Description:

Rare 'wanted' poster, 25.75 in. x 18.5 in., published on March 27, 1940 in pursuit of JAN SMUDEK (1915 - 1999), the Czech revolutionary nicknamed 'Elusive Jan' whose daring actions during caused international interest and inspired the American film 'Casablanca'. The poster is printed in both German and Czech. It details his murder of a German police officer and two 'financial aid workers' (realistically, these were 'border control agents'), bears his portrait and his particulars, provides a 20,000 crown reward for his arrest, and warns that all who assist him or withhold information will 'be punished as severely as possible'. Folds, pin holes at the corners, else fine. Soon after the Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia, Smudek decided to join the resistance movement and was tasked with stockpiling weapons. On 7 June 1939, Smudek, along with his friend Frantisek Petr, shot and killed Wilhelm Kniest, a German police officer. The subsequent Nazi response led to arrest of 111 people, of whom two died in prison and the others were transported to Buchenwald concentration camp. Smudek and his friend fled to Prague, then fled the country, eventually passing through Algeria and Morocco and countless other countries.

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May 22, 2021 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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