Karel Čurda | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1911-10-10)10 October 1911 |
| Died | 29 April 1947(1947-04-29) (aged 35) |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | (until 1942) Nazi Germany (from 1942) |
| Branch | (until 1942) |
| Rank | Sergeant Major |
| Unit | Out Distance (SOE) |
| Conflicts |
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| Criminal information | |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Conviction | Treason |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Imprisoned at | Pankrác Prison |
Karel Čurda (10 October 1911 – 29 April 1947) was aCzech resistance fighter who later became aNazi collaborator duringWorld War II. He infamously informed on the assassins ofReinhard Heydrich, who were later all cornered and killed.
A soldier of theCzechoslovak army in exile, Čurda was parachuted into theprotectorate in 1942 as a member of the sabotage groupOut Distance. Later that year, he betrayed the Czechoslovak army agents responsible for theassassination of topNazi officialReinhard Heydrich inPrague.[1] His reward was 10,000,000Kronen or 1 million Reichsmarks[2][3] and a new identity, "Karl Jerhot." He married a German woman and spent the rest of the war as aGestapo collaborator.[citation needed]
After the war, Čurda was tracked down and arrested. When asked in court how he could betray his comrades, he reportedly answered, "I think you would have done the same for 1 million marks."[4] He was found guilty oftreason andhanged on 29 April 1947 atPankrác Prison, alongside fellow collaboratorViliam Gerik.[5]
Modern Czech historian Jiří Plachý gave a different account of his personality and motives.[6] According to research, Čurda stayed with his family inSouth Bohemia in the immediate aftermath of the assassination. That put him under huge pressure as he knew the Nazis could wipe out his whole family or village, just as they had wiped outLidice andLežáky. It is posited that this was the key factor in his actions.[5][7]
In the filmOperation Daybreak (1975), Čurda is portrayed byMartin Shaw. InAnthropoid (2016), he was portrayed by Jiří Šimek.[8] InThe Man with the Iron Heart (2017), he was portrayed byAdam Nagaitis.
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