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Was the mastermind of The Great Escape also linked to the death of Heydrich?
Daily Mail UK ^
| 08/10/2013
| Daily Mail Reporter
Posted on 08/10/2013 12:51:01 PM PDT by DFG
He was the mastermind of the mass prison break from a German camp which inspired the iconic film The Great Escape.
But a new book has now suggested Spitfire pilot Roger Bushell could also have been linked to the assassination of notorious Nazi officer Reinhard Heydrich, known as 'Hitler's Hangman' and the acting Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia.
Simon Pearson's The Great Escaper places Bushell in Prague at the time Heydrich's car was bombed by Czechoslovakian Jan Kubi, and Slovak Jozef Gabčík, which led to the Nazi officer's death a number of days later.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
TOPICS: Germany; News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: bohemia; bushell; czechoslovakia; germany; greatescape; heydrich; jankubis; jozefgabcik; moravia; reinhardheydrich; rogerbushell; slovak; stalag; thegreatescape; thegreatescaper; unitedkingdom; worldwareleven; worldwartwo; wwii
Original Title: Was the mastermind of The Great Escape also linked to the death of 'Hitler's Hangman'? Research reveals hero could have helped assassinate top Nazi officer
1
posted on
08/10/2013 12:51:01 PM PDT
by
DFG
To: DFG
IIRC, Heydrich’s killing was a Czech resistance endeavor.
I remember some side story where the same resistance helped downed pilots, but that’s about it as far as I can remember.
2
posted on
08/10/2013 12:54:34 PM PDT
by
Gaffer
To: DFG
Thanks for this post. Think I’ll dust off the ol’ Great Escape DVD and watch it tonight.
3
posted on
08/10/2013 1:07:02 PM PDT
by
mkleesma
(`Call to me, and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.')
To: DFG
To: Gaffer
Doesn’t sound like there is much evidence other than the coincidence of his having been in Czecho at the same time.
To: colorado tanker
As I recall in the movie of it, the two resistance fighters ended up making a stand in a church nearby. The Brit flier in the movie, at least, was gone by then.
6
posted on
08/10/2013 1:34:00 PM PDT
by
Gaffer
To: Gaffer
I believe the Czech surrendered himself with the hopes that retailiaton would be minimal. It didn’t work out that way the Nazis wiped out the town where he came from along with him.
7
posted on
08/10/2013 3:03:39 PM PDT
by
mosesdapoet
(Serious contribution pause.Please continue onto meaningless venting no one reads.)
To: mkleesma
8
posted on
08/10/2013 3:12:48 PM PDT
by
Bratch
To: DFG
Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubi were airlifted along with seven soldiers from Czechoslovakias army-in-exile in the United Kingdom and two other groups named Silver A and Silver B (who had different missions) by a Royal Air Force Halifax of No. 138 Squadron into Czechoslovakia at 10 pm on 28 December 1941. Gabčík and Kubi landed near Nehvizdy east of Prague; although the plan was to land near Pilsen, the pilots had problems with orientation.[9] The soldiers then moved to Pilsen to contact their allies, and from there on to Prague, where the attack was planned. In Prague, they contacted several families and anti-Nazi organisations who helped them during the preparations for the targeted kill.[10] Gabčík and Kubi initially planned to kill Heydrich on a train, but after examination of the logistics, they realised that this was not possible. The second plan was to kill him on the road in the forest on the way from Heydrichs seat to Prague. They planned to pull a cable across the road that would stop Heydrichs car but, after waiting several hours, their commander, Lt. Adolf Opálka (from the group Out Distance), came to bring them back to Prague. The third plan was to kill Heydrich in Prague. The attack in Prague The Mercedes 320 Convertible B car in which Heydrich was mortally wounded, showing the tank grenade damage. Another of Heydrich's Mercedes 320 Convertible B cars, similar to the one in which he was mortally wounded (currently in the Military History Museum in Prague) On 27 May 1942, at 10:30, Heydrich proceeded on his daily commute from his home in Panenské Břeany to Prague Castle. Gabčík and Kubi waited at the tram stop at a tight curve near Bulovka Hospital in Prague 8-Libeň. The spot was chosen because the curve would force the car to slow down. Valčik was positioned about 100 metres north of Gabčík and Kubi as lookout for the approaching car. As Heydrichs open-topped Mercedes 320 Convertible B reached the curve two minutes later, Gabčík stepped in front of the vehicle and tried to open fire, but his Sten submachine gun jammed. Heydrich ordered his driver, SS-Oberscharführer Klein, to stop the car. When Heydrich stood up to try to shoot Gabčík with his Luger pistol, Kubi threw a modified anti-tank grenade[11] (concealed in a briefcase) at the vehicle and its fragments ripped through the cars right rear bumper, embedding shrapnel and fibres from the upholstery in Heydrichs body, even though the grenade failed to enter the car. Kubi was also injured by the shrapnel.[12] Following the explosion, Gabčík and Kubi fired at Heydrich with their handguns but, shocked by the explosion as well, failed to hit him.[13] Heydrich, apparently unaware of his shrapnel injuries, staggered out of the car, returned fire and tried to chase Gabčík but soon collapsed. Klein returned from his abortive attempt to chase Kubi, who fled the scene by bicycle. Now bleeding profusely, Heydrich ordered Klein to chase Gabčík on foot.[14] Klein chased him into a butcher shop, where Gabčík shot him twice with his revolver, severely wounding him in the leg, and then escaped to a local safe house via tram.[15][16] Gabčík and Kubi were initially convinced that the attack had failed.
To: Yollopoliuhqui
Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubi were airlifted along with seven soldiers from Czechoslovakias army-in-exile in the United Kingdom and two other groups named Silver A and Silver B (who had different missions) by a Royal Air Force Halifax of No. 138 Squadron into Czechoslovakia at 10 pm on 28 December 1941. Gabčík and Kubi landed near Nehvizdy east of Prague; although the plan was to land near Pilsen, the pilots had problems with orientation.
[9] The soldiers then moved to Pilsen to contact their allies, and from there on to Prague, where the attack was planned. In Prague, they contacted several families and anti-Nazi organisations who helped them during the preparations for the targeted kill.[10] Gabčík and Kubi initially planned to kill Heydrich on a train, but after examination of the logistics, they realised that this was not possible.
The second plan was to kill him on the road in the forest on the way from Heydrichs seat to Prague. They planned to pull a cable across the road that would stop Heydrichs car but, after waiting several hours, their commander, Lt. Adolf Opálka (from the group Out Distance), came to bring them back to Prague. The third plan was to kill Heydrich in Prague.
The attack in Prague The Mercedes 320 Convertible B car in which Heydrich was mortally wounded, showing the tank grenade damage. Another of Heydrich's Mercedes 320 Convertible B cars, similar to the one in which he was mortally wounded (currently in the Military History Museum in Prague) On 27 May 1942, at 10:30, Heydrich proceeded on his daily commute from his home in Panenské Břeany to Prague Castle.
Gabčík and Kubi waited at the tram stop at a tight curve near Bulovka Hospital in Prague 8-Libeň. The spot was chosen because the curve would force the car to slow down. Valčik was positioned about 100 metres north of Gabčík and Kubi as lookout for the approaching car. As Heydrichs open-topped Mercedes 320 Convertible B reached the curve two minutes later, Gabčík stepped in front of the vehicle and tried to open fire, but his Sten submachine gun jammed.
Heydrich ordered his driver, SS-Oberscharführer Klein, to stop the car. When Heydrich stood up to try to shoot Gabčík with his Luger pistol, Kubi threw a modified anti-tank grenade[11] (concealed in a briefcase) at the vehicle and its fragments ripped through the cars right rear bumper, embedding shrapnel and fibres from the upholstery in Heydrichs body, even though the grenade failed to enter the car.
Kubi was also injured by the shrapnel.[12] Following the explosion, Gabčík and Kubi fired at Heydrich with their handguns but, shocked by the explosion as well, failed to hit him.[13] Heydrich, apparently unaware of his shrapnel injuries, staggered out of the car, returned fire and tried to chase Gabčík but soon collapsed.
Klein returned from his abortive attempt to chase Kubi, who fled the scene by bicycle. Now bleeding profusely, Heydrich ordered Klein to chase Gabčík on foot.[14] Klein chased him into a butcher shop, where Gabčík shot him twice with his revolver, severely wounding him in the leg, and then escaped to a local safe house via tram.[15][16] Gabčík and Kubi were initially convinced that the attack had failed.
10
posted on
08/10/2013 8:12:48 PM PDT
by
calex59
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