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Recent Posts
- Circus 157 – remembered
- Zdenek SKARVADA
- Plzen-Doubravka remembers its fallen RAF pilots
- Arnost Mrtvy – Spitfire MJ558 excavation
- Milan MALÝ
- Free Czechoslovak Forces in France, 1939–1940, a Historical and Philatelic Study
- 310 Sqn – We Fight to Rebuild
- Velke Hamry children visit Namest nad Oslavou airbase
- Vladimir SALAC
- Not Forgotten – Scotland
Top Posts
Found information for my research on Pembrey Airport on the first day. A detailed report of the action leading up to the capture of the FW190A-3 at Pembrey.
Very informative web site
Parádní web, díky!
[Moderators translation: Awesome site, thanks!]
my wife has just found out that her father, vaclav jan spitz, was an air gunner in 311 squadron he has never seen him since she was about 5 years old she has no photos or any other information about him and would love to hear from anyone who has dave.
My grandad Jan Smejkal served in the Free Czechoslovak Air Force during World War 2, after escaping the Nazis. He enlisted in the Czech Air Force on the 1st October 1936. When the German invaded, he was put into a forced labour camp. He managed to escape from Germany under a train back to Prague. He then managed to escape to Poland. In 1938 he again fled from Poland through Danzig and skirting Germany in a Swedish boat to Calais. He then joined the French Foreign Legion. When France was occupied in 1940, he then managed to escape in a British destoyer from Bordeaux to Gibraltar. He then made it to Liverpool and joined the Free Czech Air Force until he was demobilised in 1946. In 1948, he returned to the Czech Republic with my grandmother, my dad and my aunt and uncle. They stayed there for a few months but it was too dangerous for them as he was treated as a traitor by the new Communist regime and faced serving a prison sentence. As a result, they had no choice but to return to the UK. He died in 1989 never having returned to his homeland. I recently went to visit Cisarov, the village where my grandad came from and visited my great grandmother’s grave. I would love to find out more about my grandad’s family!
Thanks for all the information about Czech RAF airmen. Otto Smik, pilot, was during the occupation
of the germans for some time hide in a house in Ginneken (Breda, Holland), Oct. 1944, after shot down.. Our liberation by the Polish Forces on 29th of Oct., he went back to his Squadron in England. One month later he died by an attack on a bridge near Deventer in Holland. on nov. 28th 1944. = Frank de Leeuw.
I’m long overdue, but at last I have just come across your excellent Czech Air Force web site and I am delighted to see you have my description of the Czech boys at RAF Sutton Bridge. I wrote that back in 1996 in my first book ‘Combat Ready!’. A lot of water has passed under the bridge (literally!) since researching that first book and it brings back fond memories. It is now out of print but maybe one day I might get around to updating it and see if it could be re-published. I am very happy to see the story put to good use, though. Good Luck.
Hello again,
Just wanted to say that I am really getting to appreciate this site and the work under-taken to provide the information here. Congratulations to the team.
Cheers
MT
I never appreciated how brave my dad was as a young man, to join the war effort (311 Squadron) until he passed on and I read his writings, which he undertook with a spring of enthusiasm in his last couple of years – it seemed to bring back memories for him as he wrote. He hardly ever spoke about the war. It was only at my insistence that he write down his memoirs that he started. (His name, Jan F Gazdarica)
Thank you very much for your website.
My Uncle, Flt/Lt. Vratislav Liska, served with No 312 Czech Fighter Squadron, but returned to Cz after the war and was killed when his ‘plane crashed during training, possibly due to sand in the fuel line.
We have a framed official composite photo of this squadron with all men identified on their individual pictures.
If interested, I could attempt to photo it for you – a loupe is needed to read the names.
Thank you for your very informative website regarding this extrordinary airman. We at Tangmere Military Aviation Museum have a section dedicated to Karel “The Night Reaper”, but this helps to fill in some of the gaps.
Děkuji za skvělé stránky věnované nejen pilotům,ale i z leteckému personálu.Všem těm kteří šli jakýmkoliv způsobem bojovat za správnou věc.Navigátor RAF 311. bombardovací perutě Karel Rybníček z Kozlova byl bratranec mé babičky,5. října 1945 na letišti Blackbuche havaroval po startu jejich Liberator,celá posádka zahynula.
[Moderators translation: Thank you for brilliant pages dedicated not only to the pilots, but also to the airmen (flight personnel). To all, who went to fight - in whichever manner - for the right cause. Karel Rybnicek, navigator of RAF 311 Sqn from Kozlov was my grandma' s cousin. Their Liberator had an accident after the take off at Blackbushe airfield on 5th Oct 1945 and the whole crew perished.]
Well done! An extremely useful and attractive site that does honor to those who served their country – and the world – in the desperate and (often) lonely fight against fascism. Layout models the best in traditionally clean Czech typography, and the photographs and information well worth the having. Although long a student of RAF, Battle of Britain and friend of Czechoslovakia (and Czech Republic – Charles University, 1972 – 1992), I came to this good work thanks to UK scholar and enthusiast, Roger Darlington, whose book on his father-in-law, the remarkable Flt Lt K M Kuttelwascher, I hope to see in the Czech edition before too long. Agree with the suggestion for a donation “button.”
Dr George Abbott White (Boston, USA)
Thank you for creating this informative website. I know there are several of us looking for information on our relatives that served in WWII. It would be great is some blog could be set up that might help us find additional information from others who find this site. My father was Frantisek Josef Pohlodek that served as a Flight Office in Squadron 311. He passed away when I was 10 years old and I am having difficulty locating any information or pictures of him that I’m sure other may have in their photo albumns. Thank you, Jirinka Pohlodek
Zdravím a děkuji za obrovskou práci kterou jste si dali na památku statečných chlapů které nikdo
nenutil a kteří svou přísahu vlasti beze zbytku splnili. Pilot RAF 311 Rudolf Pancíř z Petříkova u Jílovic byl bratranec mého otce a zůstal v Biskaji.
[Moderators translation: Greetings and thank you for great work you've done in remembrance of the valiant blokes, who were not forced (to do it) yet who fulfilled their oath to the last dot. RAF pilot Rudolf Pancíř from Petříkov near Jílovice was my father' s cousin and remained in the Bay of Biscay.]
Thankyou for taking the time and trouble to put together all this information. My grandfather Milan Stehno was a wireless operator with 311 Sqn. I am immensely proud of him and never fail to be moved by the ammount of young Czech men who volunteered to fight, never knowing wether they’d see their homeland again.
This is an excellent website dedicated to the memory of the Czechoslovak Air Force flying as well as ground support personnel who served at the RAF Czechoslovak units as well as to individuals serving at other Allies units during the WW II.
I wish you all the best for your work.
Miro(slav)
Thanks for all your effort on this web site.
christian
It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d without a doubt donate to this fantastic site.
Great website ang good luck with your work.
Thank you for this excellent website. My Father was a Czech pilot, Squadron 310 (Miroslav Bederich Kopecky)
Good site, a lot of useful and little known information here.
Very informative site about the little known Czech RAF airmen.
Thank you for this website. It is very informative about our foreign airmen in ww2