80 Years of Operation Anthropoid - Special Operations Executive (SOE)

Czechoslovak paratroopers Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš, who carried out Operation Anthropoid, as well as their commarades, who died heroically together with them in the Church of St. Cyril and Methodius in Prague, all underwent training by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE).

Special Operations Executive was a special section of the British intelligence service MI6, based on the initiative of Winston Churchill during World War II and focused on conducting combat by non-standard methods.

The organization was founded on July 22, 1940 with the aim of conducting intelligence and sabotage activities in the territory occupied by the Germans. For this activity, SOE trained specialists from both British citizens and citizens of countries occupied by Nazi Germany, including Czechoslovakia. They were then deployed them to the occupied territories with the task of obtaining and transmitting intelligence or conducting sabotage and terrorist acts.

About 300 Czechoslovak volunteers underwent very demanding training at STS (Special Training Schools) in Scotland. Of these, 127 later took part in airdrops on the then territory of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and the Slovak state, the others on the territory of Yugoslavia, France and Italy. SOE participated in these operations mainly by preparing and training candidates, but also by equipping them.

On Thursday, March 31, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in London hosted an official launch of George Bearfield's book - "Foursquare: The Last Parachutist", the story of one of the last SOE-trained paratroopers Jaroslav Bublík,. The introductory speech at the event was delivered by the Deputy Ambassador, Mr. Michal Strouhal