Josef Mašín (26 August 1896 – 30 June 1942) was an army officer of

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

and member of the

underground resistance Underground Resistance (commonly abbreviated to UR) are an American musical collective from Detroit, Michigan. Producing primarily Detroit techno since 1990 with a grungy four-track musical aesthetic, they are also renowned for their militant p ...

against the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...

. He was the father of Josef and Ctirad Mašín.

Biography

Josef Mašín was born in Lošany near

Kolín Kolín (; german: Kolin, Neu Kolin, Collin) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 32,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation. Administra ...

. He was a member of the

Czechoslovak Legions , image = Coat of arms of the Czechoslovak Legion.svg , image_size = 200px , alt = , caption = Czechoslovak Legion coat of arms , start_date ...

fighting in Russia (1916–1921) and later an officer in the Czechoslovak Army (commander of an artillery regiment). After the

occupation of Czechoslovakia Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment *Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, th ...

by Nazi Germany he, together with

Josef Balabán Josef Balabán (5 June 1894 – 3 October 1941) was a Czechoslovak soldier known for his involvement in the resistance movement against Nazi Germany during World War II. Life Balabán born in Obora gamekeeper's lodge in Dobříš. During Wor ...

and

Václav Morávek Václav Morávek (8 August 1904 – 21 March 1942) was a Czechoslovak Brigadier General and national hero, one of the best known personalities of the Czech antinazi rezistance and a member of the famous resistance group called the ''Three Kin ...

, formed a resistance group concentrated on intelligence gathering and sabotage. While more resistance groups existed, this one, aptly named '' Tři Králové'' (''

Three Kings The biblical Magi from Middle Persian ''moɣ''(''mard'') from Old Persian ''magu-'' 'Zoroastrian clergyman' ( or ; singular: ), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings, also the Three Magi were distinguished foreigners in the ...

''), is the most known among the Czech public. Mašín was captured by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...

on 13 May 1941. After being tortured, he twice attempted suicide. As part of the German retaliatory measures for the assassination of

Reinhard Heydrich Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich ( ; ; 7 March 1904 – 4 June 1942) was a high-ranking German SS and police official during the Nazi era and a principal architect of the Holocaust. He was chief of the Reich Security Main Office (inclu ...

he was shot and killed, aged 45. His body was disposed of at Strašnice Crematorium.Riskoval život, tajně zapisoval jména obětí nacistů. Teď o tom promluvil
/ref> His wife was imprisoned for several months. After the war, Josef Mašín received a posthumous promotion to brigadier general. His sons - then 13 and 15 years old - got Medals for "personal bravery during the war" from president

Edvard Beneš Edvard Beneš (; 28 May 1884 – 3 September 1948) was a Czech politician and statesman who served as the president of Czechoslovakia from 1935 to 1938, and again from 1945 to 1948. He also led the Czechoslovak government-in-exile 1939 to 194 ...

References

Rozhovor s Josefem Mašínem v DVTV

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Masin, Josef 1896 births 1942 deaths People from Kolín District People from the Kingdom of Bohemia Czechoslovak generals Czechoslovak Legion personnel Czech resistance members Resistance members killed by Nazi Germany People executed at Kobylisy shooting range Recipients of the Milan Rastislav Stefanik Order Executed military leaders