everything—to show them that we’ll fight back, an eye for an eye. This is your mission. You must go back to our homeland, the two of you, so that you can support each other. This will be necessary because, for reasons that will become clear, this is a task you must complete without the collaboration of our compatriots. I mean to say that you won’t receive any real help until your mission has been accomplished. Afterward, you will get plenty of assistance from them. You must decide yourselves how to accomplish your mission, and how long it will take you to do so. You will be equipped with everything we are able to give you. But, for your part, you must act with prudence and consideration. I don’t need to repeat that your mission is of great historic importance and that the risks are high. To succeed, you must rely on your own skill. We’ll talk more about this when you come back from your special training. As I’ve said, the task is serious. You should therefore consider it with an open and loyal heart. If you have any doubts about what I’ve said, tell me.”
Gabcik and Svoboda have no doubts. And if the high command was perhaps still hesitating over the choice of target (as Moravec’s speech would suggest), the two of them already know which way their hearts incline them. It’s the Hangman of Prague—the Butcher, the Blond Beast—who must pay.
128
Captain Sustr is talking to Gabcik. “The news isn’t good.” Following a parachute accident that occurred during a training jump, Svoboda—the second man of Operation Anthropoid, the Czech—is still suffering from persistent migraines. He’s been sent to London to be examined by a doctor. Gabcik must complete his preparation alone, but he already knows that Anthropoid has been postponed. His partner will not go with him. “Do you know anyone among the men here capable of replacing him?” the captain asks.
“Yes, Captain, I know someone,” Gabcik replies.
Jan Kubis can now make his entry upon the great stage of history.
129
I’m now going to paint a portrait of the two heroes with much less hesitation than before, as all I need to do is quote directly from the British Army’s personnel reports:
JOZEF GABCIK:
A smart and well-disciplined soldier.
Not the brain of some others, slow at acquiring knowledge.
Thoroughly reliable and very keen, with plenty of common sense.
Self-confidence in practical work but lacks it as far as brain is concerned.
Good leader when sure of his ground and obeys orders to the last detail. He is surprisingly good at signalling.
Also appears to have technical knowledge, perhaps of use (worked in poison gas factory).
Physical training: very good
Fieldcraft: good
Close combat: very good
Weapon training: good
Explosives: good 86%
Communication: very good 12 words/min in Morse code
Reports: very good
Map reading and sketching: fair 68%
Driving:
bike yes
motorbike no
car yes
JAN KUBIS:
A good reliable soldier, quiet, comes in for a certain amount of good-natured teasing.
Physical training: very good
Fieldcraft: good
Close combat: very good
Weapon training: good
Explosives: good (90%, slow in practice and instructions)
Communication: good
Reports: good
Map reading and sketching: very good (95%)
Driving: bike motorbike car
You can’t imagine my joy at discovering this document at the army museum in Prague. Natacha is the only one who could describe it to you, as she saw me feverishly copy down these precious notes.
These reports allow us to sketch the contrasts in style and personality between the two friends: Gabcik, the small one, is a fiery ball of energy, while Kubis, the tall one, is more thoughtful and easygoing. All the witness accounts I’ve found support this view. What it meant in concrete terms is that they were allocated different tasks: Gabcik got the machine gun, and Kubis the explosives.
Other than that, what I know of Gabcik leads me to believe that the officer who wrote the report scandalously underestimated his intellectual capacities. And my feeling is corroborated by Gabcik’s boss, Colonel Moravec, who writes in his memoirs:
During the training, he showed himself to be talented, clever and cheerful, even in the most difficult situations. He was open, warm-hearted, enterprising and resourceful. A natural born leader. He overcame all the difficulties of training without ever complaining and with excellent results.
About Kubis, on the other hand, Moravec confirms that he was
slow in his movements, but with great stamina and perserverance. His instructors noted his intelligence and imagination. He was very disciplined, discreet and reliable. He was also very calm, reserved and serious—the complete opposite of Gabcik’s merry, outgoing personality.
This book,
130
“If you’re lucky enough to escape death during the assassination attempt, you will have two options: try to survive inside the country, or attempt to cross the border and make your way back to the base in London. Both possibilities are extremely risky, considering the likely reaction of the Germans. But to be perfectly honest, the most probable outcome is that you will be killed on the spot.”
Moravec summons the two men separately, in order to give them the same speech. Neither shows any emotion.
For Gabcik, the mission is a war operation, and the risk of being killed goes with the job.
