In 1938, Habersbirk was inhabited by 3135 people, out of which 207 were Czech. The population was overwhelmingly Sudeten German. The local gendarmerie consisted of four men: chief ("praporčík") Jan Koukol and sergeants Jan Pardus, Antonín Křepela and Matěj Příbek. During the year, the gendarmerie station received a number of threatening anonymous messages, mainly targeted at Pardus. The ordners set out to guard crossroads in the area.