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Operation ANTHROPOID

Czechoslovak military operation against Reinhard Heydrich

preparation from autumn 1941 · attack 27 May 1942 · consequences in June

ANTHROPOID was a Czechoslovak parachute operation prepared in Britain against a senior figure in the Nazi occupation. Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš landed near Nehvizdy and prepared their attack with extensive domestic assistance. On 27 May 1942 they fatally wounded Reinhard Heydrich. The subsequent Nazi repression struck their helpers and people who had taken no part in the operation.

An occupied country and resistance in exile

Czechoslovak resistance operated at home and abroad. Military intelligence in London prepared parachute missions into occupied territory, where the men depended on local helpers. ANTHROPOID’s task was to attack Reinhard Heydrich, a senior representative of Nazi power.

Heydrich’s arrival in autumn 1941 brought repression against domestic resistance. The attack was prepared in that setting, but interpretations differ on the initial decision and motives. The next section explains that disagreement; the overview returns to later diplomatic consequences at the end.

Why, and against whom?

After Heydrich arrived and repression intensified, Czechoslovak military intelligence began planning an attack on a leading occupation official. Atentát places the idea’s origins among the president’s associates and stresses political and diplomatic aims. In contrast, historian Karel Straka’s VHÚ study describes the initial intelligence decision as retaliation for occupation terror. In his account, Beneš learned of the plan in early October 1941, rejected it because of the risks and effectively halted it. The Second Department nevertheless continued preparations without subsequently fully informing him of the team’s real task. The sources thus do not give a single account of the original decision. Someone other than Heydrich was also initially considered as a target.

Selection, training and landing

The original pair was Gabčík and Karel Svoboda. Kubiš replaced the injured Svoboda, and specialist training continued. On 28 December 1941 they left Tangmere alongside other teams. A navigation error brought them down near Nehvizdy rather than the intended Plzeň area. Initial contacts in Rokycany and Plzeň enabled their journey to Prague.

Support inside the Protectorate

In Prague the pair relied on Sokol resistance members and other households, couriers, doctors and contacts. Helpers provided lodging, food, information and assistance with preparations. ANTHROPOID’s story is therefore more than two parachutists: without this network they could neither hide nor act. Some connected teams had separate tasks—for example, SILVER A maintained contact with London.

The attack in Libeň

On 27 May 1942 they attacked Heydrich’s car at the bend below Vychovatelna. Gabčík’s gun did not fire; Kubiš threw an explosive that detonated beside the car. Heydrich was taken to Bulovka and died on 4 June. The attack fulfilled the operation’s mission; the subsequent destruction of supporting households and violence against villages were Nazi decisions.

Exposure, the church and repression

After Karel Čurda reported to the Gestapo on 16 June, major parts of the domestic support network were exposed. The seven parachutists hiding in the Resslova Street church fought overwhelming German forces on 18 June and died. The Nazis imprisoned and murdered helpers and relatives. Lidice and Ležáky belong to the repression following the attack, not to the operation’s own sites.

Political consequences without a simple equation

Alongside other international developments, the attack and Nazi reprisals helped create a more favourable diplomatic climate for the Czechoslovak government-in-exile. In a letter of 5 August 1942, British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden stated that future Czechoslovak borders would not be influenced by changes made in 1938 or later. Britain did not thereby declare the Munich Agreement void from its signing, nor did the letter alone determine future borders. The attack cannot be presented as the sole cause of ‘reversing Munich’.

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