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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.
 
4th Horseman said:
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.
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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.
 
Tims3006 said:
Great article Will. What Mississippi range do you shot at?
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I'm blessed to have some space on my farm to do most of my recreational shooting. I have a buddy who has a super long range on his place near Bruce but I don't do a great deal of truly long-range work. I'm told the public range in Como is epic but I haven't made opportunity to explore it.
 
Tims3006 said:
Great article Will. What Mississippi range do you shot at?
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I'm blessed to have some space on my farm to do most of my recreational shooting. I have a buddy who has a super long range on his place near Bruce but I don't do a great deal of truly long-range work. I'm told the public range in Como is epic but I haven't made opportunity to explore it.
 
There is a write up about this in Shadow Cell, a book about Billy Waugh's life. The US was late to the spec-ops world, and lots of mistakes were made along the way. It is an evolving world. If I recall, the Nazi was killed from an infection from a horsehair (seats in the Mercedes) in his spleen.
 
Anchorite said:
killed from an infection from a horsehair (seats in the Mercedes) in his spleen.
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Yes apparently the horsehair was missed in Heydrich's wound which caused an infection.

Again Im not suggesting that he shouldnt have been a target BUT the local Czech underground in particular expressed serious questions about an assassination, believing rightfully that there would be an horrific reprisal. Perhaps if after the attempt the two that dropped in from Britain, had said "We Did it" the reprisal might have been less severe. Ultimately was Heydrich's death worth the 5000 that died in the reprisal, is a question for tha ages.

Today we would have called in a laser guided bomb; but WW2 technology didnt permit such. That the plan failed on so many levels is another issue but perhaps more blame should be placed on the Allies and at least the Czech government safely in exile.
 
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