Prague, Karlova Street

the apartment of the Schmiedl spouses · Karlova 145/25, 110 00 Prague-Prague 1, Czech Republic

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There were nine of them, six ended up in hospital

Available in: English | Česky

On 20 December, 1941, eight Gestapo agents surrounded the house in Karlova Street, where the Schmiedl spouses had a studio apartment. Hiding in it was Václav Morávek, the last member of the resistance group "Three Kings", who was still at large by then. Everything was set up so as to make sure that V. Morávek would finally be arrested. When the men of the German secret police knocked on the door of the apartment, an elderly lady opened them. They immediately began to search the apartment. Morávek was lying in bed in the bedroom unclothed and unprepared. One of the Gestapo agents entered the bedroom and spotted Morávek, who readily pulled his gun from under the pillow and eliminated the Gestapo agent. He then quickly slammed the door and opened cover fire through it. The men of the Gestapo had to take cover and Václav Morávek was able to win some time in which he managed not only to get dressed, but also to escape from the apartment. On the stairs, he ran into another agent whom he rendered harmless with one shot. He was shot at but the bullet only lightly grazed his thigh. Václav Morávek accomplished something extraordinary and got out of this encirclement. He later reported to London: "nine came, six in hospital. By a miracle of God, I escaped without a scratch. The Gestapo's hiding the shame."

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Václav Morávek

Václav Morávek was born on 8 August, 1904, in Kolín, in the family of a grammar school professor. Since his youth, he was a Boy Scout and a deeply religious man. In 1925, he successfully completed the Military Academy in Hranice. After the occupation of Bohemia and Moravia in 1939, he was demobilized (he had the rank of a staff captain by then). He unsuccessfully tried to cross the border into Poland. As early as 1939, he joined the resistance organization Defense of the Nation in the region of Kolín. After his arrival in Prague, together with LtCol. Josef Balabán and LtCol. Josef Mašín, they created the intelligence/sabotage group called "Three Kings". They carried out a number of sabotage and diversionary operations and maintained contacts with the Czechoslovak exile representation. Their boldest action became the bombing of the German Air Ministry and the police headquarters in Berlin. They also unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate Heinrich Himmler. Since the spring of 1940, Václav Morávek went into hiding since the Gestapo was on his heels. In spite of the huge risk, he managed to mock his pursuers from the German secret police. He also managed twice to escape from the encirclement of the Gestapo. Despite the arrest of his two associates from the group, he carried on his resistance activities. On 21 March, 1942, he was killed in a shootout with agents of the Gestapo.

Prague, Karlova Street

Available in: English | Česky

Since the beginning of December 1941, Václav Morávek had rented the apartment from the elderly Schmiedl spouses in Karlova Street, House No. 25. His hideout was revealed by one of his associates who had been tortured during his interrogation by the Gestapo. Václav Morávek managed to escape from the encirclement of the Gestapo but he had to leave all of his personal belongings behind. Reinhard Heydrich had to inform Adolf Hitler about the unsuccessful raid in 1942.

On this place

There were nine of them, six ended up in hospital

Václav Morávek