Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–1945)
Germany's economy faced a severe crisis in 1937 as the Four-Year Plan strained foreign exchange reserves. The German government needed to import raw materials like high-grade iron, oil, chrome, and nickel to meet armament goals. These resources were unavailable within Germany itself. Hitler decided in November 1937 that seizing Czechoslovakia was necessary to stay ahead in the arms race. At the Hossbach conference on the 5th of November 1937, he announced that taking Czechoslovakia would increase food supply under German control. This move would free up foreign exchange for importing essential raw materials. The Great Depression had already put strain on the German export market. Trade wars and protectionism further limited Germany's ability to generate currency. Hundreds of millions of Reichsmarks were spent on immense armament works such as the Reichswerke steel complex. The need to import food and raw materials made Germany Europe's second largest importer after Great Britain.
Sudeten German pro-Nazi leader Konrad Henlein met with Hitler in Berlin on the 28th of March 1938. He received instructions to raise demands unacceptable to the Czechoslovak government led by president Edvard Beneš. On the 24th of April, the Sudeten German Party issued the Karlsbader Programm demanding autonomy for the Sudetenland. If these demands were granted, the region would become an autonomous state aligned with Nazi Germany. A partial mobilization began in Czechoslovakia on the 20th of May 1938 in response to possible invasion. Hitler signed a secret directive for war against Czechoslovakia on the 30th of May 1938. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain believed Hitler's intentions were limited and that Sudeten grievances were justified. The British appointed Lord Runciman as mediator to persuade Beneš to agree to a plan acceptable to the Sudeten Germans. On the 7th of September, Sudeten Germans broke off negotiations and violence ensued. On the 15th of September, Henlein flew to Germany and demanded the takeover of the Sudetenland. The Munich Agreement was signed on the 29th of September 1938 by Germany, Italy, France, and Britain. The Czechoslovak government capitulated on the 30th of September despite army opposition.
The Slovak State broke off from Czechoslovakia on the 14th of March 1939. Hungary annexed Carpathian Ruthenia the following day. President Emil Hácha met with Hitler in Berlin on the 14th of March 1939 under duress. Göring threatened to bomb Prague if resistance continued. Hácha suffered a heart attack during these negotiations. By four o'clock he had effectively signed away his country's independence. On the 16th of March, Hitler proclaimed the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia from Prague Castle. German troops entered the remaining Czech parts of Czechoslovakia on the 15th of March 1939 meeting practically no resistance except at Místek where Karel Pavlík commanded an infantry company. The British historian Victor Rothwell noted that seized gold reserves were invaluable in staving off Germany's foreign exchange crisis. Germans also seized all factories for making weapons including nearly 500 tanks and 1600 aircraft. The occupation ended when Germany surrendered at the end of World War II.
Edvard Beneš led the Czechoslovak government-in-exile while František Moravec headed military intelligence. They organized and coordinated a resistance network throughout the war years. Operation Anthropoid was the most important event of this resistance movement. It involved the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich who served as Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia. Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš carried out the operation on the 27th of May 1942. Hitler ordered the arrest and execution of 10,000 randomly selected Czechs following the attack. Over 10,000 people were arrested and at least 1,300 executed. According to one estimate, 5,000 were killed in reprisals. The Nazis completely destroyed the villages of Lidice and Ležáky. All men over 16 years from these villages were murdered. Women and children were sent to Nazi concentration camps where many died. The democratic groups formed the Central Committee of the Home Resistance in early 1940. This committee cooperated with Soviet intelligence organizations in Prague.
Hitler's fury after the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich led to brutal retaliation campaigns. The Nazis destroyed the village of Lidice entirely. All men over 16 years old from the village were murdered. The rest of the population was sent to Nazi concentration camps. Many women and nearly all children perished there. Similar destruction occurred in the nearby village of Ležáky. At least 1,300 executions followed the initial arrests. One estimate suggests 5,000 deaths resulted from these reprisals. The German occupation authorities also carried out massacres in Trhová Kamenice and Javoříčko even near war's end. These actions demonstrated the extreme nature of Nazi policy toward Czech resistance. The government-in-exile later demanded ethnic cleansing as a response to such terror. Most Czech resistance groups supported deportation of ethnic Germans following these events.
The Slovak National Uprising began in August 1944 centered at Banská Bystrica. Rebel Slovak Army forces numbered approximately 18,000 soldiers initially. This force grew to 47,000 after mobilization on the 9th of September 1944. Later it reached 60,000 plus 20,000 partisans. German troops disarmed the Eastern Slovak Army in late August which significantly decreased rebel power. Many members of this force were sent to concentration camps while others escaped to join partisan units. Thirty-two nations participated in supporting the uprising including Soviet Union, United Kingdom, US, France, Poland, and Czech Republic. A provisional Czechoslovak government was established in Košice on the 4th of April 1945. On the 5th of May 1945, the Prague uprising began spontaneously. Over 1,600 barricades were erected throughout the city. Some 30,000 Czech men and women battled for three days against 40,000 German troops backed by tanks and aircraft. The German Wehrmacht capitulated on the 8th of May. Soviet troops arrived on the 9th of May ending the occupation.
The Beneš decrees dealt with the status of ethnic Germans and Hungarians in postwar Czechoslovakia. These laws laid ground for deportation of some 3 million Germans and Hungarians from their homeland. Approximately 700,000 to 800,000 Germans were affected by wild expulsions between May and August 1945. The official expulsion according to Potsdam Conference proceeded from the 25th of January 1946 until October that year. An estimated 1.6 million ethnic Germans were deported to what became West Germany. Another 800,000 went to the Soviet zone becoming East Germany. Several thousand died violently during these transfers while many more died from hunger and illness. A joint commission stated deaths caused by violence amounted to approximately 10,000 persons killed. Another 5,000 to 6,000 people died of unspecified reasons related to expulsion making total victims around 15,000 to 16,000 excluding suicides which added another 3,400 cases. About 225,000 Germans remained in Czechoslovakia though 50,000 emigrated or were expelled soon after.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
Why did Germany decide to occupy Czechoslovakia in 1937?
Germany decided to seize Czechoslovakia on the 5th of November 1937 to secure essential raw materials like iron, oil, chrome, and nickel for its armament program. The Four-Year Plan had strained foreign exchange reserves, making it necessary to import these resources from abroad.
What happened during the Munich Agreement signed on the 29th of September 1938?
The Munich Agreement was signed by Germany, Italy, France, and Britain on the 29th of September 1938 to allow the takeover of the Sudetenland. The Czechoslovak government capitulated on the 30th of September despite opposition from its army.
How did the German occupation end in May 1945?
German troops entered the remaining Czech parts of Czechoslovakia on the 15th of March 1939 and occupied the country until the Wehrmacht surrendered on the 8th of May 1945. Soviet troops arrived on the 9th of May 1945 to officially end the occupation following the Prague uprising.
Who carried out Operation Anthropoid against Reinhard Heydrich?
Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš carried out Operation Anthropoid on the 27th of May 1942 to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich who served as Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia. This event triggered brutal retaliation campaigns including the destruction of Lidice and Ležáky.
What were the consequences of the Beneš decrees for ethnic Germans after World War II?
The Beneš decrees laid the ground for the deportation of approximately 3 million Germans and Hungarians from their homeland between 1945 and 1946. An estimated 1.6 million ethnic Germans were deported to West Germany while another 800,000 went to East Germany.