Operation Anthropoid was a significant military operation planned during World War II to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, the Nazi officer who was one of the main architects behind the Holocaust and a high-ranking SS official. He served as the Acting Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, overseeing the Nazi regime's brutal repression of the Czech population. The plans for this operation were devised in 1941 by the Czechoslovak government-in-exile, which was based in London, in collaboration with British intelligence agencies, notably the Special Operations Executive (SOE), which aimed to facilitate resistance throughout occupied Europe.

Czech soldiers Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš were selected for the mission after rigorous training. The operation commenced with an extensive preparation period, which was filled with challenges, including the need to navigate German intelligence, heavy fortifications, and widespread fear among the Czechoslovak people. On May 27, 1942, the operation led to a successful attack on Heydrich's convoy using a combination of firearms and explosives while he was traveling through the streets of Prague. The immediate implications were profound, and though the operation was seen as a tactical success, it spurred severe reprisals from the Nazis against the Czech population, leading to mass executions and village obliterations.

The plot to assassinate Heydrich underscored the resolve of the Czechoslovaks to combat the tyranny of Nazi rule. Furthermore, this assassination drew international attention to the resistance movements occurring within occupied Europe, as it highlighted the lengths to which local populations would go to reclaim their independence. The aftermath of the operation instilled both fear and resolve within the occupied territories as the Nazi crackdown on resistance intensified, yet it also birthed hope among the populations oppressed by Nazi tyranny, symbolizing the fight for freedom and justice.