The most feared man of the Nazi elite.Two Czechoslovakian patriots who are ready to risk their own lives to stop him.The most daring assassination of WW2.“You are tasked with a mission of the utmost importance. As you know, Reich Protector Reinhard Heydrich is one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany as of now. He’s efficient in his methods, ruthless, extremely intelligent, and can’t be … intelligent, and can’t be underestimated. A man like him will give you only one chance to kill him; if you don’t use it, he’ll kill you and it won’t be a fast and merciful death.”
The Gestapo chief and the man, whom Hitler himself calls The Man with the Iron Heart, arrives in Prague and soon earns himself a name of The Hangman among its population. When the order comes from London calling the Czech resistance to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, they have to decide fast, what is stronger: self-preservation or heroic death in the name of freedom.
“We can’t die tonight. Fate wouldn’t allow us to die before we complete our mission. Heydrich’s appointment as the Protector has perverted the very sense of the word. He’s not the Protector; we are. We are coming to restore the correct order of things, how they should be. When the strong protect the weak, not when the strong bully everyone who goes against them into blind submission, or hangs them regardless of age, sex, class or origin. No, we can’t die. Otherwise, this whole world won’t make sense to me anymore.”
Based on true events, “Killing the Hangman” follows Josef Gabčík’s and Jan Kubiš’s training in Britain, their parachute drop into Czechoslovakia, and the eventual planning of the assassination itself. It also provides an intimate glimpse into a life of Heydrich himself, his recent appointment, the infamous Wannsee Conference, and the eventual death.
(Formerly a part of a USA Today bestselling anthology “The Darkest Hour”)
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From the very first page, I was gripped. Ellie has a way of telling a story that puts you right into the moment and you can see everything as it happens. That’s not a talent that many people have, but Ellie is at the very top of that talent list.
This story is about two best friends who are given such an important mission, and while one second-guesses himself the whole way, he knows that what he does has to be done for the greater good. Jan and Jozef are two of my absolute favorite characters right now because they knew there was a chance of failure, and they took the steps toward succession anyway. They were with each other every step of the way and even though I didn’t think it could happen, I found myself smiling at the end. I say that for no other reason than the heartbreak I felt while “watching” the events unfold.
Two British trained Czech resistance fighters return home to assassinate the German Protector, Reinhard Heydrich.
This tightly written fictional account of the assassination of one of the creators of the “Final Solution” during World War 2 is an engaging and fascinating account of how it could have been. Ms. Midwood puts us right into the heart of the action and makes us feel like we are watching history unfold. Like a all good novellas, it focuses on critical event and does not try to bring in unnecessary information.
Well done.
I read this a while go and realized I never wrote a review, so here we go! This novella by Ellie Midwood follows Jan and Jozef who take part in Operation Anthropoid, the mission to kill Reinhard Heydrich. It’s based off a true story and while some may be weary of reading a story that has been told several times over the past few decades, I would urge them to read it anyways. Ms. Midwood has a unique talent in that she can really get the reader inside the heads of the characters and make those characters realistic, even evil characters like Heydrich (who I thought she portrayed very realistically and wasn’t cliche). By the time the story came to an end, I felt like I had read something unique and interesting and I was very sad it was over.
In short, you should give this novella a read. It’s short, interesting, and written wonderfully.
It’s a great story that will have you captivated from the beginning. The story takes place in Germany occupied Czechoslovakia, where the monstrous German Protector, known as The Hangman, reigns with arrogance and an iron fist as he uses his position to eradicate both the Czechs culture and assimilate German ways to the people, while plotting the eradication of the Jews. SEO soldiers Jan and Josef have been given the assignment to enter their homeland and assassinate The Hangman. Will the duo accomplish their mission or will some mishap befall the man during their attack against the young evil God of death? Read and find out. I highly recommend this one!