Adolf Opálka

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Adolf Opálka
Born(1915-01-04)4 January 1915
Died18 June 1942(1942-06-18) (aged 27)
Prague, Occupied Czechoslovakia
Allegiance
Service/branch
Years of service1936–1942
RankFirst lieutenant
UnitSpecial Operations Executive
Commands heldOut Distance
Battles/wars
AwardsSee awards

First Lieutenant Adolf Opálka (4 January 1915 – 18 June 1942) was a

Operation Anthropoid, the successful mission to kill Reinhard Heydrich
.

Opálka was born into a middle-class family in

Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius
in Prague after a gunfight in which he was injured.

Early life

Opálka was born in

illegitimate son of miller Viktor Jarolím (1889–1942) of Tulešice and Anežka Opálková.[1] When his mother died in 1923, Opálka lived with his aunt Marie Opálková (1882–1942).[2]

Between 1932 and 1936, Opálka studied at the Commercial Academy and, shortly after his graduation in 1936, he joined the army of Czechoslovakia.[3] 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

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:

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…[2][5]

World War II

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.[2] In January 1940, he was transferred to the 3rd Infantry Division and commanded the 5th Infantry Battalion.[2][4]

On 12 July 1940, when

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".[4]

Out Distance

Main article: Out Distance

Opálka (cover name "Adolf Král"),

Operation Anthropoid in Prague and became leader of the Prague parachuters.[6]

Operation Anthropoid

Main article:
Operation Anthropoid
Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius
, Prague

Operation Anthropoid involved a plot to kill

German army and Waffen-SS.[5] After a seven-hour fight,[7] the outnumbered group of paratroopers fell. All died, including First Lieutenant Adolf Opálka who, injured by shrapnel, committed suicide.[8][9]

Shortly after his departure, on his 27th birthday, Opálka wrote of homesickness:

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

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.[2]

After the mission of the paratroopers, the

Mauthausen on 24 October 1942.[10] His father, Viktor Jarolím, was also killed.[11]

Honors and decorations

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Parasutiste". Lib.cas.cz. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e Grasgruber, Jiří (18 May 2007). "Atentát na Heydricha před 65 lety". Zrcadlo.info. Retrieved 27 March 2008.
  3. ^ a b "Sedm statečných z Resslovyulice" (in Czech). n.d. Archived from the original on 16 January 2005.
  4. ^ a b c d Menšíková, Miroslava; Jiří Mikulka (18 December 2008). "Adolf Opálka at Brno Encyclopedia". Brno Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 25 January 2007. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Grasgruber, Pavel. "Rešice, Druhá světová válka". UOK Znojmo. Archived from the original on 21 February 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
  6. ISBN 978-0-88033-456-3
    .
  7. ^ Marek, Vladimír (1 September 2002). "Atentát z hlediska vyššího principu". army.cz. Archived from the original on 10 February 2008. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
  8. ^ "Sedm statečných z Resslovy ulice". Ministerstvo obrany Ceske republiky. Archived from the original on 23 February 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
  9. ^ Hutak, J.B. With Blood and with Iron: The Lidice Story. Robert Hale. p. 133.
  10. ^ "Pamětní deska Adolf Opálka". eStránky.cz. 22 May 2006. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
  11. ^ "Pomník obětem válek". eStránky.cz. 21 February 2007. Retrieved 29 March 2008.

Further reading

External links
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