Josef Bryks: The “Captive Heart” Struggling Against Nazism And Communism

The incredible true story of one of Czechoslovakia’s finest heroes.

Promotional poster for the 1946 movie “The Captive Heart” (Image credit: Ealing Studios)

“I have been unjustly imprisoned for over nine years, and I was disappointed in my overestimation of the essence of the Czech soul”. With these harsh words, prisoner number 868 of the Leopoldov prison (Slovakia) answered the question, “What failures and disappointments have you experienced?” in the questionnaire provided by the jail administration to evaluate the degree of “re-education” of prisoners. The reason for imprisonment? Having planned to flee Czechoslovakia in 1948, after the communists seized power.

The character and value of a man are measured by the determination and courage shown in facing adversity. This is the story of Josef Bryks, a man who fought for his freedom until the very end, after having struggled so much to bring it to his own people and Europe.

Jozef Bryks before WWII, wearing the uniform of the Czechoslovak Air Force (Image credit:Michal Maňas)

Hunting down the enemy

Born in Lašťany, a small village in the Olomouc district of Moravia, Bryks was 23 years old and just recently married when in 1939, Hitler, after pushing Slovakia…