Mystery as unmarked grave of infamous Nazi Reinhard Heydrich – the Butcher of Prague – is dug up in Berlin
- Heydrich was assassinated by British-trained Czech paras in 1942
- The Nazis destroyed two villages and killed at least 5000 people in revenge
- Heydrich’s grave forced open at the Invalids’ Cemetery in central Berlin
The grave of notorious Nazi Gestapo chief Reinhard Heydrich, dubbed ‘The Butcher of Prague’ and called ‘the man with the iron heart’ by Adolf Hitler, has been forced open in Berlin.
Police say the motive for the attack on the unmarked grave at the Invalids’ Cemetery in the German capital remains a mystery as no bones were removed.
An employee discovered the tomb had been prised open on Thursday last week.
Heydrich, called ‘the man with the iron heart’ by Adolf Hitler, was head of the Gestapo and chaired the Wannsee Conference in Berlin in January 1942, where the Nazis planned the genocidal ‘Final Solution’ that led to the Holocaust.
SS officers form a guard of honour around Reinhard Heydrich’s coffin in 1942
The culprits are thought to have had inside knowledge of its location as the markings on graves of prominent Nazis were removed after the Second World War to prevent Nazi sympathisers turning them into shrines.
Heydrich was head of the Gestapo and chaired the Wannsee Conference in Berlin in January 1942, where the Nazis planned the genocidal ‘Final Solution’ that led to the Holocaust.
In reprisal for Heydrich’s death, German forces destroyed two villages and killed at least 5,000 people
He was the Reich’s third in command after Hitler and Heinrich Himmler and is said to have harboured ambitions to eventually replace Hitler as leader.
Heydrich also oversaw Germany’s brutal occupation of Czechoslovakia which led to a top secret plot to assassinate him, codenamed Operation Anthropoid, which was depicted in the 2016 movie Anthropoid, directed by Sean Ellis and starring Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy and Fifty Shades of Grey actor Jamie Dornan.
British trained Czech paratroopers Jozef Gabcik and Jan Kubis ambushed his Mercedes car in Prague in 1942 and he died of his injuries a week later.
Heydrich’s death was depicted in the 2016 movie Anthropoid starring Cillian Murphy and Jamie Dornan as the two Czech partisan assassins
In reprisal for Heydrich’s death, German forces destroyed the Lidice village, murdering all the men and adolescent boys and deporting the women and children to concentration camps.
A funeral was held for him in Prague before his coffin was taken to Berlin by train where a second funeral was attended by Hitler who placed medals on his pillow.
His exact burial spot was never publicly revealed as a temporary wooden marker disappeared when the Russians overran the city in 1945 and was never replaced.
In reprisal for Heydrich’s death, German forces destroyed the Lidice village, murdering all the men and adolescent boys and deporting the women and children to concentration camps.
British trained Czech paratroopers Jozef Gabcik and Jan Kubis are credited with killing Reinhard Heydrich in 1942, by ambushing his car on the streets of Prague.
Reinhard Heydrich was given an elaborate funeral in Berlin attended by Hitler
British trained Czech paratroopers Jozef Gabcik and Jan Kubis are credited with killing Reinhard Heydrich in 1942, by ambushing his car on the streets of Prague.
Reinhard Heydrich was given an elaborate funeral in Berlin attended by Hitler
Heydrich, called ‘the man with the iron heart’ by Adolf Hitler, was head of the Gestapo and chaired the Wannsee Conference in Berlin in January 1942, where the Nazis planned the genocidal ‘Final Solution’ that led to the Holocaust.
Heydrich, called ‘the man with the iron heart’ by Adolf Hitler, was head of the Gestapo and chaired the Wannsee Conference in Berlin in January 1942, where the Nazis planned the genocidal ‘Final Solution’ that led to the Holocaust.