Czech resistance to Nazi occupation during World War II is a scarcely documented subject, by and large a result of little formal resistance and an effective German policy that deterred acts of resistance or annihilated organizations of resistance. In the early days of the war, the Czech population participated in boycotts of public transportation and there were sporadic calls for mass protest demonstrations. The Munich Agreement and the first Vienna Award After the Austrian Anschluss, Czechoslovakia was to become Hitlers next target. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Look up Boycott in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Historical analysis

See also: German occupation of Czechoslovakia

Historian Radomír V. Luža divides Czech resistance into two distinct phases. During the first phase, which lasted until 1942, the resistance movement focused its attention on creating reliable intelligence services and networks, engaging in small-scale acts and creating an underground press to disseminate information. After the liquidation of this resistance movement, a second phase sprung up in late 1944 as a wave of popular uprisings spread across Central and Eastern Europe. This phase was more widespread in nature, inspired by the advance of the Allied armies from both West and East. The Munich Agreement and the first Vienna Award After the Austrian Anschluss, Czechoslovakia was to become Hitlers next target. ... Central Europe The Alpine Countries and the Visegrád Group (Political map, 2004) Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. ... Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium orange),members of the Warsaw pact (light orange), and other former Communist regimes not aligned with Moscow (lightest orange). ...

According to Czech historian Vojtěch Mastný, the Germans required few armed forces in Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (as the occupied Czech lands were called) because “the people’s behavior never justified any substantial increase in armed personnel.” The central thesis of his analysis in The Czechs Under Nazi Rule: The Failure of National Resistance is that “the Czechs failed to challenge the Nazi authorities with an effective resistance. By 1942, the resistance movement was destroyed, never to play a significant role until the end of the war”. Capital Prague Language(s) Czech, German Political structure Protectorate Reichsprotektor  - 1939-1941 Konstantin von Neurath  - 1941-1942 Reinhard Heydrich (acting)  - 1942-1943 Kurt Daluege (acting)  - 1943-1945 Wilhelm Frick Staatspräsident  - 1939-1945 Emil Hácha Historical era World War II  - Occupation March 15, 1939  - Fall of Prague May 13...

Consolidation of resistance groups: ÚVOD

The resistance network that existed during the early years of the war was under the leadership of Czechoslovak president Edvard Beneš, who together with František Moravec (head of Czechoslovak military intelligence) coordinated resistance activity while in exile in London. In the context of German persecution, the major resistance groups consolidated its ranks under the Central Leadership of Home Resistance, or ÚVOD. It served as the principle clandestine intermediary between Beneš and the Protectorate, which was in existence through 1941. Its long-term purpose was to serve as a shadow government until Czechoslovakia’s liberation from Nazi rule. Edvard BeneÅ¡ with wife 1921, autochrome portrait by Josef JindÅ™ich Å echtl Edvard BeneÅ¡ with his wife 1934 Edvard Benes meeting with Munkacs Wonder-Rabbi Chaim Elazar Spira Statue of Edvard BeneÅ¡ in front of headquarters of Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Prague Edvard BeneÅ¡ (IPA: ) (May 28, 1884... FrantiÅ¡ek Moravec (July 23, 1895, Čáslav – July 26, 1966, Washington, D.C.) was Czechoslovak military intelligence officer before and during World War II. In 1915 Moravec was drafted into Austro-Hungarian Army and sent to the Eastern Front, into Galicia. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

The three major resistance groups that consolidated under ÚVOD were the Political Center (Politické ústředí, PÚ), the Committee of the Petition “We Remain Faithful” (PVVZ), and the Nation’s Defense (Obrana národa, ON). These groups were all democratic in nature, as opposed to the fourth official resistance group, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ). Most of their members were former officers of disbanded Czechoslovakian army. In 1941, ÚVOD endorsed the political platform designed by the leftist group PVVZ, titled “For Freedom: Into a New Czechoslovak Republic”. In it, ÚVOD professed allegiance to the democratic ideals of past-Czechoslovak president Tomáš Masaryk, called for the establishment of a republic with socialist features, and urged all those in exile to stay in step with the socialist advances at home. For other uses, see Democracy (disambiguation). ... The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, in Czech and in Slovak: Komunistická strana ÄŒeskoslovenska (KSÄŒ) was a political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992. ... Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, portrait by Josef JindÅ™ich Å echtl, 1918 Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (IPA: ), sometimes called Thomas Masaryk in English, (March 7, 1850 - September 14, 1937) was an advocate of Czechoslovak independence during WW I and became the first President of Czechoslovakia. ... Look up republic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Socialism is a broad array of ideologies and political movements with the goal of a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to control by the community for the purposes of increasing social and economic equality and cooperation. ... Exile (band) may refer to: Exile - The American country music band Exile - The Japanese pop music band Category: ...

In addition to serving as the means of communication between London and Prague, the ÚVOD was also responsible for the transmission of intelligence and military reports. It did so primarily through the use of a secret radio station, which could reach the Czech population. However, the ÚVOD was known to transmit inaccurate reports, whether false intelligence data or military updates. Sometimes this was intentional. Beneš often urged the ÚVOD to relay falsely optimistic reports of the military situation to improve morale or motivate more widespread resistance. For other uses, see Prague (disambiguation). ...

While the ÚVOD served a principle aid to Beneš, it did sometimes depart from his policies. During the summer of 1941, the ÚVOD rejected Beneš’ proposals for partial expulsion of the Sudeten Germans after the conclusion of the war and instead demanded their complete expulsion. The ÚVOD succeeded in changing Beneš’ official stance on this issue. the german inhabitants of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. ...

ÚVOD and the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ)

The ÚVOD’s relationship with the KSČ was an important aspect of its daily functions, as Soviet-Czech relations became a central part of their resistance efforts. The German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 marked a turning point in Soviet-Czech relations. Before the invasion, “the main Communist objective was to stop the imperialist war” and was often sympathetic to the German workers of the Reich. After the invasion, the Resistance began to rely on communist support both within Czechoslovakia and from Moscow. In a broadcast from London on 24 June 1941 via the ÚVOD, Beneš informed his country that “the relationship between our two States thus returned to the pre-Munich situation and the old friendship.” CCCP redirects here. ... Combatants Germany Romania Finland Italy Hungary Slovakia  Soviet Union Commanders Adolf Hitler Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb Fedor von Bock Gerd von Rundstedt Heinz Guderian Günther von Kluge Franz Halder Ion Antonescu C.G.E. Mannerheim Giovanni Messe, CSIR Italo Garibaldi, ARMIR Iosef Stalin Kliment Voroshilov Semyon Timoshenko Fyodor Kuznetsov... is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ...

While the KSČ was not an official part of the ÚVOD and kept its organizational independence, it called for unity of action with all anti-Fascist groups. Leaders of the KSČ ingratiated themselves with the ÚVOD by helping to maintain Soviet-Czech relations. Beneš often used these KSČ leaders to arrange meetings in Moscow to expand the Soviet-Czech partnership. There is some evidence that the ÚVOD may have warned the Russians to the German invasion in April of 1941. In March 1941, Beneš received intelligence regarding a German build-up of troops on the Soviet Union border. According to his memoirs, he immediately passed on that information to the Americans, British, and Soviet Union. The KSČ’s fate was also closely linked with the ÚVOD’s. It too suffered annihilation after the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, unable to rebound until 1944.

The Czech resistance and the Heydrich assassination

Main article: Operation Anthropoid

The famous act of Czech resistance, the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich on 27 May 1942 by the Slovak soldiers Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík, was also the end of Czech resistance and the ÚVOD. In many ways, the ÚVOD’s demise was forecasted with Heydrich’s appointment as the Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia in the fall of 1941. By the end of September, Heydrich organized the arrest of nearly all members of the ÚVOD and successfully cut off all links between the ÚVOD and London. Reinhard Heydrich, the target of Operation Anthropoid. ... Assassin and Assassins redirect here. ... Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich (7 March 1904 – 4 June 1942) was an SS-Obergruppenführer, chief of the Reich Security Main Office (including the Gestapo, SD and Kripo Nazi police agencies) and Reichsprotektor (Reich Protector) of Bohemia and Moravia. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Protector is historical title with multiple meanings; this article also includes a few litteral equivalents thus rendered // Political & Administrative Heads of State in Europe in Iceland: one Sovereign was styled Beskytter af hele e Island (Protector of Land of Iceland) 25 Jun - 22 Aug 1809 (an intermezzo between Danish Governors... Capital Prague Language(s) Czech, German Political structure Protectorate Reichsprotektor  - 1939-1941 Konstantin von Neurath  - 1941-1942 Reinhard Heydrich (acting)  - 1942-1943 Kurt Daluege (acting)  - 1943-1945 Wilhelm Frick Staatspräsident  - 1939-1945 Emil Hácha Historical era World War II  - Occupation March 15, 1939  - Fall of Prague May 13...

The Nazi reaction to the Heydrich assassination is often credited with the annihilation of an effective Czech underground movement after 1942. The Nazis exacted a horrific revenge, razing the two villages of Lidice and Ležáky to the ground. In October 1942, 1,331 people were sentenced to death by Nazi courts in the Protectorate, one thousand Jews were sent directly from Prague to Mauthausen concentration camp, and an additional 252 people were sent to Mauthausen concentration camp for involvement with the assassination plot. Finally, in the wake of the Nazi revenge, the last remaining members of the ÚVOD were arrested. Lidice (Liditz in German) is a village in former Czechoslovakia (now in the Czech Republic) which was completely destroyed by the Germans during World War II. About 340 men, women, and children from the village were murdered by the Germans. ... Lidice (Liditz in German) is a village in Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic) which was completely eradicated by the Nazis during World War II. // History The village is first mentioned in writing in 1318. ...

R.J. Crampton writes that after the Heydrich assassination, “there was no further conspicuous act of resistance and per capita troop deployment in the Protectorate was little different from that in Germany itself” afterwards. Mastný similarly comments that, “the living memory of the Heydrichiáda, as the people dubbed the awesome weeks following the tyrant’s death, was a powerful deterrent to a revival of active opposition. By his death, Heydrich fulfilled his primary ambition—the pacification of the Protectorate”.

See also

• Josef Mašín, member of the early resistance movement.
• Jan Opletal, student shot during anti-Nazi demonstration.
• Alois Eliáš, protectorate prime minister, executed.
• Josef František, flying ace fighting in Poland, France and Britain.
• František Moravec, head of Czechoslovak military intelligence (1937-1945).
• Prague Uprising (1945)
• Slovak National Uprising
• Austrian resistance
• French Resistance
• Polish resistance movement in World War II

Mašín (pronunciation similar to English machine, but stressed on first syllable) is a Czech family name, most often associated with Josef Mašín and his sons, Ctirad Mašín and Josef Mašín. ... Jan Opletal (January 1, 1915–November 11, 1939) was a student of the Medical Faculty of the Charles University in Prague, who was killed in an anti-Nazi demonstration during the German occupation. ... Alois Eliáš (September 29, 1890 – June 19, 1942) was Czechoslovakian general and politician. ... Josef FrantiÅ¡ek Sergeant Josef FrantiÅ¡ek, (October 7, 1914 - October 8, 1940) was a Czech fighter pilot, a flying ace of the Polish Air Force of the World War II. Josef FrantiÅ¡ek joined the Czechoslovak airforce in 1936. ... FrantiÅ¡ek Moravec (July 23, 1895, Čáslav – July 26, 1966, Washington, D.C.) was Czechoslovak military intelligence officer before and during World War II. In 1915 Moravec was drafted into Austro-Hungarian Army and sent to the Eastern Front, into Galicia. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Combatants Nazi Germany Slovakia Commanders Heinrich Himmler Ferdinand ÄŒatloÅ¡ Ján Golian† Rudolf Viest† Strength 40,000, later increased to 83,000 18,000 initially, later increased to 78,000 Casualties ≈10,000 ≈10,000 + 5,304 captured and executed Memorial of the Slovak National Uprising in Banska Bystrica The... The Austrian resistance to the Nazi rule that started with the Anschluss in 1938 started with socialist and communist activism against the era of Austrofascism from 1934. ... The Croix de Lorraine, the symbol of the resistance chosen by de Gaulle French Resistance is the name used for resistance movements during World War II which fought the Nazi German occupation of France and the collaborationist Vichy regime. ... German supply train blown up by the Armia Krajowa during World War II. Polish resistance movement was a resistance movement in Poland, part of the anti-fascist resistance movement which fought against the occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany during World War II. Resistance to the Nazi German occupation began...

Bibliography

• Beneš, Eduard. Memoirs of Dr. Eduard Benes: From Munich to New War and New Victory. Trans. By Godfrey Lias. Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1954.
• Crampton, R.J. Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century—and After. London and New York: Routledge, 1997. ISBN 0-415-16423-0
• Luza, Radomír. “SlThe Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Resistance, 1939-1945” Slavic Review, Vol. 28, No. 4, December, 1969.
• Lůza, Radomir. “The Czechs Under Nazi Rule: The Failure of National Resistance, 1939-1942.” Slavic Review, Vol. 34, No. 3, September, 1975.
• Vojtěch Mastný, The Czechs Under Nazi Rule: The Failure of National Resistance, 1939-1942. New York: Columbia University Press, 1971. ISBN 0-231-03303-6
• W.V. Wallace, “The Czechs Under Nazi Rule: The Failure of National Resistance, 1939-1942.” The English Historical Review, Vol. 88, No. 348. , July, 1973.