Defence Minister Naď in Prague: "Czechoslovak paratroopers have left behind a heroic and binding legacy of freedom for our nations"
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- Date: 18.06.2022
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Marking the 80th anniversary of the deaths of the Czechoslovak Army paratroopers in Op Anthropoid, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď and Czech Defence Minister Jana Černochová paused to remember the sacrifice made by the Czechoslovak resistance operatives in a ceremony today in the crypt of Prague's Saints Cyril and Methodius Cathedral.
22 days on after the successful assassination of the acting Reich Protector of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, SS-Senior Group Leader Reinhard Heydrich, it was at this cathedral in Prague on 18 June 1942 that a seven-strong group of Czechoslovak parachutists were fighting a life and death fight against the Nazi Gestapo and Waffen SS troops who had substantial superiority in numbers.
Speaking in recognition of the Czechoslovak resistance fighters on the spot where they died, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “The fighting the paratroopers were engaged in, including holding off the assault in the cathedralʼs crypt, testifies to the tenaciousness of these great warriors who kept fighting to the last. Through their acts of bravery, they have left behind a heroic and binding legacy of freedom for our nations. One cannot fail to see a parallel with the Ukrainian fighters who, too, refuse to succumb to the aggression against freedom.” Among the Czechoslovak paratroopers was Jozef Gabčík of Slovakia who was promoted posthumously to the rank of Major General.
The successful assassination of SS General Reinhard Heydrich closely resonated with the international community. Referencing the covert mission, representatives of the Czechoslovak Government in London pursued their demands in negotiations with the Allies. As a result of this pressure, the United Kingdom proclaimed the Munich Agreement null and void on 5 August 1942, as did the French National Committee on 29 September 1942.
Co-organised by the Slovak National Museum in cooperation with the Institute of Military History Bratislava, the “We Will Never Surrender” Exhibition dedicated to the Czechoslovak resistance heroes of Op Anthropoid is now being hosted at the National Museum in Prague. The exhibition is open to the public until the end of October 2022.
22 days on after the successful assassination of the acting Reich Protector of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, SS-Senior Group Leader Reinhard Heydrich, it was at this cathedral in Prague on 18 June 1942 that a seven-strong group of Czechoslovak parachutists were fighting a life and death fight against the Nazi Gestapo and Waffen SS troops who had substantial superiority in numbers.
Speaking in recognition of the Czechoslovak resistance fighters on the spot where they died, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “The fighting the paratroopers were engaged in, including holding off the assault in the cathedralʼs crypt, testifies to the tenaciousness of these great warriors who kept fighting to the last. Through their acts of bravery, they have left behind a heroic and binding legacy of freedom for our nations. One cannot fail to see a parallel with the Ukrainian fighters who, too, refuse to succumb to the aggression against freedom.” Among the Czechoslovak paratroopers was Jozef Gabčík of Slovakia who was promoted posthumously to the rank of Major General.
The successful assassination of SS General Reinhard Heydrich closely resonated with the international community. Referencing the covert mission, representatives of the Czechoslovak Government in London pursued their demands in negotiations with the Allies. As a result of this pressure, the United Kingdom proclaimed the Munich Agreement null and void on 5 August 1942, as did the French National Committee on 29 September 1942.
Co-organised by the Slovak National Museum in cooperation with the Institute of Military History Bratislava, the “We Will Never Surrender” Exhibition dedicated to the Czechoslovak resistance heroes of Op Anthropoid is now being hosted at the National Museum in Prague. The exhibition is open to the public until the end of October 2022.
