A Czech under the Protectorate

On 16 March 1939, Hitler proclaimed from Prague Castle the Protectorate of Bohemia-Moravia. Overnight, millions of Czechs wake under German occupation: swastika flags, troops in the streets, an administration brought to heel, the Gestapo moving in. The country did not fight — the collapse was diplomatic, not military.

For the inhabitants, the question is no longer political but existential and everyday. Repression targets first the opponents, the Jews and the prominent patriots; the bulk of the population, for its part, must decide on its attitude toward the occupier.

You are a Czech of Bohemia, an ordinary citizen. Keep your head down and make do with the occupation to preserve your family and work? Flee abroad to join the emigration and, perhaps, a Czechoslovak army in exile? Or join a nascent clandestine resistance, at the risk of prison or death? Each choice involves the safety of your loved ones and the meaning you give to defeat without a fight.