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Operation Anthropoid: Killing the Butcher of Prague

Thanks for the very thorough article on Reinhard Heydrich. I would like to remind Dr. Dabbs that the Wehrmacht was the name of the Armed Forces of Germany during WWII, including the Heer (Army), Kriegsmarine (Navy) and the Luftwaffe (Air Force). The Wehrmacht was not a fighting unit.
 
I of course have no problem with the shooters assassinating Heydrich but they hid among the population afterwards and when the Germans began killing the population, they didnt come forward. Their continuing to hide resulted in over 500 (maybe as many as 5000) innocent civilians being killed in reprisal as well as the city being destroyed.

Yes the reprisal is on the SS but how many lives could they have saved by standing up and saying "I DID IT" ? Its pretty clear that Hitler knew how important Czechoslovakia's support was to the German war effort and probably wouldnt have lashed out if they shooters had stepped forward.

Theres also an argument that the assassins used poison in the hand grenade, that they used to blow up Heydrich's car. Again, Im not saying the attack was wrong only the use of botulism seems well extreme for folks wanting to claim they are on the side of the angels
 
Seem to recall that savvy Sten users downloaded the magazines by a couple cartridges, reducing the resistance of the initial rounds from a magazine. The same thinking made its way to Viet Nam, where the troops were to download their magazines. Not sure that was a real issue in the double column/double feed AR magazines.
Really enjoy Dr. Dabbs writing. It was interesting that one of the assassins was armed with an '03 Colt.
 
As it's been pointed out, the Stens were prone to malfunctions. You always need to function check your gear before an op just for that reason. I realize that was tough to do given the circumstances of being in Nazi occupied territory, but the inevitable failure was catastrophic. At least it achieved its purpose one way or another.
 
Thanks for the very thorough article on Reinhard Heydrich. I would like to remind Dr. Dabbs that the Wehrmacht was the name of the Armed Forces of Germany during WWII, including the Heer (Army), Kriegsmarine (Navy) and the Luftwaffe (Air Force). The Wehrmacht was not a fighting unit.
Point well taken. Thanks.
 
As it's been pointed out, the Stens were prone to malfunctions. You always need to function check your gear before an op just for that reason. I realize that was tough to do given the circumstances of being in Nazi occupied territory, but the inevitable failure was catastrophic. At least it achieved its purpose one way or another.
Sten guns did pretty good for a $10.00 submachine gun made as quickly as they could during wartime. A well cared for and vetted Sten is a pretty reliable piece of machinery. We had one for rental at a range I worked at and it was totally reliable.
 
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