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The Heydrich Terror

Nazi terror in the Protectorate associated with Heydrich’s rule and death

first martial law 1941–1942 · second 27 May–3 July 1942

The Czech term heydrichiáda describes waves of Nazi terror associated with Reinhard Heydrich in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. The first period of martial law followed his arrival in autumn 1941; the second began immediately after the attack on 27 May 1942. Executions, arrests, the destruction of Lidice and Ležáky and later murders of parachutists’ helpers were acts of the occupying authorities. Their victims extended far beyond ANTHROPOID itself.

The first wave after Heydrich’s arrival

Heydrich became Acting Reich Protector in late September 1941. Martial law lasted from 28 September 1941 to 20 January 1942. Arrests and executions sought to break resistance and secure war production. This first wave preceded the May attack.

Renewed martial law and the hunt

After Heydrich was wounded on 27 May 1942, the Nazis imposed martial law again, until 3 July. Executions and arrests of real and alleged opponents accompanied a vast search. After Čurda’s testimony, the Gestapo penetrated part of the parachutists’ support network, arrested many helpers in June and assaulted the Resslova Street church on 18 June.

Lidice and Ležáky: different causes, shared terror

Lidice was destroyed on 10 June after a false lead connecting village-born men in the British air force with the attack. The Nazis burned Ležáky on 24 June because of its connection to SILVER A’s Libuše radio. Both belong to the Heydrich Terror, but their links to the parachute teams were different.

Helpers, imprisonment and later killings

Terror did not end when martial law formally ceased. Helpers, relatives and church representatives faced further trials, imprisonment and executions. Part of the support network was murdered in Mauthausen in October 1942. Orthodox Church members connected with the refuge were tried and executed in September. These were consequences of repression, not further stages of the attack.

Naming and remembrance

In ordinary Czech usage, heydrichiáda can refer particularly to the period after the attack. For clarity, it helps to distinguish the first wave after Heydrich’s arrival from renewed martial law after his wounding. No single period or site encompasses all the violence. Individual place stories explain specific locations; this profile connects and distinguishes them.

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