Josef Balabán

Josef Balabán (5 June 1894 – 3 October 1941) was a Czechoslovak soldier known for his involvement in the resistance movement against Nazi Germany during World War II.

After Germany occupied the remainder of Czech lands in March 1939, Balabán started to cooperate with the resistance group Obrana národa (Defense of the nation) that had been organized by former army officers.

Together with Josef Mašín and Václav Morávek, Balabán was part of the group known as the Three Kings (Tři králové), which carried out intelligence gathering and sabotage.

The most visible acts of sabotage were two bomb attacks carried out in Berlin: one in January 1941 against the Ministry of Air Travel (Reichsluftfahrtministerium) and police headquarters, and the second in February 1941 in the Berlin-Anhalt rail station, which was intended to kill Heinrich Himmler.

After Reinhard Heydrich assumed the position of Deputy Reichsprotektor (September 1941), martial law was established and Balabán was sentenced to death.