Prague.

The city of spires, cobblestone lanes, beer halls, fairy-tale castles… and one of my favourite cities in Europe! 🙂

For most travelers, Prague it’s a dream destination for architecture (Charles Bridge glowing at sunset, Old Town Square alive with its medieval clock) for culture (a strong boheme influence), food (ever tried a Trdelnik? 😉 ), and for fun (incredibly tasty and cheap beer, and a entertainment of all kinds!). 

What most tourists don’t know though, is that beneath the postcard charm lies another Prague, one that whispers stories of courage, betrayal, and sacrifice.

Indeed, Prague is a city that, not too long ago, lived under one of the darkest shadows in human history: the Nazi occupation of World War II.

Today, we take a step off the beaten tourist path and dive into a story that most visitors don’t know — the incredible true tale of “Operation Anthropoid”, the daring mission to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, Hitler’s ruthless “Butcher of Prague.”

This was no ordinary act of defiance; it was the only successful assassination of a top Nazi leader during the war, carried out by Czechoslovak paratroopers who risked everything for their homeland.

Walking through Prague today, you can literally follow in their footsteps — from the quiet curve of a road where an ambush changed history, to the crypt of a church where the last stand of the resistance still echoes in stone.

With specialized WW2 Tours Prague, this chapter of history becomes more than just names in a textbook — it becomes a living, breathing journey into courage and tragedy.

Let’s dive right in! 🙂

1. When it all started:

in 1939 Prague fell Under Occupation

In March 1939, Nazi Germany rolled into Prague.

Czechoslovakia ceased to exist as an independent state, replaced by the so-called “Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.”

From day one, life changed drastically.

Adolf Hitler appointed one of his most trusted — and most feared — men to run the territory: Reinhard Heydrich.

To many, he was the cold mastermind behind the Gestapo, a key architect of the Final Solution. In Prague, he quickly earned a new nickname: “The Butcher of Prague.”

Heydrich wasted no time.

He rounded up resistance members, silenced political opponents, and sent thousands of Jews and dissidents to concentration camps.

Fear ruled the city.

Public executions and random arrests reminded everyone that the occupiers’ grip was absolute.

And yet, beneath the silence, resistance still smoldered.

Underground movements like the “Sokol network” passed information, helped fugitives, and dreamed of striking back.

By late 1941, far away in London, the Czechoslovak government-in-exile and its British allies began to consider an audacious plan: removing Heydrich himself.

2. Two young men to carry out the plan:

1941 – Operation Anthropoid

In Britain, Czechoslovak soldiers who had escaped occupation trained with the Special Operations Executive (SOE) — Churchill’s “secret army.”

Among them were two young men who would soon become legends: Jozef Gabčík, a Slovak sergeant, and Jan Kubiš, a Czech corporal.

Their orders, given in London: assassinate Heydrich in Prague.

The mission was codenamed “Operation Anthropoid”.

On a cold night in December 1941, a Halifax bomber flew over occupied Czechoslovakia.

Gabčík and Kubiš parachuted into their homeland along with other teams (Silver A, Silver B).

Alone in enemy territory, they relied on brave local families for shelter.

Imagine the risk: harboring a paratrooper meant execution — often for the entire household.

For months, the two men studied Heydrich’s movements.

They eventually chose a sharp bend in the road at Kobylisy, not far from today’s Bulovka Hospital.

It was the perfect ambush spot — cars had to slow down, leaving Heydrich vulnerable.

Today, in Prague you can join a 4hrs tour – off the beaten tracks through Prague 8 – that will walk and drive you past all the hidden corners that tourists rarely see until the final point – The Crypt were the paratroupers made their last stand!

3. The Assassination Attempt – 27 May 1942

The morning was bright, clear — Tuesday, 27 May 1942.

Heydrich’s open-top Mercedes, driven without escort (his arrogance was notorious), approached the bend.

Gabčík stepped forward with his Sten gun — and the weapon jammed.

In that frozen heartbeat, everything could have failed.

But Kubiš reacted instantly, hurling a modified anti-tank grenade.

The explosion ripped into the car, sending shrapnel tearing through Heydrich’s body.

The Nazi leader staggered from the wreck, defiant to the end.

But his injuries were fatal. A week later, on 4 June 1942, Reinhard Heydrich was dead.

It was a shockwave across Europe.

Never before had a top Nazi official been assassinated in occupied territory.

The courage of two men had shaken the Third Reich.

But their victory came at a devastating cost…

4. The Nazi get their Revenge

against the villages of Lidice and Ležáky

The Nazis responded with unimaginable fury.

Determined to crush resistance, they chose to make an example.

On 10 June 1942, soldiers surrounded the quiet village of Lidice, northwest of Prague.

All 173 men were executed on the spot.

Women were deported to Ravensbrück concentration camp.

The 82 children were separated; most were murdered, many gassed at Chełmno in Poland.

The village itself was burned to the ground, bulldozed until not a trace remained.

Another community, Ležáky, met the same fate.

Entire villages erased from the map.

The goal was clear: terrify the population into submission.

But the opposite happened…

Lidice became a global symbol of Nazi barbarism.

Across the world, towns renamed streets in honor of Lidice.

The massacre galvanized international support for the Czechoslovak resistance!

Discover the history of this places by choosing between a Tour of Lidice (a truly touching experience!), a combination of Lidice + Prague Anthropoid Tour (a 7-hours jump in history!), or a special visit to Pardubice + Lezaky following the route of the Silver A group 🙂 )

5. The Last Stand – 

A fight until the end on 18 June 1942

With the resistance growing, the Gestapo’s manhunt intensified.

Through betrayal, they discovered that Gabčík, Kubiš, and their comrades were hiding in the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Prague’s New Town.

At dawn on 18 June 1942, hundreds of German soldiers surrounded the church.

The battle raged for hours.

Kubiš, wounded from the assassination, succumbed to his injuries.

Gabčík and the others fought relentlessly in the crypt beneath the church, holding out against grenades, bullets, even flooding attempts.

They never surrendered.

When the smoke cleared, all seven paratroopers were dead.

Today, that crypt is preserved as the National Memorial of Heroes of the Heydrich Terror.

Standing there, in the dim stone chamber, you feel the weight of silence — as if the walls themselves remember.

6.  Walking the Resistance Route Today

Prague today is more than beer halls and castles: it’s a layer of epochs stacked one over the other and one of the culturally richest cities in Europe!

By joining an Operation Anthropoid Tour, you can piece together the WWII story right where it happened:

• The Memorial Crypt – Saints Cyril and Methodius Church, where the paratroopers made their last stand.

• The Assassination Site – A modest monument in Libeň marking the curve where Heydrich’s car was attacked.

• Lidice Memorial – The ruins and museum of the destroyed village.

• Terezín (Theresienstadt) – A ghetto and concentration camp where tens of thousands suffered.

Walking these sites is like time-traveling!

You don’t just “see” history — you stand in it!

7. Terezín Concentration Camp

8. Why It Matters Today

Why you should be interested in this story today you might wonder?

Well, we can tell you: because Operation Anthropoid isn’t just Czech or Slovak history!

It’s a universal story of resistance against tyranny!

Gabčík, Kubiš, and their comrades were ordinary men with extraordinary courage.

They stood against one of the most terrifying regimes in history, knowing they likely would not survive.

For today’s generations, their story is a reminder: freedom is never free.

It is protected, often quietly, by acts of bravery and sacrifice.

When you walk the streets of Prague with this story in mind, the city changes.

It’s no longer just pretty architecture — it’s a place where people once chose to resist, no matter the cost! 🙂

Conclusion

And here we come at the end of this article!

Prague will seduce you with its bridges, its beer, and its fairy-tale skyline — but if you take a step off the main square, you’ll find a story that hits deeper than any castle view!

Operation Anthropoid is not just history, it’s humanity laid bare: courage, fear, betrayal, and sacrifice.

It’s the reminder that freedom always has a price, and that sometimes, the smallest group of determined people can shift the course of history!

When you stand in the quiet crypt of Saints Cyril and Methodius, or on the grass where Lidice once stood, you realize this isn’t just about WWII….

It’s about choices we still face today (sadly!), when to stay silent, and when to resist.

EXPERIENCE IT WITH OPERATION ANTHROPOID TOURS

If you’d like to take a tour, we can definitely recommend to experience it with Operation Anthropoid Tours and their super-passioned guide Martina (in the photo above 😉 ), which offer specialized itineraries (half/full day tours) and an exciting storytelling that truly brings history alive! 🙂  

Before going, I would like to ask you:

What are your thoughts about this troubled history?

Have you been in Prague before and would you like to share your experience with fellow travelers?

Let us know in the comments below, we always love to have some good chit-chat! 🙂

Hereafter I will leave you a few articles that you might be also interested in checking out:

• 15 Interesting Facts about Rome you didn’t Know!
• Travel Italy: Discover the most Beautiful Destinations in Italy and How to Visit them!

Thank you for reading,

And see you in the next article!