Josef Balabán (5 June 1894 – 3 October 1941) was a

Czechoslovak Czechoslovak may refer to: *A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93) **First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38) **Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39) **Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60) **Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...

soldier known for his involvement in the

resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objective ...

against

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Life

Balabán born in Obora gamekeeper's lodge in

Dobříš Dobříš (; german: Doberschisch) is a town in Příbram District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,700 inhabitants. It is located south of Prague, and it is a part of the Prague metropolitan area. Administrat ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he joined the

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

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. Later, he served as an artillery officer in the Czechoslovak Army, then as a staff officer and at the Ministry of Defense (reaching the rank of lieutenant-colonel). After Germany occupied the remainder of

Czech lands The Czech lands or the Bohemian lands ( cs, České země ) are the three historical regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia. Together the three have formed the Czech part of Czechoslovakia since 1918, the Czech Socialist Republic since 1 ...

in March 1939, Balabán started to cooperate with the resistance group

Obrana národa Obrana národa (ON) (English: ''Defence of the Nation'') was a Czech resistance organization that fought against the German occupation from 1939 to 1945. It opposed Nazi rule in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. The group was founded by Ge ...

(''Defense of the nation'') that had been organized by former army officers. Beginning in the summer of 1939 he was one of the leaders of the organization. Together with

Josef Mašín Josef Mašín (26 August 1896 – 30 June 1942) was an army officer of Czechoslovakia and member of the underground resistance against the Nazis. He was the father of Josef and Ctirad Mašín. Biography Josef Mašín was born in Lošany near Ko ...

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 ...

, Balabán was part of the group known as the

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 G ...

(''Tři králové''), which carried out intelligence gathering and sabotage. The group continued in communication with

Paul Thümmel Paul Thümmel (15 January 1902 – 20 April 1945), aka Agent A-54, was a German double agent who spied for Czechoslovakia during World War II. He was a high-ranking member of the German military intelligence organisation, the '' Abwehr'', and was ...

(agent A-54), a Nazi intelligence officer also working as a spy for Czechoslovakia. The most visible acts of sabotage were two bomb attacks carried out in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

: one in January 1941 against the Ministry of Air Travel (''

Reichsluftfahrtministerium The Ministry of Aviation (german: Reichsluftfahrtministerium, abbreviated RLM) was a government department during the period of Nazi Germany (1933–45). It is also the original name of the Detlev-Rohwedder-Haus building on the Wilhelmstrasse ...

'') and police headquarters, and the second in February 1941 in the Berlin-Anhalt rail station, which was intended to kill

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...

. On 22 April 1941 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 organi ...

captured Balabán in Prague after a brief gunfight. In spite of being tortured he did not disclose any information about the resistance. After

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 ...

assumed the position of Deputy

Reichsprotektor This is a list of rulers of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, which from 15 March 1939 until 5 May 1945 comprised the German- occupied parts of Czechoslovakia. It includes both the representatives of the recognized Czech authorities as w ...

(September 1941), martial law was established and Balabán was sentenced to death. He was executed in

Ruzyně Prison Ruzyně Prison ( cs, Vazební věznice Praha Ruzyně) is a prison in the Ruzyně neighborhood of Prague 6, Czech Republic. History Construction began in April 1949 to renovate a disused building near Prague–Ruzyně Airport and the prison ope ...

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

on 3 October.

Literature

Petr Koura
''Podplukovník Josef Balabán. Život a smrt velitele legendární odbojové skupiny „Tři králové“'' (''Lieutenant-colonel Josef Balabán. Life and death of the leader of the legendary resistance group "Three Kings"''), Prague, 2003, . {{DEFAULTSORT:Balaban, Josef 1894 births 1941 deaths People from Příbram District Czechoslovak Legion personnel Czech resistance members Executed military personnel Executed Czechoslovak people Czech generals Resistance members killed by Nazi Germany Recipients of the Milan Rastislav Stefanik Order Czech people executed by Nazi Germany Recipients of the Order of the White Lion