Hundreds gather in Prague to honour Operation Anthropoid paratroopers

Hundreds of people gathered at the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Prague on Thursday to commemorate seven Czechoslovak paratroopers involved in the assassination of Nazi governor Reinhard Heydrich. Politicians, veterans and members of the public took part in the ceremony, which marked 84 years since the men's deaths.

The paratroopers, including Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík of Operation Anthropoid, carried out the attack on Heydrich on May 27, 1942. The acting Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia died from his injuries a week later.

Following the assassination, the Nazis launched brutal reprisals, including the destruction of Lidice and Ležáky. The paratroopers hid in the church crypt before being discovered by the Gestapo and killed after a lengthy battle.