Břetislav Lyčka

physician · Sokol resistance member and ANTHROPOID helper

24 May 1903–21 July 1942

Karlín doctor Břetislav Lyčka combined professional medical assistance with Sokol resistance work. His home and surgery hosted ANTHROPOID discussions. After the attack, he treated the wounded Jan Kubiš at another supporter’s Vysočany apartment. When the Gestapo tracked him to a refuge in Ouběnice, he took his own life.

A doctor in the JINDRA network

Lyčka belonged to the Sokol resistance organization JINDRA. The medical account places some meetings at his home and surgery, Sokolovská 41/7. Atentát also identifies him as a source of important contacts for the parachutists.

Treating Kubiš

Jan Kubiš suffered an eye injury during the attack on Heydrich. From the Novák apartment he went to the Piskáčeks in Vysočany. Through Antonín Oktábec, Jaroslav Piskáček asked Lyčka to visit. The doctor treated Kubiš there that evening.

As a reviewing physician, Lyčka also helped certify cover sick leave for the parachutists. Medical assistance thus included both emergency treatment and longer-term concealment of their presence.

Flight

In July he hid with carpenter Ludvík Vaněk in Ouběnice. The Gestapo surrounded the house on 21 July; Lyčka and teacher František Kotrba took their own lives there.

Explore further

• Lyčka’s home and surgery

  home and surgery used for meetings

• The bend below Vychovatelna

  medical help for Kubiš after the attack

• The Piskáček home

  treatment of Kubiš