Adolf Opálka
| Adolf Opálka | |
|---|---|
Lt. Adolf Opálka
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| Born |
4 January 1915 Rešice near Dukovany, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | 18 June 1942 (aged 27) Prague, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia |
| Allegiance | Czechoslovak Army |
| Years of service | 1936–1942 |
| Rank |
Lieutenant, 2nd Mountain Regiment, Ružomberok, Sergent, Mlle, 85.525, 1er Rgmt Legion Etrangere, Sidi Bel Abbes, Sergent, 11éme R.T.S., Oran, Lieutenant, 3. Czechoslovak Regiment, Agde First Lieutenant, 1st Czechoslovak Brigade, Kineton |
| Commands held | commander of Out Distance |
| Awards |
Czechoslovak War Cross, Golden Medal of Cs. Army for Freedom, First Class Star of Czechoslovak Army Order of White Lion for Victory, Order of Milan Rastislav Štefánik (third class), King's Commendation |
First Lieutenant Adolf Opálka (4 January 1915 – 18 June 1942) was a Czechoslovak soldier. He was a member of the Czech sabotage group Out Distance, a World War II anti-Nazi resistance group, and a participant in Operation Anthropoid, the successful mission to kill Reinhard Heydrich.
Opálka was born into a middle-class family in Rešice and joined the Czechoslovak Army in 1936 where he served in the 43rd Infantry Regiment in Brno. The Munich Agreement and subsequent German occupation of Czechoslovakia led to the disbanding of the Czechoslovak Army, and Opálka's career ended. He escaped to North Africa where he served in the French Foreign Legion, and he later returned to France. He then joined the Out Distance group and participated in Operation Anthropoid. He was found days later by the Nazis, and he committed suicide in the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Prague after a gunfight in which he was injured.
Opálka was born in Rešice near Dukovany the illegitimate son of miller Viktor Jarolím (1889–1942) of Tulešice and Anežka Opálková. When his mother died in 1923, Opálka lived with his aunt Marie Opálková (1882–1942).
Between 1932 and 1936, Opálka studied at the Commercial Academy and, shortly after his graduation in 1936, he joined the army of Czechoslovakia. After recruitment and training, he was assigned to the 43rd Infantry Regiment in Brno and shortly afterwards attended the Army Academy in Hranice. After graduation, Opálka joined the 2nd Mountain Regiment in Ružomberok as a lieutenant. The Munich Agreement ended Opálka's army career in his homeland, and he left Czechoslovakia with his cousin František Pospíšil. First travelling through Poland and France, they fled to North Africa, where they joined the French Foreign Legion. Opálka served in Sidi Bel Abbes as a sergeant of the 1st Infantry Regiment. Later, he joined Senegal's Gunmen in Oran.
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