Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Formation
After the fall of Czechoslovakia in 1939, the Reich established the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia as a territory under direct German administration. Located in the heart of Europe and home to a key war industry, the protectorate became one of the most tightly monitored and controlled colonies of Berlin.
Leadership of Reinhard Heydrich
In 1941, Reinhard Heydrich, one of the top SS leaders, was appointed Reichsprotektor. Known as the Butcher of Prague, Heydrich ruled with ruthless brutality:
- Implemented a system of police terror under the Gestapo and SS, crushing all Czech resistance.
- Reorganized the economy to transform Bohemia and Moravia into an arsenal of the Reich, exploiting the Skoda heavy industry and weapons factories.
- Pursued partial Germanization, classifying the population between “assimilable” and “irreconcilable enemies.”
- Turned Prague into a key administrative hub, housing his official residence, SS headquarters, and intelligence offices.
Military and Police Control
- Wehrmacht divisions maintained garrisons at strategic points.
- The Protectorate Police, composed of Czech collaborators, acted as auxiliary support for the SS.
- Labor camps were established for political prisoners and opponents.
Resistance and Repression
The territory became a hotbed of nationalist and communist resistance. Heydrich responded with extreme measures:
- Mass executions and deportations to concentration camps in Germany and Poland.
- Collective punishments against villages accused of aiding partisans.
- An extensive surveillance system that made the protectorate one of the most controlled regions in Europe.
Strategic Importance
The protectorate was vital to the Reich due to:
- Industrial output: production of tanks, light weapons, and ammunition.
- Geographic location: a logistical hub in the center of the continent.
- Occupation model: presented by Heydrich as proof of how a “hostile” territory could be subdued through repression, Germanization, and economic exploitation.
Situation in 1946
After the German victory in Europe, Bohemia and Moravia remained under direct Reich control. Reinhard Heydrich, strengthened by his role in war and repression, ruled the protectorate as an absolute viceroy, becoming one of the most powerful figures of the Nazi apparatus on the continent. Resistance had been crushed, though small clandestine groups still operated in the mountains and rural areas.
The protectorate, though subdued by force, was regarded as an industrial and strategic jewel of the Reich, with Heydrich as its dark overlord.
