Operation: Daybreak

In late 1941, General František Moravec, Nigel Stock commands three Czech partisans, Jan Kubiš, Timothy Bottoms, Jozef Gabčík, Anthony Andrews, and Karel Čurda, Martin Shaw, who were trained by the British, to undertake what is described as the war’s most important operation. Reinhard Heydrich, Anton Diffring, the ruthless Reich Protector in Prague, is seen as a potential successor to Hitler if the Fuhrer were to die. The men parachute into occupied Czechoslovakia, but their landing is not as planned: Gabčík injures his foot and Čurda lands several miles away. After regrouping with Čurda, they head to Prague and are offered refuge by the Moravec family: aunt Marie, Diana Coupland, and her son Ata, Kim Fortune, and daughter Jindřiška, Pavla Matejovska, where they start to plan the assassination.

The first attempt on Heydrich on his departing train is thwarted. Under vigilance from Gabčík, Anthony Andrews Kubiš, Timothy Bottoms, hides in a control room and aims his rifle, but a passing train blocks the trajectory. They devise a new plan to shoot Heydrich as his car slows down on a bend in the road during his regular morning drive into Prague from his country residence. When Heydrich approaches, Gabčík’s gun jams, and he runs, pursued by Heydrich’s driver. Kubiš, who is nearby, then throws a grenade at the car, injuring Heydrich, who later dies in the hospital from mortal wounds caused by the shrapnel.

A manhunt is launched as the Gestapo offers a large sum of money for tips. Čurda, Martin Shaw, fearing for his wife and child’s safety, surrenders and betrays Gabčík, Kubiš, and their group. The Moravec family is arrested after learning of Čurda’s betrayal. The paratroopers seek refuge in the crypt of Saints Cyril and Methodius Cathedral, but when the Germans locate them, a long battle ensues. The Germans try to force them out by gassing and flooding the crypt, and, knowing they cannot escape alive, the three assassins shoot each other in the flooded crypt.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 09:26