Adolf Opálka
Encyclopedia
First Lieutenant Adolf Opálka (4 January 1915 – 18 June 1942) was a Czechoslovak
soldier. He was a member of the Czech
sabotage
group Out Distance
, a World War II
anti-Nazi resistance group, and a participant in Operation Anthropoid
, the successful mission to kill Reinhard Heydrich
.
Opálka was born into a middle-class family in Rešice
and joined the Czechoslovak Army in 1936 where he served in the 43rd Infantry Regiment in Brno
. The Munich Agreement
and subsequent German occupation of Czechoslovakia
led to the disbanding of the Czechoslovak Army, and Opálka's career ended. He escaped to North Africa
where he served in the French Foreign Legion
, and he later returned to France
. He then joined the Out Distance group and participated in Operation Anthropoid. He was found days later by the Nazis
, and he committed suicide
in the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Prague
after a gunfight in which he was injured.
near Dukovany
the illegitimate son of miller
Viktor Jarolím (1889–1942) of Tulešice
and Anežka Opálková. When his mother died in 1923, Opálka lived with his aunt Marie Opálková (1882–1942).
Between 1932 and 1936, Opálka studied at the Commercial Academy and, shortly after his graduation in 1936, he joined the army of Czechoslovakia
. After recruitment and training, he was assigned to the 43rd Infantry Regiment in Brno
and shortly afterwards attended the Army Academy in Hranice
. After graduation, Opálka joined the 2nd Mountain Regiment in Ružomberok
as a lieutenant
.
The Munich Agreement
ended Opálka's army career in his homeland, and he left Czechoslovakia with his cousin František Pospíšil. First traveling through Poland
and France, they fled to North Africa, where they joined the French Foreign Legion
. Opálka served in Sidi Bel Abbes
as a sergeant of the 1st Infantry Regiment. Later, he joined Senegal
's Gunmen in Oran
.
Opálka's fiancée spoke about this period of his life:
After the start of World War II
and the occupation of Czechoslovakia, Opálka returned to France from Africa and joined a developing Czechoslovak army in Agde
, serving as leader of an infantry platoon of the 2nd Infantry Regiment of the 1st Czechoslovak Infantry Division. In January 1940, he was transferred to the 3rd Infantry Division and commanded the 5th Infantry Battalion.
On 12 July 1940, when France was defeated
, Opálka sailed on the ship Neuralia to the United Kingdom
and as an unfiled officer served in a machine gun
platoon
. In the summer of 1941, he volunteered as a soldier for covert operations behind enemy lines. He had been trained in Scotland
in Special Training Schools. Afterwards, he became leader of the group codenamed "Out Distance
".
("Karel Vrbas") secretly parachuted into the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
on 28 March 1942 to perform covert operations including bomber navigation and sabotage. The operations of Out Distance were complicated from the beginning. A navigational mistake by the Handley Page Halifax
plane bringing them in caused the entire group to be dropped at the wrong location. This, together with the loss of equipment, led to the splitting up of the group. Opálka contacted captain Alfréd Bartoš from the group Silver-A and informed him of the situation. He later joined the group gathered around Operation Anthropoid
in Prague
and became leader of the Prague parachuters.
After the successful kill of Heydrich with a modified anti-tank grenade
, Opálka and his six fellow combatants (Josef Bublík, Josef Gabčík, Jan Hrubý, Jan Kubiš, Josef Valčík, and Jaroslav Švarc) were trapped in the Church of St. Cyril and St. Methodious in Prague. At 4:15 p.m. on 18 June 1942, the church was besieged by 800 soldiers of the Wehrmacht Heer and Waffen-SS
. After a seven-hours fight, the outnumbered group of paratroopers fell. All died, including First Lieutenant Opálka who, injured by shrapnel, committed suicide
.
Opálka wrote this shortly after his departure, on his 27th birthday, speaking of homesickness
:
After the mission of the paratroopers, the Nazis
unleashed strong reprisals. Opálka's aunt, Marie Opálková, was executed in Mauthausen
on 24 October 1942. His father, Viktor Jarolím, was also killed.
were made. The Czechoslovak Atentát, and the American
Operation Daybreak
where Opálka was portrayed by Jiří Krampol
. There is also German
television film, Reinhard Heydrich - Manager des Terrors. (IMDB profile)
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
soldier. He was a member of the Czech
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was the majority ethnic-Czech protectorate which Nazi Germany established in the central parts of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia in what is today the Czech Republic...
sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
group Out Distance
Out Distance
Out Distance was a Czech resistance group during World War II, operating in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia .-Operations:At 2AM on 28 March 1942, the group parachuted from a British Halifax plane...
, a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
anti-Nazi resistance group, and a participant in Operation Anthropoid
Operation Anthropoid
Operation Anthropoid was the code name for the targeted killing of top German SS leader Reinhard Heydrich. He was the chief of the Reich Main Security Office , the acting Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, and a chief planner of the Final Solution, the Nazi German programme for the genocide of the...
, the successful mission to kill Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich , also known as The Hangman, was a high-ranking German Nazi official.He was SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
.
Opálka was born into a middle-class family in Rešice
Rešice
- External links :...
and joined the Czechoslovak Army in 1936 where he served in the 43rd Infantry Regiment in Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
. The Munich Agreement
Munich Agreement
The Munich Pact was an agreement permitting the Nazi German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders, mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe without...
and subsequent German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia began with the Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia's northern and western border regions, known collectively as the Sudetenland, under terms outlined by the Munich Agreement. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's pretext for this effort was the alleged privations suffered by...
led to the disbanding of the Czechoslovak Army, and Opálka's career ended. He escaped to North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
where he served in the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
, and he later returned to France
French Third Republic
The French Third Republic was the republican government of France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, to 1940, when France was overrun by Nazi Germany during World War II, resulting in the German and Italian occupations of France...
. He then joined the Out Distance group and participated in Operation Anthropoid. He was found days later by the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
, and he committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
after a gunfight in which he was injured.
Life
Opálka was born in RešiceRešice
- External links :...
near Dukovany
Dukovany
Dukovany is a village and municipality in Třebíč District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic.The village is situated on the border of southern Moravia....
the illegitimate son of miller
Miller
A miller usually refers to a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a cereal crop to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents in other languages around the world...
Viktor Jarolím (1889–1942) of Tulešice
Tulešice
- External links :...
and Anežka Opálková. When his mother died in 1923, Opálka lived with his aunt Marie Opálková (1882–1942).
Between 1932 and 1936, Opálka studied at the Commercial Academy and, shortly after his graduation in 1936, he joined the army of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. After recruitment and training, he was assigned to the 43rd Infantry Regiment in Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
and shortly afterwards attended the Army Academy in Hranice
Hranice
Hranice may refer to several towns in the Czech Republic:* Hranice , town in Moravia; see: Hranice * Hranice , town in northern Bohemia; see: Hranice u Aše...
. After graduation, Opálka joined the 2nd Mountain Regiment in Ružomberok
Ružomberok
Ružomberok is a town in northern Slovakia, in the historical Liptov region. It has a population of around 30,000-Geography:...
as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
.
The Munich Agreement
Munich Agreement
The Munich Pact was an agreement permitting the Nazi German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders, mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe without...
ended Opálka's army career in his homeland, and he left Czechoslovakia with his cousin František Pospíšil. First traveling through Poland
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
and France, they fled to North Africa, where they joined the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
. Opálka served in Sidi Bel Abbes
Sidi Bel Abbes
Sidi Bel-Abbes is capital of the Sidi Bel Abbès wilaya , Algeria. It is named after a Muslim holy man who is buried there. It is the commercial center of an important area of vineyards, market gardens, orchards, and grain fields. It is surrounded by a wall with four gates and there is a...
as a sergeant of the 1st Infantry Regiment. Later, he joined Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
's Gunmen in Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
.
Opálka's fiancée spoke about this period of his life:
…shortly before he left he burned all our correspondence, I did the same on his request. In the morning before he left, I photographed him for the last time. The picture is unhappy just like the departure itself, because we didn't know what he was putting himself into…
After the start of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the occupation of Czechoslovakia, Opálka returned to France from Africa and joined a developing Czechoslovak army in Agde
Agde
Agde is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France. It is the Mediterranean port of the Canal du Midi.-Location:Agde is located on the river Hérault, 4 km from the Mediterranean Sea, and 750 km from Paris...
, serving as leader of an infantry platoon of the 2nd Infantry Regiment of the 1st Czechoslovak Infantry Division. In January 1940, he was transferred to the 3rd Infantry Division and commanded the 5th Infantry Battalion.
On 12 July 1940, when France was defeated
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
, Opálka sailed on the ship Neuralia to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and as an unfiled officer served in a machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
. In the summer of 1941, he volunteered as a soldier for covert operations behind enemy lines. He had been trained in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in Special Training Schools. Afterwards, he became leader of the group codenamed "Out Distance
Out Distance
Out Distance was a Czech resistance group during World War II, operating in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia .-Operations:At 2AM on 28 March 1942, the group parachuted from a British Halifax plane...
".
Out Distance
Opálka (cover name "Adolf Král"), Ivan Kolařík ("Jan Krátký"), and Karel ČurdaKarel Curda
Karel Čurda was a Czech World War II soldier from the Czechoslovak army in exile. He was parachuted into the protectorate in 1941 as a member of the sabotage group Out Distance...
("Karel Vrbas") secretly parachuted into the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was the majority ethnic-Czech protectorate which Nazi Germany established in the central parts of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia in what is today the Czech Republic...
on 28 March 1942 to perform covert operations including bomber navigation and sabotage. The operations of Out Distance were complicated from the beginning. A navigational mistake by the Handley Page Halifax
Handley Page Halifax
The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing...
plane bringing them in caused the entire group to be dropped at the wrong location. This, together with the loss of equipment, led to the splitting up of the group. Opálka contacted captain Alfréd Bartoš from the group Silver-A and informed him of the situation. He later joined the group gathered around Operation Anthropoid
Operation Anthropoid
Operation Anthropoid was the code name for the targeted killing of top German SS leader Reinhard Heydrich. He was the chief of the Reich Main Security Office , the acting Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, and a chief planner of the Final Solution, the Nazi German programme for the genocide of the...
in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
and became leader of the Prague parachuters.
Operation Anthropoid
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
, Opálka and his six fellow combatants (Josef Bublík, Josef Gabčík, Jan Hrubý, Jan Kubiš, Josef Valčík, and Jaroslav Švarc) were trapped in the Church of St. Cyril and St. Methodious in Prague. At 4:15 p.m. on 18 June 1942, the church was besieged by 800 soldiers of the Wehrmacht Heer and Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
. After a seven-hours fight, the outnumbered group of paratroopers fell. All died, including First Lieutenant Opálka who, injured by shrapnel, committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
.
Opálka wrote this shortly after his departure, on his 27th birthday, speaking of homesickness
Nostalgia
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
:
I'm 27 years old today, the entire trip I pondered upon the words "Longing for home is a terrible thing, I know". Yes, only now do I know and understand. And this "homesickness" of Božena NěmcováBožena NemcováBožena Němcová was a Czech writer of the final phase of the Czech National Revival movement.-Biography:...
, which I never understood, is nothing compared to my longing for home. I'm willing to suffer through, and do whatever it takes, but only home and home and to honestly work, work for something... How can some speak of beauty, when they've never seen Rešice and the fields from Kordula to Rešice, who never strolled through the warm dirt there, who never felt the warm air and over the grain fields, who never saw our chapel in the milk of white cherries, Husák's garden, which always reminded me of Sholokhov, especially the dirt lumps under the "vortex" and the "Bare Hill" and all the other places on all of which I am. Parts of me are all over the world. In England, little was left of me, maybe more in Scotland... 27 years of life behind me. Death for my homeland. With that I have dealt, and am ready to do what it takes.
After the mission of the paratroopers, the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
unleashed strong reprisals. Opálka's aunt, Marie Opálková, was executed in Mauthausen
Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp
Mauthausen Concentration Camp grew to become a large group of Nazi concentration camps that was built around the villages of Mauthausen and Gusen in Upper Austria, roughly east of the city of Linz.Initially a single camp at Mauthausen, it expanded over time and by the summer of 1940, the...
on 24 October 1942. His father, Viktor Jarolím, was also killed.
Honors and decorations
- 1939, 1942, and 1945 Czechoslovak War CrossCzechoslovak War Cross 1939-1945The Czechoslovak War Cross 1939-1945 is a military decoration of the former state of Czechoslovakia which was issued for those who had provided great service the Czechoslovak state during the years of World War II.- Description :On December 20, 1940, the Czech government in exile in London ordered...
(Československý válečný kříž) - 1947 King's CommendationQueen's Commendation for Brave ConductInstituted in 1939 by King George VI as the King's Commendation for Brave Conduct, the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct acknowledged brave acts by civilians and members of the military in non-warlike circumstances during a time of war or in peacetime where the action would not otherwise be...
, posthumously - 1949 Gold Medal of Czechoslovak Army for Freedom, posthumously (Zlatá hvězda Čs. vojenského řádu Za svobodu)
- 1968 First Class Star of Czechoslovak Army Order of the White Lion for VictoryMilitary Order of the White LionThe Military Order of the White Lion , also known as the Military Order of the White Lion "For Victory", was an award established on 9 February 1945 to reward military merit, either personal acts of bravery or leadership....
, posthumously (Hvězda I. třídy Čs. vojenského řád u bílého lva Za vítězství) - 1991 Order of Milan Rastislav ŠtefánikMilan Rastislav ŠtefánikMilan Rastislav Štefánik , Kingdom of Hungary – May 4, 1919 in Ivanka pri Dunaji, Czechoslovakia) was a Slovak politician, diplomat, and astronomer. During World War I, he was General of the French Army, at the same time the Czechoslovak Minister of War, one of the leading members of the...
, Third Class, posthumously (Řád M. R. Štefánika III. třídy) - 2002 Promoted to colonelColonelColonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
, posthumously
Films
Many films based on Operation AnthropoidOperation Anthropoid
Operation Anthropoid was the code name for the targeted killing of top German SS leader Reinhard Heydrich. He was the chief of the Reich Main Security Office , the acting Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, and a chief planner of the Final Solution, the Nazi German programme for the genocide of the...
were made. The Czechoslovak Atentát, and the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Operation Daybreak
Operation Daybreak
Operation Daybreak is a 1975 World War II film based on the true story of the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich in Prague - starring Anthony Andrews, Timothy Bottoms and Martin Shaw. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert and shot mostly on location in Prague. It was adapted from the book Seven Men...
where Opálka was portrayed by Jiří Krampol
Jiří Krampol
Jiří Krampol is a Czech film and theatre actor.He graduated at the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in 1962.He acted in Czech theatre Semafor from 1983 to 1990....
. There is also German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
television film, Reinhard Heydrich - Manager des Terrors. (IMDB profile)
Further reading
- David StaffordDavid StaffordDavid Stafford is a writer, broadcaster and occasional musician born 1949 in Birmingham, England.Stafford began his career in fringe and community theatre in the 1970s...
, "Britain and European Resistance, 1940−1945", University of Toronto Press 1980, ISBN 0-8020-2361-4. - Lewis M. White, "On All Fronts: Czechoslovaks in World War II", ISBN 0-88033-319-7.
- David Chackom "Like a Man", ISBN 978-0-9723737-4-6.
- J.B. Hutak, "With Blood and with Iron: The Lidice Story"