Germans Destroy Lidice

German forces destroyed the Czech village of Lidice in a reprisal action following the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. 

On May 27, 1942, two members of the Czechoslovak resistance attacked and mortally wounded Reinhard Heydrich, a top Nazi leader. Heydrich died on June 4, 1942. In retaliation for Heydrich’s death, the Nazis chose to annihilate the Czech town of Lidice. German police and SS officials shot the men and deported the women and children. The Germans tried to remove all traces of the town’s existence. The destruction of Lidice became a symbol of the barbarity of German occupation policies and a rallying cry for opponents of the Nazi regime.

The village was rebuilt after the defeat of Nazi Germany.