Alois Eliáš

 Alois Eliáš. This guy ↓

When Nazi Germany invaded and split Czechoslovakia, this Czech patriot and distinguished army general pretended to play along with the Nazis. Nazis thought that it would be a great idea to corrupt some well-respected character into a position of puppet prime minister in a newly created state of “Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.” This would give the puppet regime some legitimacy and Alois Eliáš seemed a perfect choice.

Not so quick. Eliáš was active in a number of underground resistance groups, trying to balance his two difficult roles. On one hand, he did all he could to slow down and alleviate repressive measures, while appearing loyal to the Nazi authorities, which grew harder and harder over time. On the other hand, he maintained an important role in informing the underground of future dragnets and passing on strategic intel.

Of course, he operated under a code name, so most of the underground web had actually no idea that Eliáš is still the patriot he always was and not a sell-out. Most of the country’s patriots hated his guts at the time, having no idea he’s one of the most important undercover agents. His prospects were quite pale - either he’ll be exposed by the Nazi’s and executed; alternatively, he had a solid chance of being executed as a collaborator in one of the many expeditious post-war trials. This is why I find him so inspiring; his heroism was truly unconditional - he didn’t expect anyone to see him as the hero he truly was, quite the contrary.

Now the most savage part

One day, Eliáš invited seven of the most sell-out, traitor, fanatic pro Nazi reporters for a press conference. He offered them some refreshments, including the ‘chlebíčky’ (khle-beech-key), a popular Czech delicacy:

Yeah, basically a fancied-up bread.

But Eliáš decided to spice up the chlebíčky a little bit for his very special guests. On the day of the press conference, Eliáš brought the chlebíčky to the office of his close friend and confidante, urologist Miloš Klika. Dr. Klika injected the chlebíčky with samples of typhus and tuberculosis bacteria, secretly cultivated at the Charles University, along with a pinch of botulinum toxin. However, only one of the seven Nazi journalists died, the rest of them either recovered or weren’t sick at all.

This splendid stunt, which went down the history as the Sandwich affair, ultimately cost Eliáš his life. It instigated an investigation by the Gestapo (Nazi police) and Eliáš was soon arrested, sentenced to death, and eventually executed in 1942. Needless to say, Eliáš never incriminated Klika. Klika died in Prague some 20 years later.

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