unhistorical:

May 27, 1942: An assassination attempt on Reinhard Heydrich is carried out in Prague.

While serving as Acting Reich Protector of Bohemia in Moravia (in the place of Konstantin von Neurath, who he viewed as too “soft” on the Czechs), Reinhard Heydrich earned the nickname “the Butcher of Prague” for his brutal efficiency in dealing with local resistance. The Czech government-in-exile, then based in London, selected Heydrich as a target for assassination in 1941. Later that year, a British-trained group of Czechoslovak soldiers led by Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš were airlifted into Czechoslovakia to carry out the assassination attempt - code-named Operation Anthropoid. 

On the morning of May 27, 1942, Heydrich was making his daily commute from the town of Panenské Břežany to Prague Castle in an open-topped car, when he was stopped by one of the Czech agents.  Gabčík fired at Heydrich, and Kubiš threw a grenade at his vehicle, launching shrapnel at the passengers; Heydrich, though injured, gave chase to the assassins before collapsing from shock. The assassins escaped believing that their attempt on Heydrich’s life had failed.

They needn’t have worried, however - Heydrich died from his injuries a week later. The subsequent retaliation on nearby villages was swift and severe, to put it lightly.

sticksandsharks:

Wilłak [VEEL-wahk], alternatively Wilgłoda [veel-GWOH-dah]; his name, a fusion of the words “wilk” and “łaknienie”/”głód” could be translated as “The Hunger Wolf”.

I had to take a quick break from some mandatory artstuff and drew up this concept design for my pet project Slava, a kind of re-imagining of pagan Slav mythology. This particular design wasn’t influenced by any particular creature in Slavic folklore, but I felt he could fit into the setting.

Thought our followers might find this interesting.

lunacylover:

Winged Hussars armor, Polish Army Museum in Warsaw.

(Source: moment-decydujacy.pl)

Hello everyone! Mod T here wishing you a happy V-E Day! : ) Not only that, but it’s Tuesday, and as is Tumblr customary, it is TMI Tuesday.
…of course, this is a history/info blog, so let’s keep that on track, hm?

Right here I have some books on my reading list that I’d like to personally recommend as an enthusiast and could possibly help some of you out looking for new resources! From top to bottom:

Nations in Transition series — Hungary (Second Edition) by Raymond Hill. Excellet history, a bit more than rudimentary, as well as content on politics, media, socio-cultural ideals, and the like.
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Austria-Hungary & the Successor States: a Reference from the Renaissance to the present by Eric Roman. EXCELLENT insight on Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia (yes, it does talk about the dissolutions as well). Has a glossary in the back of important figures from all the above countries.
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Red Horizons by Lt. Gen. Ion Mihai Pacepa. Who better to write about the illicit going-ons during the Ceauşescu regime than the highest ranking defector from the Soviet bloc AND former head of Romanian intelligence?
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The World Today series — Nordic, Central, and Southeastern Europe by Wayne C. Thompson. Very concise summaries of history, with insights into the future, as well as development of modern social and culture ideals and issues. The author visited ALL of these countries and educational institutes in them himself so it’s very reliable.
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Nations in Transition series — Romania (Second Edition) by Mark Sanborne. The author is an editor and writer who covered events in East Europe, among other regions, and gives excellent rudimentary Romanian history and then some. (This book was how I got my start on Romania.)
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The experience of World War I by J.M. Winter. Excellent collection of photographs and insight into WW1 with amazing information, such a generals and officers from each country’s military during the conflict, and focuses on ALL aspects of the first World War.

kralovnapiva:

The Hussites were Czech religious warriors who led a revolution that eventually led to the Protestant Reformation. They were named after Jan Hus.

Jan Hus had been greatly influenced by the writings of John Wycliffe, and he began conducting his sermons at Bethlehem Chapel in Prague in Czech rather than in Latin, so that the common man could understand them. He also advocated the giving of communion in both species, and was critical of the church for its excessive policies - of amassing wealth, selling indulgences, and allowing the rich to tithe their way out of even mortal sins.

Even as these ideas were gaining popularity in the Czech lands, they were becoming most wildly unpopular in other areas of the Holy Roman Empire (especially the Vatican.) This led to the burning of Master Jan Hus at the stake at the Council at Constance on July 6, 1415 when he refused to recant his words and despite that he had letter of safe conduct from Wenceslas IV’s brother, Sigismund).

The brutal killing of Jan Hus only served to incense and unite his followers, who came to be known as the Hussites. 

The Hussites were highly critical of the abuses of the Roman Catholic Church, and, in the Four Articles of Prague, they demanded that 1) all believers be permitted to receive Communion in both species; 2) all mortal and public sins be punished equally, regardless of the sinner’s status 3) the Word of God be freely preached; and 4) the clergy give up their worldly wealth. 

The mighty Hussites, led by the one-eyed military genius, Jan Zizka, defeated five waves of crusaders in a row: in 1420, 1421, 1422, 1427, and in 1437. 

Actually, the fifth army of crusaders sent to battle the Hussites turned tail and fled before even catching sight of the famed warriors - because they were so terrified at hearing the refrain of the terrible Hussite battle song, “Ye Who Are Warriors of God.”

In addition to fear-inspiring songs and the other tricks the Hussites had up their sleeves, they also had the thing that matters most - conviction that their cause was the Just one. Their symbol was the chalice and their motto, “Truth Prevails.” (which is the official motto of the Czech Republic today). 

titodoingstuff:

Machineguns bringing happiness.

I, Mod T, would just like to bring this blog to light as the friggin’ best thing in the world as someone who loves humor and Yugoslav history. IT’S THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. Follow inmediatamente. ASAP. What have you.

fyeaheasterneurope:

Josip Broz Tito - May 7, 1892 - May 4, 1980

Born Josip Broz in what is now Croatia (but was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), was one of the most remarkable figures of the Cold War period. He got his start in the military in World War II, fighting for the Austro-Hungarians. But he was captured by the Russians and sent to a work camp in Russia. While he was there, the Russian Revolution broke out, the camp prisoners were freed by the Bolsheviks, and Tito (his chosen nom de guerre) ended up taking part in the Revolution. Upon returning to Yugoslavia, he joined the Yugoslav Communist Party.

During World War II, Tito commanded the Yugoslav Partisans, the guerrillas fighting against the Nazi occupation, and when the war ended, he became prime minister of the new Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Later, he served as president, but regardless of his title, until his death in 1980, Marshal Tito ran Yugoslavia.

A couple things about Tito:

• Under Tito, Yugoslavia was the only country to successfully break from the Soviet Union’s sphere of influence. Tito and Stalin did not get on, and in 1955, their alliance ended. Afterwards, Tito was one of the founders of the Non-Aligned Movement - the group of countries that refused to ally with either of the Cold War’s major players (the United States and the Soviet Union).
• It is generally believed that Tito was one of the major unifying factors that held Yugoslavia together. His rule promoted the idea of a national identity, the concept that it didn’t matter if you were Croatian or Slovenian or Montenegrin - you were a Yugoslav. There was always a certain amount of nationalism regardless, but it increased immensely following Tito’s death in 1980.

• 1895 – In Saint Petersburg, Russian scientist Alexander Stepanovich Popov demonstrates to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society his invention, the Popov lightning detector — a primitive radio receiver. In some parts of the former Soviet Union the anniversary of this day is celebrated as Radio Day.
• 1920– Kiev Offensive: Polish troops led by Józef Piłsudski and Edward Rydz-Śmigły and assisted by a symbolic Ukrainian force capture Kiev only to be driven out by the Red Army counter-offensive a month later.
• 1920 – Treaty of Moscow: Soviet Russia recognizes the independence of the Democratic Republic of Georgia only to invade the country six months later.
• 1960 – Cold War: U-2 Crisis of 1960 – Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announces that his nation is holding American U-2 pilot Gary Powers.
• 1999 – Pope John Paul II travels to Romania becoming the first pope to visit a predominantly Eastern Orthodox country since the Great Schism in 1054.
• 1999 – Kosovo War: In Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, three Chinese citizens are killed and 20 wounded when a NATO aircraft bombs the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.
• 2000– Vladimir Putin is inaugurated president of Russia

TODAY IN HISTORY. May 7, 1999. During the Kosovo War, when NATO had begun its offense and began airstrikes on targets in Serbia, five US bombs hit the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, killing three, wounding twenty, and sparking massive protests in China, calling the bombing campaign illegal. The reasons claimed for this action, according to the CIA, was the use of outdated maps, where there was no embassy pictured—only a warehouse, which is why then-President Bill Clinton authorized the strike in the first place. It is still unclear, however, whether NATO leaders themselves approved the strike or not. Alongside that, someone who had been briefed by officials published an account stating that he had been told, “the embassy and a Yugoslav arms factory look very similar” and were merely meters apart.

Photo: outraged Chinese citizens protest the bombing outside the US Embassy.

fyeaheasterneurope:

Happy birthday to Skanderbeg!

George Kastrioti Skanderbeg was born on May 6, 1405 to a noble Albanian family. His father was a vassal of the Ottomans to the east of Albania, and so his sons were drafted into the Ottoman army. Skanderbeg, his youngest son, rose to be a general in the Ottoman army, but in 1443 he deserted and returned to Albania to fight against his former comrades in arms.

Skanderbeg united the Albanian princes into a real fighting force and for the rest of his life led the defense of Albania against the ever-encroaching Ottomans. They besieged his castle at Krujë three times, but failed to take it every day.

Following Skanderbeg’s death in 1468, his son tried to keep the resistance alive, but by 1478 all of Albania was in Ottoman hands. It would remain so until 1912.

Skanderbeg is widely recognized as the greatest of all Albanian heroes. The double-headed eagle flag of Albania is based on Skenderbeg’s flag, and the central square in Tirana (with a statue of the man himself on horseback, of course) is named for him.

If you’re ever Albania, I highly recommend taking the short trek from Tirana to Krujë to see Skanderbeg’s fortress.