On 27 May 1942, at a tight street corner in Prague, two resistance parachutists - the Czech Jan Kubiš and the Slovak Jozef Gabčík stopped an open top car carrying the Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich with the intention of carrying out the most high profile assassination of the Second World War. The consequences - both personal and political - were enormous. Kubiš and Gabčík, together with five other parachutists, eventually found refuge in an orthodox church near the city centre, but they were betrayed by one of the other parachutists and all died in the shoot-out with the SS. My strong interest in the assassination is because it took place at the height of the wartime exploits of my Czech night fighter pilot father-in-law, so that I included a couple of paragraphs about it in my biography of him, and the church in which the assassins Kubiš and Gabčík died is literally at the end of the street in which my closest Czech friends live, so that I have visited it several times.The year after the assassination which made massive world news, Hollywood rushed out two films - "Hangmen Also Die" and "Hitler's Madman" - which gave highly fictionalised accounts of the event and its aftermath. In 1964, there was a Czech film called "Atentát". "Operation: Daybreak" - released in 1975 - therefore was the fourth project to bring this slice of history to the big screen. Although Czechoslovakia was still under communist control at the time, the largely British movie was shot on location in Prague with the support of Czech actors and technical crew. The main source material was "Seven Men At Daybreak", written by British author Alan Burgess and published in 1966, and the director is Lewis Gilbert who helmed three James Bond films around this time. Kubiš and Gabčík are played respectively by the American Timothy Bottoms and the British Anthony Andrews, while Heydrich - a major architect of the Final Solution - is portrayed by the German-born Anton Diffring whose father was in fact Jewish.Although much of the acting is merely average and most of the dialogue is somewhat stilted, unlike the earlier English-language films on this subject, "Operation: Daybreak" has an essentially accurate narrative, even if some characters are brought together and some events are invented for dramatic effect and, of course, much of the detail of the shoot-out in the church - which is especially well-done - must be speculative. I have seen the film three times now and still find it evocative and moving. The bravery of the parachutists and those who supported them, the brutality of the German reaction to the assassination, and the echoes of the events through post-war communist Czecholsvakia and the democratic Czech Republic underline the worthiness of this work.

SS General Reinhard Heydrich (Anton Diffring) was assassinated by Czech members of the British forces in 1942 and this well made film seeks to convey their story.Well crafted, Lewis Gilbert's film takes an understated approach allowing the story to tell itself. It's a powerful story and doesn't need embellishing, so the film benefits accordingly. However, certain touches do add to the emotion of the piece, such as a younger sister searching for her brother at a time of danger, but being unable to find him. It's a moving scene in a moving film.The cast are universally excellent. Timothy Bottoms and Anthony Andrews do well in straight forward roles, and Martin Shaw impresses in his more challenging role as Karel Curda. Anton Diffring does his Nazi impression to perfection. There may be one or two small changes to the story but this is a film, and not a documentary. Highly recommended.

Film based on the true story of the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich in Prague and was adapted from the book Seven Men at Daybreak by Alan Burgess . During World War 2 , in 1942 Czechoslovakia, SS-General Reinhard Heydrich (he was 38 when he was shot but Anton Diffring who was in his late fifties) is appointed by Hitler (George Sewell plays two parts in this movie; he is a German officer, seen at the film's climax and also, briefly he plays Hitler) to become the Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia , he is known as "The Butcher of Prague". As a squad of Czech expatriates formed by three soldiers : Jan Kubis (Timothy Bottoms) , Karel Curda , (Martin Shaw) and Jozef Gabcík (Anthony Andrews) are parachuted into Czechoslovakia in order to assassinate the German governor Reinhard Heydrich . The group is assigned a dangerous mission called Operation Daybreak ; it was designed by the Allies to eliminate a high-ranking Nazi (it is believed that Admiral Canaris passed crucial information to Allies for organizing the attack) . They are helped by partisans as Janák (Joss Ackland) , Anna (Nicola Pagett) and Pyotr (Vernon Dobtcheff) .On 27 May 1942, Heydrich proceeded on his daily commute from his home to Prague Castle. Gabčík and Kubiš waited at the tram stop at a tight curve . The spot was chosen because the curve would force the car to slow down . As Heydrich's open-topped Mercedes-Benz reached the curve, Gabčík stepped in front of the vehicle, trying to open fire, but his Sten gun jammed. Heydrich ordered his driver, SS-Oberscharführer Klein, to stop the car. When Heydrich stood up to try to shoot Gabčík, Kubiš threw a modified anti-tank grenade at the vehicle, and its fragments ripped through the car's right-rear fender, embedding shrapnel and fibres from the upholstery into Heydrich's body, even though the grenade failed to enter the car . The assailants initially hid with two Prague families and later took refuge in an Orthodox church dedicated to Saints Cyril and Methodius in Prague. The Germans were unable to locate the attackers until Karel Čurda of the "Out Distance" sabotage group was arrested by the Gestapo and gave the names of the team's local contacts for a bounty .The assassination of Heydrich was one of the most significant moments in the history of the resistance in Czechoslovakia and is considered to be the strongest act of defiance throughout occupied Europe. The act had such an impact that it led to the immediate dissolution of the Munich Agreement as signed by Great Britain and France, as well as Germany's ally Italy. Britain and France agreed that after the Nazis were defeated the annexed territory (Sudetenland) would be restored to Czechoslovakia. As Heydrich was one of the most important Nazi leaders, two large funeral ceremonies were conducted. The first one was in Prague, where the way to Prague Castle was lined by thousands of SS men with torches. The second was in Berlin attended by all leading Nazi figures, including Hitler, who placed the German Order and Blood Order medals on the funeral pillow. The betrayer Karel Čurda, after attempting suicide, was hanged in 1947 for high treason .It is based on the novel by Alan Burgess and on a true story that also was adapted by Fritz Lang, in 1943 'Hangmen Also Die' , Hitler's Madman (1943) and Atentat (1964). It explores the preparations, execution, and aftermath of this operation and the bloody revenge on the Lidice village . Operation Daybreak shows the operation leading up to Heydrich's death as well as the massive German reprisals that followed it . This movie was one of the few productions who took the time and the effort of duplicating WW2 German Tiger tanks, and since the film was set in the Czech republic, the filmmakers made use of Czech army equipment .One of the best things about this interesting film results to be its excellent recreation , shot in Prague and authentic scenarios, we have the full details of the events, the arrival of the command, the plan of attack, the realization of it, the Nazis retaliated with physical elimination of Lidice, and as they surrounded the Church of St. Cyril by the treachery of one of the components of the command . The picture contains an intriguing but inappropriate original music by David Hentschel composed by means of synthesizer . Furthermore a functional and atmospheric Cinematography by magnificent French director of photography Henri Decaë . The motion picture was professionally directed by Lewis Gilbert . Lewis was a craftsman and expert on all kind of genres such as comedy : ¨Shirley Valentine , Educating Rita , The admirable Chricton¨ ; Adventure : ¨The seventh dawn , The adventurers ¨ ; James Bond movies as as : ¨Moonraker , The spy who loved me , You only live twice¨ ; Drama : ¨Alfie , A cry from the streets¨ and wartime : ¨Damn the Defiant , Sink the Bismark¨ .

'Operation Daybreak' Which is based on a true story Is a criminally and largely Un-Seen ClassicOperation Daybreak, tells about the assassination of SS general Reinhard Heydrich,who was the inhumane,Reich protector assigned to Prague and Bohemia , Circa 1942,British intellegance informs The two men assigned to this perilous mission, that should Hitler die Heydrich, will Assume Hitler's place,The two men who carry out this deadly mission are The Last Picture Show's(Timothy Bottoms, And Martin Shaw (Tv's Judge john deed) The two who are Czech commandos's, are swiftly parachuted into Prague, Where they set about their plan which gets underway in no time,The mission unfortunately has it's unseen setbacks, Which sees Their target fatally wounded,and then come the massive reprisals, and the thrilling climax that has a bloody shootout in the church where the Partisans, are stationed, the film culminate's in the Churches's catacomb's to an excepitonally and emotionally driven end, Directed by Lewis Gilbert, (The Spy Who Loved Me, Educating Rita, Is a largely excellent production filmed on location in Prague itself, The film which is increasingly HARD to find Really does require a DVD,Urgently!!!