9 June 1942
War & ConflictLidice massacre
About this moment
The Lidice massacre (Czech: Vyhlazení Lidic) was the complete destruction of the village of Lidice in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, which is now a part of the Czech Republic, in June 1942 on orders from Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and acting Reichsprotektor Kurt Daluege, successor to Reinhard Heydrich. It has gained historical attention as one of the most documented instances of German war crimes during World War II, particularly given the deliberate killing of children. In reprisal for the assassination of Reich Protector Heydrich in the late spring of 1942, all 173 men and boys from the village aged 15 years or older were killed on 10 June 1942.