Reinhard Heydrich`s Assassination
Transcription
Reinhard Heydrich`s Assassination
Volume 6, Issue 33 1 May, 2014 Price: Free! Reinhard Heydrich’s Assassination by Gracie Hull Reinhard Heydrich died on June 4th, 1942. The assassination of Heydrich was called the Anthropoid mission, and was one of the most carefully planned murders in history. Heydrich was a very high-ranked Nazi during the Holocaust, and one of the major organizers of the Final Solution, the Nazis plan to annihilate the Jews. He was a very dangerous man, and the Czechs, as well as the British, knew that he had to be eliminated. He was too dangerous to stay alive and so they formed Operation Anthropoid to rid the world of this terrible person. Though this was very dangerous and risky, his death warrant was signed and the assassination was authorized to save many people to come. The Anthropoids, the two men that carried out the murder, were two Czechs by the names of Jan Kubis and Josef Gabcik. These men had to do a lot of work so that the mission would be executed correctly, and they carried out the mission with a wireless and coding team, and they were all led by Lieutenant Bartos. The team went to Prague, where Heydrich would be killed. Together, they learned exactly where he would be by studying, what he did every day, where he went and when. They figured out that he would be permanently leaving Prague on May 27th, so on that day they carried out their plan. Heydrich would have to slow down around a bend in the road, and his unescorted Mercedes would be in perfect position. They got into position at 9:30 am on the side of the road with their submachine guns and grenades. Gabcik was supposed to shoot Heydrich and the driver with the submachine gun, but when the car came around at 10:31, the trigger was pulled but was jammed because of grass in the breech. So Kubis threw the bomb at the car, which exploded and shattered the door, and injured Heydrich. Everyone managed to escape and the mission was deemed a success, because Heydrich died only 8 days later of gangrene. Of course, upon finding out of Heydrich’s death, the Germans attacked the Czechs with a man hunt, where over 10,000 were arrested and at least 1,300 executed. Every man aged 16-70 were taken and shot during the mass retaliation. Women and children were taken away and most were never heard from again. The Anthropoids knew this would happen, and went into hiding after the mission was complete so they could be evacuated to England. They were found later though, when the Gestapo found one of Lieutenant Bartos’s assistants, a 19 year old who they tortured. He broke down after being shown his mother’s severed head and gave away their location. The Gestapo went to the church where the Anthropoids were hiding and the two groups shot at each other. Everyone there was shot, and the only person in their group left alive was the wireless operator, but was later shot also when trying to make a transmission. When he died, the mission closed. Heydrich’s death was a huge blow to the Germans; they lost one of their most important men. It took them a very long time to recover because so many future plans involved him. The Anthropoid mission was one of the most important we know of and helped the Allied cause during World War II tremendously. Even though none of the group came out alive, they should still be remembered for all that they did. His death may have caused killings in retaliation, but many more lives were saved than if he had been permitted to live longer. The terrible person that wrote the Final Solution Scan to see the would no longer harm others, a major victory for the Allies. The Czechs SJHS website and were helped tremendously as well, and it was learned that the Nazis could the back issues of even possibly be broken when a major piece is gone. The Anthropoid the Sentinel and mission was a massive victory and should never be forgotten. Years of War About Endure by Addie Erickson Endure is a Historical Fiction story about six different characters, that participated in large aspects of WWII. Endure is based off of real events, but the characters are entirely my work. The characters include Jane, a German citizen who goes into hiding due to conflict discussed in the story. Frederick, a German boy who is forced to start training in Hitler's Nazi Army. Lucy, an American who moves in with her grandfather after her father is called to command a vessel. Hana, who is a Japanese American, who is placed in an internment camp. Paul, a researcher to the President of the United States (he is placed with the task of studying Japan, on of the United states fiercest enemies). And finally Davis a eager young, man who enlists in the United States army. Most of the secret are obviously left untold for the sake of the story. If you wish to read the whole story at once click on the link below. Without further adieu to the right is an excerpt from Endure: Jane It was 1934 when the Führer took full control of Germany. I can imagine the day in perfect detail. My father’s anxious face when he realized that Paul von Hindenburg, leader of Germany, had died. The fear that filled my mother’s eyes when she began to hear of the disappearances of friends and families. However, for me, the worry began on July 25th, 1935, my eighteenth birthday. The sky, like everything else, was devoid of color that day. The sunlight gasped desperately through the clouds. I could sense the warmth against my skin and yet I could feel nothing. I should be happy, on day like this, but it’s hard to celebrate when you know the enemy is watching your every move, waiting for the perfect moment to take father away. The children all laughed and ran around in the pale grass. What I would do to be young and carefree. My father wringed his hands, his face pained. His eyes shot in all directions as though he was afraid someone would hear what he was thinking. I had seen this in his eyes for months now, fear that rose from deep within him. Link to Endure – Full story The Navajo Code Talkers by Josh Gladish The idea of using the language of the Navajo Indians as a code was brought forth by Philip Johnston during WWII. Philip was the son of a missionary to the Navajo Tribe so he spent much of his time on the Navajo reservation which was in northeastern Arizona, southeastern Utah, and northwestern New Mexico. The Navajo tribe and many other tribes were on bad footing with the American government before the idea of using their language as code. They were put through racism and onto reservations. The racism was displayed through acts such as Indian children being beat by whites in schools if they uttered a single word of their language. The Native Americans being forced into reservations happened in the early days of the U.S. becoming a country with the” Indian Removal Act” and others. These acts would force the Indians onto reservations where they had to stay. Also Native Americans did not have the right of being a citizen of the U.S. until around the 1900s. So with racism and removal acts you would have likely come to the conclusion that there was conflict along with all of it and there was. In the very early days of Americas exploration by many explorers there sometimes be conflict with the tribes of an area. A good example would be Lewis and Clark who explored the Pacific Northwest. At some points when they split up into separate groups they would be attacked by native tribes such as the Blackfoot Tribe. However, when they had been in a single group, along with Sacagawea, they would not be attacked because women did not go on war parties so they weren’t attacked. However, most of the tribes they encountered were friendly and helped them on their way unlike the Blackfoot. Another popular example was the Whitman missionary family, but this case was mostly a mistranslation that caused conflict between the Whitman’s and the Cayuse tribe. The Whitman’s had been helping with medicine and also telling the Cayuse of the Bible. But when the Whitman’s came they brought with them diseases that the Native Americans immune systems weren't able to fight so they would die. And the several Cayuse warriors had thought they were killing them on purpose and not helping so they massacred them. Even with all the racism, segregation, cruelty, and unjust seizure of their land the Navajos volunteered and helped in the war. Also many other racial groups helped in the war included the men of the 442nd Regiment who were among the most decorated soldiers and of the most decorated regiments. So in despite of racism and cruelty the Navajos helped in WWII as code talkers although mainly in the pacific Major Howard Connor even says that "Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima." One day Philip saw an excerpt in the paper about an armored division in Louisiana looking for a code based on Native American languages. This gave Philip the idea of the Navajo code. He then voiced his idea to Lt. Col. James E. Jones, the Area Signal Officer. After Philip explained his idea of using a code based on the Navajo language it was accepted and the beginnings of creating it started. However, the Navajos and other racial groups had been through plenty of racism during WWII. Also if a person from the Navajo tribe did not know English and wished to go to school they had to learn it. Even-so, 29 natives of the Navajo tribe volunteered to join the army to help with creating the Navajo Code and eventually sending messages with it. After going through training the 29 volunteers Years of War went to work on devising the Navajo Code. Is written, edited, and designed by students in the Selah The finished product was a code that would use the School District, Washington State. first letter of the English translation of a Navajo word as a To reach us by phone, call (509) 697-0500 ext. 543 single letter. For example “Wol-La-Chee” (Ant) stood for the Journalism Club Advisor: Mr. Bryan Dibble letter A. Thus the Navajo Code was born and put into action By mail at Years of War from 1942-1945, but was not declassified for many more 411 N. First Street, Selah, WA 98942 years. Also they created a dictionary for the code, which had Or email: BryanDibble@selah.k12.wa.us to be memorized during training, and then 27 of them were Have a copy mailed or emailed to you! sent into the field to send and receive messages. The Navajo code talkers took part in every Marine operation in the Pacific from 1942-1945, and played a critical role in taking Iwo Jima and the battle of Guadalcanal. The Navajo code was an anomaly in the code world it was unbreakable even when the Japanese captured Navajo soldiers. This was mostly because even if they knew what the words meant there was still an actual code along with it. There was also a full dictionary for the Navajo Code which when completely finished consisted of over 600 terms and a full alphabet. The dictionary even had a code for the Marine Hymn which went like this: “Nin hokeh bi-kheh ana-ih-la Ta-al-tso-go na-he-seel-kai Nih-bi-kah-gi do tah kah-gi Ta-al-tso-go en-da-de-pah Tsi-di-da-an-ne ne-tay-yah Ay be nihe hozeen Washindon be Akalh Bi-kosi-la Ji-lengo ba-hozhon” (Sourced from http://www.history.navy.mil) however, that is only the first verse. At the end of the war there were over 400 Navajo Code Talkers that had helped send and receive messages from other code talkers. The Navajo Code provided a possibility that other codes didn’t. The Navajo Code was unbreakable for any person who did not know the language and the Japanese didn’t, also even for those who did know the language it was nonsense. The Fall of Ancient Greece By Maggi Bahr Ancient Greece lasted within the Archaic period and the end of Antiquity (700 BC to 146 AD). This period within Greece’s history is following the dark ages. During its height, many civilizations were influenced by the Greeks. Greek colonies spread around the Black Sea, the Aegean sea, into southern Italy, parts of Sicily and as far as Iberia (current day Spain). This spread their culture far and wide across Europe. A major problem that led to their downfall is the city-state structure that formed Greece during this time. There were over 1500 city states in Greece. The flaw in this was that each city-state viewed themselves as independent. This caused vulnerability against nations who wanted to conquer Greek lands. The opposing nation could pick off citystates and the others would not help. This left most of them defenseless, without help. One conflict that was a product of this is the Peloponnesian War. Athens and Sparta turn on each other in a civil war. It is said that Sparta feared the rising power of Athens and struck out feeling threatened. Athens and Sparta had been in a treaty at the time. Athens violated this treaty by allying with Corcyra, which was an important Corinth colony. Sparta threatens Athens with war, but Athens doesn’t back down. Athens and Sparta are the main powers during this war. Athens was allied with most island or coastal states and nations on the North and East shores of the Aegean Sea. Sparta was allied with Corinth, Central Greece, and the majority of the land powers of the Peloponnese. Athens’ strength is within its navy, while Sparta’s strength is within their army. Both powers are at a disadvantage to the other. During the war, there is a total of six years of truce. In 430 BC, Athens succumbs to a plague that destroys the city. Between one third and two thirds of the people within Athens died. This created a weakness that most likely led to their defeat. Athens surrendered in 404 BC. Sparta’s terms included Athens being forced to take down their city walls, give up their navy, and their overseas possessions. Greece continues to be drawn into war after this including the Corinthian War. The governmental structure is weak after the Peloponnesian War. While Greece is still scrambling to put itself back together, Rome has become a great power to be reckoned with. Rome annexes Greece, taking many of the powerful city-states in 146 BC. Many of the city-states are allowed to live normally under Roman power. They are allowed to continue many Greek traditions and maintain their culture under the Romans. Their lives’ continue this way until the 600’s AD, due to the rise of Christianity. Segregation in the Army Do you think it is fair to fight for a country, that you are not accepted or welcomed in? Knowing that when you are off fighting for your country, your family is at home suffering in a internment camp, and they were put there by your government officials? Well that is what the Japanese soldiers went through. There race of the Asians went through a lot of discrimination and heart-ache, created by the Americans, before and after Pearl Harbor! Though the Asians went through a lot of conflicts over the years, I feel the biggest conflict was during the Pearl Harbor era, and the conflict was segregation in the Army. The segregation between Americans and Japanese started off, in the forever remembered, Pearl Harbor. After the bombing and during World War II the Japanese descendants were forced out of their homes and into internment camps, which is described as a nicer form of a concentration camp. This all started the conflict of Army segregation. The Americans were running out of forces and soldiers to take into battle in the growing war, so they went to the Japanese inmates. The male inmates ranging from the age of 19 to 40 were asked to volunteer to put there life on the line for a country that is not accepting some of their own citizens. Most of the Japanese Americans that were sent to the camps were just that, Americans. They were legalized citizens, but Japanese descendants. Some even just ⅙ Asian blood (that would be a great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother or grandfather) were sent to the camps. In the camps they were treated very poorly, with unfit living facilities, minimum food allowance, and no outside contact. Then the government went a step further by, asking for volunteers to be in the armed forces. This is where my main conflict comes into play. How can you feel that someone is not thought of as an American, but they are good enough to fight for the country that is currently wronging them? The people that were fighting for our country, and being highly honored (regiment 442 and the 100th were some of the most highly decorated regiments),were having family members, friends and lifelong partners, sent away from their home and forced to live in unworthy conditions. Even though the American citizens we were putting in the internment camps, were born and raised in America, spoke the language fluently, and had Americanized names ( EX: George, Fred, Steve) they were thought of as the enemy, because they were a descendant of a culture that had wronged America. To conclude the conflict, of the brave Japanese Americans that fought not only for our lives, but the families that were at home unsafe. Even though the Americans treated the Japanese culture terribly, they still stood up by the thousands to protect our country, and there honor.