We didn’t have anything scheduled until 2:30 this afternoon so after breakfast we grabbed Billie and Steve, hopped a tram, and headed downtown. Steve visited a pipe shop (he’s a collector) and we wandered the streets showing them some of the great stuff we’ve found this week. Yes, Cheryl and Billie got ginger bread cookies, we had lunch at a little hole-in-the-wall cafe, and we stopped for gelato. We saw the clock strike noon and marveled at the size of Wenceslaus square. It was a great morning.

We got back in time to rest a bit before joining our “Operation Anthropoid” tour. For those who haven’t seen the movie of the same name this was the operation to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich – the high-ranking Nazi who was the principal architect of the Holocaust.

The assassination was carried out by two two Czech resistance fighters (trained in Britain) in May 1942 in Prague (where Heydrich was acting governor of the “protectorate”).

Our guide set the whole event in its historical context starting in 1918 when the Czechoslovakian state was created.

The history is important because the Nazi’s needed the very successful Czech industrial base that was present following the war.

So in 1938 Hitler met with the leaders of Britain, France and Italy and created an agreement that they would not stand in the way of Germany’s claim to certain Czech territories. This was followed by a meeting with the Czech president where Hitler forced him to invite the German army to enter the country and ‘protect’ the Czech people.

Our guide went into great detail about how brutal life was under Nazi “protection.” Here is an actual ‘work book’ – since everyone had a job, your identification was the book that showed what your job was.

During this same time Jews and dissidents were being hauled off to death camps.

With the arrival of the German army the Czech army was ‘no longer needed’ so they were disbanded. Some stayed behind to for a resistance movement. Others relocated to England where they joined the war effort, fighting in several campaigns and supporting local resistance operations.

One of those operations was Anthropoid. In May 1942 two men: Josef Galbcik and Jan Kubis parachuted into the area and began planning their mission. On the morning of May 27 they attacked Heydrich as he was being driven to work. Plan A was to shoot him – but the gun jammed. Plan B was to throw a bomb into the car – but the throw was short and the bomb exploded outside the car. Both assassins escaped and Heydrich was taken to the hospital where he died of his injuries (there are several conspiracy theories but the public reason is sepsis from shrapnel wounds).

Nazi reaction was swift and severe and thru information provided by another Czech resistance fighter who became an informant it was determined that the two assassins along with 5 other resistance fighters had taken shelter in the church of Saints Cyril and Methodius. On October 25 1942 750 SS soldiers surrounded the church. In the ensuing battle all 7 took their own lives rather than be captured.

There is much more to the story but this is the basic outline. It was an exciting and moving story and we were glad to have the opportunity to learn about it within its physical and historical context.

We got back to the hotel late, but not too late, to get our ‘going home covid test’ – required for entry into the US. We’re both negative and have certificates to prove it.

Then it was dinner and back to the room to pack. Breakfast tomorrow at 7:15, on the way to the airport at 8:30 and (with a bit of luck) home sometime around midnight.

Wish us luck.

Thanks for joining us on this ride,

R