Lidice Destroyed: Nazi Retaliation Turns Village to Ashes
Nazi forces destroyed the Czech village of Lidice on June 10, 1942, in retaliation for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. SS troops shot all 173 men over age 15 against the wall of a farm building. Women were sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp; children were screened for "Aryan" features, with a handful adopted by German families and the remaining 82 children gassed at Chelmno. The village was burned, dynamited, and bulldozed; even the cemetery was dug up. The name was erased from all German maps. Rather than terrorizing the population into submission, the destruction of Lidice became a global symbol of Nazi brutality. Communities around the world renamed streets and towns "Lidice" in solidarity. The village was rebuilt after the war and a memorial now stands on the original site.
June 10, 1942
84 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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