own country;

many of their countries airmen had joined Britain’s Royal Air Force, and the Air Ministry

intended to keep them. “It must have seemed to General Moravec, at least at the outset, an

impossible task” (Jaggers) to find people who could very well be martyrs.

Moravec found himself with a particularly limited selection of 2,500 men, part of a

brigade operating out of Cholmondly. After careful analysis of the various men, and a great

deal of contemplation, two men were selected: Jan Kubis and Josef Gabcik.

"Please understand," pleaded General Moravec, "that I am not testing you now. You

have proved that you are brave and patriotic. I am telling you that acceptance of this

mission is almost certainly acceptance of death--perhaps a very painful and degrading

death--because I do not believe that the man who tries to kill Heydrich can succeed if the

awful realization that he too will die comes too late, and unnerves him. I have another

reason, too: if you make your choice with open eyes, I shall sleep a little better." (Jaggers).

The two men agreed, and were given their final warnings before rehearsal

commenced. To these warnings, Gabcik said “No,” whilst looking at Kubis, “We want to do

it.” (Jaggers).

Both men received training that any man or woman going on a clandestine mission

would. Cover stories had to be developed and then memorized to the most trivial detail.

Methods on resistance of enemy interrogation, and most likely torture, had to be ingrained

into these men’s minds. Later each man would be given a cyanide pill, and were told to

keep it on their person at all times – this would be a last resort, to be used when it was

clear that escape would not and could not happen.

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However, this was not the only training necessary. Both men needed to know

Prague like the back of their hand – it had to seem like Kubis and Gabcik were natives. To

demonstrate the level of detail that went into the training, Kubis needed to be taught to

ride a bike. This training was completed hastily, as Heydrich’s rule in Czechoslovakia had

become extremely oppressive. It was time for review.

“And now, a review. Kubis, where does Heydrich have his office?” asked General

Moravec (Jaggers).

“Prague Palace.” He replied, swiftly and confidently (Jaggers).

“Show me on the map.” persisted Moravec. Kubis identified it correctly, pointing it

out quickly on a map of Prague (Jaggers).

Moravec moved on to Gabcik, inquiring “Gabcik, where do you land?” (Jaggers)

“Here, sir.” Gabcik pointed out a spot on the map fifty miles southeast of Prague

(Jaggers). This area provided much camouflage, allowing for an unnoticed entry.

Going back to Kubis momentarily, Moravec asked “Kubis, what do you do first, after

touching ground and removing the parachute?” (Jaggers)

“We destroy all traces of the descent, sir.” He replied (Jaggers).

“Do you proceed to the palace Gabcik?” asked General Moravec, going back to Gabcik

(Jaggers).

“No. It is too heavily guarded. All visitors are thoroughly checked.” asserted Gabcik

(Jaggers).

“His private residence?” Moravec continued (Jaggers).

“The same, sir.” said Gabcik (Jaggers).

“Kubis, where do you go?” asked Moravec (Jaggers).

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Kubis pointed out a spot on the map midway between the village of Brezary and

Prague, “Here, sir.” (Jaggers)

Moravec turned to Gabcik, “Gabcik, when does Heydrich pass this spot?” (Jaggers)

“Daily, sir, going into the city, and at night on his return. We shall observe the time.”

Gabcik replied confidently (Jaggers).

“Why have we chosen this particular spot on the road?” questioned Moravec

(Jaggers).

“Sir, there is a sharp curve. His car and the motorcycles must slow down to twenty

kilometers.” said Gabcik (Jaggers).

“How many motorcycles, Kubis?” asked Moravec, returning to Kubis (Jaggers).

“Probably two, sir. We’ll find out.” replied Kubis (Jaggers).

General Moravec imparted some final advice. Avoid the use of pistols – the machine

guns and bombs would be infinitely more effective. If either failed to work, wait until the

next day. Moravec then had the two men go on one more practice run, and they discussed

extraction. Gabcik and Kubis would make their way to the mountains of Slovakia, an area

that Gabcik knew well. Slovakia was not as tightly controlled as the Czech Republic was,

and would allow for an easier escape. Moravec made sure that a Czech pilot, Captain

Anderle, would be flying over this are continuously in the weeks after the target date for

Heydrich’s assassination. The extraction could not fail.

“We’ll pull it off, Kubis and I.” Gabcik told Moravec (Jaggers).

Moravec reminisced on all the courageous men he had trained. “No. None of them

were braver.” (Jaggers) he said proudly, but also despairingly

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~~~

On May 26th, 1942, Operation Anthropoid commenced. The road from Prague Palace

to the streets was winding to begin with, but towards the bottom, where the road met the

streets, there was a particularly sharp curve. Any car traveling on it must slow down if it

did not want to get into an accident.

Heydrich always arrogantly road with an open-top Nazi state car. He was confident

that his brutal, oppressive rule had eliminated any possibility of a rebellion, let alone an

assassination attempt. His only protection was the pistol he carried on his person, his

armed chauffer, and two Gestapo officers riding motorcycles at the front of his motorcade.

At 10:32 a.m., Heydrich was leaving his residence and was about to turn this corner.

Gabcik and Kubis readied their weapons, prepared to complete their mission at any costs.

Even death.

As Heydrich’s convertible turned the corner, Gabcik left his hiding spot and stepped

onto the road confidently. He aimed his gun at Heydrich’s car, preparing to fire just as it

turned the corner. Gabcik pulled the trigger.

It jammed.

Heydrich did not like this. Not one bit. In a rather stupid move for the man who was

the operational mastermind behind the worst genocide in history, he commanded his

driver to stop. A more logical move would have been to have the driver speed away. He

stood up, pulled his pistol from its holster, and began firing at Gabcik, with the absolute

intention to kill this swine. This would prove to be the worst decision he ever made, and

ever would make.

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Kubis took this chance to leave his hiding spot and lob a grenade into Heydrich’s car.

The Czech assassins, unfortunately, were the recipients of what appeared to be bad luck at

the time.

The grenade, not having enough force behind the throw, struck Heydrich’s Mercedes

and came to rest on the street. The back-left corner of the car was enveloped in a blistering

inferno. Shrapnel and the fabrics of the seat whistled through the air, quickly slicing into

Heydrich’s chest and stomach. At the same time, a jagged piece of metal flew through the

air and made a sharp, straight gash right above Kubis’ brow. It was as if he had been cut by

a razor.

Though both Heydrich and his driver, Johannes Klein, were stunned, it did not stop

the two from exiting the car and firing at Kubis. Kubis hastily hopped onto a bike that had

been brought for their escape and, with blood pouring down his face, rode away.

Heydrich and his driver began, to fire on Gabcik, who had yet to escape. Suddenly,

the color quickly drained from Heydrich’s face. He doubled over in pain, only having time to

make it back to the Mercedes before collapsing – the shock was taking affect.

“Get that bastard.” hissed Heydrich to his driver (Curry).

Bystanders ran to Heydrich and got the attention of a truck driver. They put

Heydrich in the back and he was taken to the hospital.

X-rays would reveal the extent of Heydrich’s injuries. In addition to the obvious

lacerations from the shrapnel, the metal launched into Heydrich’s body had collapsed his

left lung, broken one of his ribs, and punctured his stomach. In addition, the springs and

fabrics that the seat was made up of had been sent into Heydrich’s spleen.

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Several surgeries by Germany’s best doctors would remove the majority of metal

and fabrics from his vital organs, but the real damage had yet to be revealed. Unknown to

the doctors, the horse-hair fabrics of the seat of the Mercedes had left Heydrich with a fatal

infection, septicemia – blood poisoning

On June 2nd, while eating his lunch in his hospital bed, Heydrich collapsed. He fell

into a coma from which he would never recover.

On June 4th, SS Obergruppenführer Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich died at the age

of 38.

~~~

Unusually, both Adolph Hitler and Heinrich Himmler attended the funeral. Both men

were usually in separate locations in the event of an assassination attempt on one or the

other. This was different – Heydrich had been infinitely important to the Nazis and their

plans.

“What ever actions he took he carried them out as a National Socialist and an SS

man, from the very bottom of his heart and through his blood, he carried out felt and

understood Adolf Hitler’s world vision.” said Himmler at his funeral

“One of the best national socialists, one of the best believers in the German ideology,

and one of the greatest opponents to all enemies of the Third Reich.” said Hitler as part of

the eulogy.

The funeral was very solemn. Hitler displayed this solemnity on his face, but on the

inside, he was absolutely livid. Who would dare attack a Nazi?

Hitler soon ordered massive reprisals for this deed. Josef Gabcik and Jan Kubis had

been incorrectly linked to a village near Prague, called Lidice. All men ages 16 to 45 in this

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village were rounded up by the SS, and marched to a nearby forest. Every single one was

shot.

All women and children would also be rounded up and deported to one of Hitler’s

death camps. All would be gassed.

To finish the job, Hitler ordered the town to be dynamited. SS men ran through the

entire village and tossed a grenade into every single structure. Then the town was hit with

a massive barrage of artillery. The town was leveled entirely, and any remaining members

of the populace incinerated.

In memory of Reinhard Heydrich, Hitler renamed one of the Nazis’ major operations

after him, calling it Aktion Reinhard. This operation now goes by a different name, however

– the Holocaust.

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Works Cited

Corera, Gordon. "Licence to Kill: When Governments Choose to Assassinate." BBC.co.uk. British

Broadcasting Company, 16 Mar. 2012. Web. 25 Mar. 2012.

<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17353379>.

Curry, Andrew. "The Heydrich Equation." History Net: Where History Comes Alive. History Net, 4

Aug. 2011. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. <http://www.historynet.com/the-heydrich-equation.htm>.

Gale, Thomson. "Edward Benes Edward Benes." BookRags. BookRags, June 2011. Web. 25 Mar.

2012. <http://www.bookrags.com/biography/edward-benes/>.

Jaggers, R. C. "The Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich." CIA.gov. Central Intelligence Agency, 4

Aug. 2011. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. <https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-

intelligence/kent-csi/vol4no1/html/v04i1a01p_0001.htm>.

Kenety, Brian. "Current Affairs Unearthing 'The Czech Connection' in WW II-era

Buckinghamshire." RadioPrague.cz. Radio Prague, 5 Aug. 2005. Web. 25 Mar. 2012.

<http://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/unearthing-the-czech-connection-in-ww-ii-

era-buckinghamshire>.

Lisciotto, Carmelo. "The Killing of Reinhard

Heydrich." Holocaust.EducationandArchiveResearchTeam.org. Holocaust Education &

Archive Research Team, 2009. Web. 25 Mar. 2012.

<http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/nazioccupation/heydrichkilling.html>.

Taraborelli, Michael. "The Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich." Johnston Senior High School,

Johnston. 17 Mar. 2012. Lecture.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. "Reinhard Heydrich." Holocaust History. United States

Holocaust Memorial Museum, 6 Jan. 2011. Web. 25 Mar. 2012.

<http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007406>.