The Czech resistance against Nazi occupation in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia began immediately following Germany's establishment of the protectorate in March 1939. Early resistance included mass protests, public transport boycotts, and demonstrations. Though German authorities suppressed much of this activity, the underground resistance began consolidating, with groups like the Central Leadership of Home Resistance (ÚVOD) taking shape. Led by Czechoslovak exiles like President Edvard Beneš and František Moravec from London, ÚVOD coordinated resistance within the Protectorate, primarily through a network of clandestine groups such as the Political Centre, the Committee of the Petition "We Remain Faithful," and Nation's Defence. They supported intelligence-gathering efforts and encouraged widespread acts of defiance against the occupation.
One of the resistance’s most renowned operations was the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, a high-ranking Nazi official and brutal Reichsprotektor. On 27 May 1942, resistance fighters Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík ambushed Heydrich in Prague, dealing a critical blow to the German leadership in the Protectorate. However, German forces responded with severe reprisals, including the destruction of the villages of Lidice and Ležáky and mass executions. This crackdown devastated the resistance network, leading to the dissolution of the ÚVOD, and left the resistance in disarray for the remainder of the occupation.
In the later war years, partisan groups like the Jan Žižka brigade took up guerrilla warfare, targeting German infrastructure through sabotage and ambushes, especially along rail lines. The partisans, operating mainly in remote or mountainous regions, grew to include diverse members: Czech rural workers, former prisoners of war, and even German deserters.
The resistance reached a peak in May 1945 with the Prague Uprising, a citywide revolt in the final days of the war. Civilians attacked German forces, constructing barricades and fighting street battles. Although the Red Army arrived on 9 May to officially liberate the city, Prague was nearly freed by local efforts. This uprising became a symbol of Czech resilience and later, under the Communist regime, was reframed as a narrative of Soviet-Czech unity. The resistance during World War II remains a critical chapter in Czechoslovak history, symbolizing the nation’s determination to oppose occupation despite severe reprisals and suppression.