Reinhard Heydrich`s Assassination

Volume 6, Issue 33
1 May, 2014
Price: Free!
Reinhard Heydrich’s Assassination
by Gracie Hull
Reinhard Heydrich died on June 4th, 1942. The
assassination of Heydrich was called the Anthropoid
mission, and was one of the most carefully planned
murders in history. Heydrich was a very high-ranked
Nazi during the Holocaust, and one of the major
organizers of the Final Solution, the Nazis plan to
annihilate the Jews. He was a very dangerous man,
and the Czechs, as well as the British, knew that he had
to be eliminated. He was too dangerous to stay alive
and so they formed Operation Anthropoid to rid the
world of this terrible person. Though this was very
dangerous and risky, his death warrant was signed and
the assassination was authorized to save many people
to come. The Anthropoids, the two men that carried out
the murder, were two Czechs by the names of Jan
Kubis and Josef Gabcik. These men had to do a lot of
work so that the mission would be executed correctly,
and they carried out the mission with a wireless and
coding team, and they were all led by Lieutenant
Bartos.
The team went to Prague, where Heydrich would
be killed. Together, they learned exactly where he
would be by studying, what he did every day, where he
went and when. They figured out that he would be permanently leaving Prague on May 27th, so on
that day they carried out their plan. Heydrich would have to slow down around a bend in the road, and
his unescorted Mercedes would be in perfect position. They got into position at 9:30 am on the side of
the road with their submachine guns and grenades. Gabcik was supposed to shoot Heydrich and the
driver with the submachine gun, but when the car came around at 10:31, the trigger was pulled but
was jammed because of grass in the breech. So Kubis threw the bomb at the car, which exploded
and shattered the door, and injured Heydrich. Everyone managed to escape and the mission was
deemed a success, because Heydrich died only 8 days later of gangrene.
Of course, upon finding out of Heydrich’s death, the Germans attacked the Czechs with a man
hunt, where over 10,000 were arrested and at least 1,300 executed. Every man aged 16-70 were
taken and shot during the mass retaliation. Women and children were taken away and most were
never heard from again. The Anthropoids knew this would happen, and went into hiding after the
mission was complete so they could be evacuated to England. They were found later though, when
the Gestapo found one of Lieutenant Bartos’s assistants, a 19 year old who they tortured. He broke
down after being shown his mother’s severed head and gave away their location. The Gestapo went
to the church where the Anthropoids were hiding and the two groups shot at each other. Everyone
there was shot, and the only person in their group left alive was the wireless operator, but was later
shot also when trying to make a transmission. When he died, the mission
closed.
Heydrich’s death was a huge blow to the Germans; they lost one of
their most important men. It took them a very long time to recover because
so many future plans involved him. The Anthropoid mission was one of the
most important we know of and helped the Allied cause during World War II
tremendously. Even though none of the group came out alive, they should
still be remembered for all that they did. His death may have caused killings
in retaliation, but many more lives were saved than if he had been
permitted to live longer. The terrible person that wrote the Final Solution
Scan to see the
would no longer harm others, a major victory for the Allies. The Czechs
SJHS
website and
were helped tremendously as well, and it was learned that the Nazis could
the back issues of
even possibly be broken when a major piece is gone. The Anthropoid
the Sentinel and
mission was a massive victory and should never be forgotten.
Years of War
About Endure
by Addie Erickson
Endure is a Historical Fiction story
about six different characters, that
participated in large aspects of WWII.
Endure is based off of real events, but
the characters are entirely my work. The
characters include Jane, a German
citizen who goes into hiding due to
conflict discussed in the story. Frederick,
a German boy who is forced to start
training in Hitler's Nazi Army. Lucy, an
American who moves in with her
grandfather after her father is called to
command a vessel. Hana, who is a
Japanese American, who is placed in an
internment camp. Paul, a researcher to
the President of the United States (he is
placed with the task of studying Japan,
on of the United states fiercest enemies).
And finally Davis a eager young, man
who enlists in the United States army.
Most of the secret are obviously
left untold for the sake of the story. If
you wish to read the whole story at once
click on the link below.
Without further adieu to the right
is an excerpt from Endure:
Jane
It was 1934 when the Führer took
full control of Germany. I can imagine
the day in perfect detail. My father’s
anxious face when he realized that Paul
von Hindenburg, leader of Germany, had
died. The fear that filled my mother’s
eyes when she began to hear of the
disappearances of friends and families.
However, for me, the worry began on
July 25th, 1935, my eighteenth
birthday.
The sky, like everything else, was
devoid of color that day. The sunlight
gasped desperately through the clouds.
I could sense the warmth against my
skin and yet I could feel nothing.
I should be happy, on day like
this, but it’s hard to celebrate when
you know the enemy is watching your
every move, waiting for the perfect
moment to take father away.
The children all laughed and ran
around in the pale grass. What I would
do to be young and carefree.
My father wringed his hands, his
face pained. His eyes shot in all
directions as though he was afraid
someone would hear what he was
thinking. I had seen this in his eyes
for months now, fear that rose from
deep within him.
Link to Endure – Full story
The Navajo Code Talkers
by Josh Gladish
The idea of using the language of the Navajo Indians as a code was brought forth by Philip Johnston during
WWII. Philip was the son of a missionary to the Navajo Tribe so he spent much of his time on the Navajo
reservation which was in northeastern Arizona, southeastern Utah, and northwestern New Mexico.
The Navajo tribe and many other tribes were on bad footing with the American government before the idea of
using their language as code. They were put through racism and onto reservations. The racism was displayed through
acts such as Indian children being beat by whites in
schools if they uttered a single word of their
language.
The Native Americans being forced into
reservations happened in the early days of the U.S.
becoming a country with the” Indian Removal Act”
and others. These acts would force the Indians onto
reservations where they had to stay. Also Native
Americans did not have the right of being a citizen of
the U.S. until around the 1900s.
So with racism and removal acts you would have
likely come to the conclusion that there was conflict
along with all of it and there was. In the very early
days of Americas exploration by many explorers
there sometimes be conflict with the tribes of an area.
A good example would be Lewis and Clark who
explored the Pacific Northwest. At some points when they split up into separate groups they would be attacked by
native tribes such as the Blackfoot Tribe. However, when they had been in a single group, along with Sacagawea,
they would not be attacked because women did not go on war parties so they weren’t attacked. However, most of
the tribes they encountered were friendly and helped them on their way unlike the Blackfoot.
Another popular example was the Whitman missionary family, but this case was mostly a mistranslation that
caused conflict between the Whitman’s and the Cayuse tribe. The Whitman’s had been helping with medicine and
also telling the Cayuse of the Bible. But when the Whitman’s came they brought with them diseases that the Native
Americans immune systems weren't able to fight so they would die. And the several Cayuse warriors had thought
they were killing them on purpose and not helping so they massacred them.
Even with all the racism, segregation, cruelty, and unjust seizure of their land the Navajos volunteered and helped
in the war. Also many other racial groups helped in the war included the men of the 442nd Regiment who were
among the most decorated soldiers and of the most decorated regiments. So in despite of racism and cruelty the
Navajos helped in WWII as code talkers although mainly in the pacific Major Howard Connor even says that "Were
it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima."
One day Philip saw an excerpt in the paper about an armored division in Louisiana looking for a code based on
Native American languages. This gave Philip the
idea of the Navajo code. He then voiced his idea to
Lt. Col. James E. Jones, the Area Signal Officer.
After Philip explained his idea of using a code
based on the Navajo language it was accepted and
the beginnings of creating it started.
However, the Navajos and other racial
groups had been through plenty of racism during
WWII. Also if a person from the Navajo tribe did
not know English and wished to go to school they
had to learn it. Even-so, 29 natives of the Navajo
tribe volunteered to join the army to help with
creating the Navajo Code and eventually sending
messages with it.
After going through training the 29 volunteers
Years of War
went to work on devising the Navajo Code.
Is written, edited, and designed by students in the Selah
The finished product was a code that would use the
School District, Washington State.
first letter of the English translation of a Navajo word as a
To reach us by phone, call (509) 697-0500 ext. 543
single letter. For example “Wol-La-Chee” (Ant) stood for the
Journalism Club Advisor: Mr. Bryan Dibble
letter A. Thus the Navajo Code was born and put into action
By mail at Years of War
from 1942-1945, but was not declassified for many more
411 N. First Street, Selah, WA 98942
years. Also they created a dictionary for the code, which had
Or email: [email protected]
to be memorized during training, and then 27 of them were
Have a copy mailed or emailed to you!
sent into the field to send and receive messages.
The Navajo code talkers took part in every Marine operation in the Pacific from 1942-1945, and played a critical
role in taking Iwo Jima and the battle of Guadalcanal. The Navajo code was an anomaly in the code world it was
unbreakable even when the Japanese captured Navajo soldiers. This was mostly because even if they knew what the
words meant there was still an actual code along with it.
There was also a full dictionary for the Navajo Code
which when completely finished consisted of over 600 terms
and a full alphabet. The dictionary even had a code for the
Marine Hymn which went like this: “Nin hokeh bi-kheh ana-ih-la Ta-al-tso-go na-he-seel-kai Nih-bi-kah-gi do tah
kah-gi Ta-al-tso-go en-da-de-pah Tsi-di-da-an-ne ne-tay-yah
Ay be nihe hozeen Washindon be Akalh Bi-kosi-la Ji-lengo
ba-hozhon” (Sourced from http://www.history.navy.mil)
however, that is only the first verse. At the end of the war
there were over 400 Navajo Code Talkers that had helped
send and receive messages from other code talkers.
The Navajo Code provided a possibility that other
codes didn’t. The Navajo Code was unbreakable for any
person who did not know the language and the Japanese
didn’t, also even for those who did know the language it was
nonsense.
The Fall of Ancient Greece
By Maggi Bahr
Ancient Greece lasted within the Archaic period and the end of Antiquity (700 BC to 146 AD). This
period within Greece’s history is following the dark ages. During its height, many civilizations were influenced
by the Greeks. Greek colonies spread around the Black Sea, the Aegean sea, into southern Italy, parts of Sicily
and as far as Iberia (current day Spain). This spread their culture far and wide across Europe.
A major problem that led to their downfall is the city-state structure that formed Greece during this
time. There were over 1500 city states in Greece. The flaw in this was that each city-state viewed themselves
as independent. This caused
vulnerability against nations who
wanted to conquer Greek lands. The
opposing nation could pick off citystates and the others would not
help. This left most of them
defenseless, without help.
One conflict that was a
product of this is the Peloponnesian
War. Athens and Sparta turn on
each other in a civil war. It is said
that Sparta feared the rising power
of Athens and struck out feeling
threatened. Athens and Sparta had
been in a treaty at the time. Athens violated this treaty by
allying with Corcyra, which was an important Corinth
colony. Sparta threatens Athens with war, but Athens
doesn’t back down.
Athens and Sparta are the main powers during this
war. Athens was allied with most island or coastal states
and nations on the North and East shores of the Aegean
Sea. Sparta was allied with Corinth, Central Greece, and the
majority of the land powers of the Peloponnese. Athens’
strength is within its navy, while Sparta’s strength is within
their army. Both powers are at a disadvantage to the other.
During the war, there is a total of six years of truce.
In 430 BC, Athens succumbs to a plague that
destroys the city. Between one third and two thirds of the
people within Athens died. This created a weakness that
most likely led to their defeat. Athens surrendered in 404
BC. Sparta’s terms included Athens being forced to take
down their city walls, give up their navy, and their overseas
possessions.
Greece continues to be drawn into war after this
including the Corinthian War. The governmental structure
is weak after the Peloponnesian War. While Greece is still scrambling to put itself back together, Rome has
become a great power to be reckoned with. Rome annexes Greece, taking many of the powerful city-states in
146 BC. Many of the city-states are allowed to live normally under Roman power. They are allowed to
continue many Greek traditions and maintain their
culture under the Romans. Their lives’ continue this way
until the 600’s AD, due to the rise of Christianity.
Segregation in
the Army
Do you think it is fair to fight for a country, that
you are not accepted or welcomed in? Knowing
that when you are off fighting for your country, your
family is at home suffering in a internment camp,
and they were put there by your government officials? Well that is what the Japanese soldiers
went through. There race of the Asians went through a lot of discrimination and heart-ache,
created by the Americans, before and after
Pearl Harbor! Though the Asians went through
a lot of conflicts over the years, I feel the
biggest conflict was during the Pearl Harbor
era, and the conflict was segregation in the
Army.
The segregation between Americans and
Japanese started off, in the forever
remembered, Pearl Harbor. After the bombing
and during World War II the Japanese
descendants were forced out of their
homes and into internment camps, which
is described as a nicer form of a
concentration camp. This all started the
conflict of Army segregation. The
Americans were running out of forces
and soldiers to take into battle in the
growing war, so they went to the
Japanese inmates. The male inmates
ranging from the age of 19 to 40 were
asked to volunteer to put there life on the
line for a country that is not accepting
some of their own citizens.
Most of the Japanese Americans that
were sent to the camps were just that,
Americans. They were legalized citizens,
but Japanese descendants. Some even
just ⅙ Asian blood (that would be a
great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother or grandfather) were sent to the camps. In the
camps they were treated very poorly, with unfit living facilities, minimum food allowance, and no
outside contact. Then the government went a step further by, asking for volunteers to be in the
armed forces. This is where my main conflict comes into play. How can you feel that someone is
not thought of as an American, but they are good enough to fight for the country that is currently
wronging them?
The people that were fighting for our country, and being highly honored (regiment 442 and the
100th were some of the most highly decorated regiments),were having family members, friends
and lifelong partners, sent away from their home and forced to live in unworthy conditions. Even
though the American citizens we were putting in the internment camps, were born and raised in
America, spoke the language fluently, and had Americanized names ( EX: George, Fred, Steve)
they were thought of as the enemy, because they were a descendant of a culture that had
wronged America.
To conclude the conflict, of the brave Japanese Americans that fought not only for our lives,
but the families that were at home unsafe. Even though the Americans treated the Japanese
culture terribly, they still stood up by the thousands to protect our country, and there honor.