Czechoslovak air force units in the RAF

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RAF flag (with the RAF emblem)

The participation of members of the Czechoslovak Air Force in the units of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War was a significant contribution both in the Battle of Britain and in the struggle for the liberation of Czechoslovakia from German occupation of the country in which other units of the Czechoslovak army in exile also participated. Your commitment also made a significant contribution to the recognition of both the Czechoslovak government in exile in London and Czechoslovakia as an Allied power after the war. These resistance fighters on the Western Front only received recognition from their own government after the Velvet Revolution of 1989.

background

RAF emblem on aircraft

As a result of the Munich Agreement of 1938, large areas of pre-war Czechoslovakia were first occupied, then on March 15, 1939 the so-called rest of Czechoslovakia was occupied and the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was established and the First Slovak Republic was established, as was the occupation of Carpathian Ukraine by Hungary . Both the government and the country's army were thus dissolved. Some members of the government first fled to Paris, and then on July 21, 1940, in London, under President Edvard Beneš and Prime Minister Jan Šrámek, the Czechoslovak government in exile was founded, which was soon recognized internationally. After military personnel, especially pilots of the former Czechoslovak Air Force, began arriving in the United Kingdom , the government-in-exile took steps to form them officially, because some soldiers had already joined various RAF units without a contractual agreement.

On October 15, 1940, the Foreign Minister of the government-in-exile, Jan Masaryk, and the Foreign Minister of the United Kingdom, Lord Halifax, signed the treaty on the Czechoslovak Armed Forces, along with an annex that dealt specifically with the Air Force, where all basic principles and details were regulated. The Czechoslovak soldiers therefore became members of both the RAF and the Czechoslovak armed forces. At the same time, one of the articles stipulated that the Czechoslovak units would be financed by a loan from the British government, which would be covered by the gold treasure of Czechoslovakia (around 30,000 kg of gold) deposited in the Bank of England .

In addition to other units of the air force and the army, which also emerged in the Soviet Union, the Czechoslovak fighter and bomber units in the RAF formed the backbone of the Czechoslovak army during the Second World War.

Formation of associations

Escape

The participation of the Czechoslovak Air Force members in foreign armies was somewhat different at the beginning than, for example, with the Polish pilots. The Polish army went through a mobilization with subsequent combat operations in 1939 and the Polish pilots then went abroad quite unified. However, the Czechoslovak pilots were surprised after the occupation of the country on March 15, 1939, and also unsettled by reports that Marshal Hermann Göring was interested in around 1,500 members of the Czechoslovak Air Force and wanted to take them over to the Lufthansa and Air Force Czech Ministry of Defense is disseminated without denials. In addition, there was no order for an orderly or closed departure abroad.

After the occupation of the country, there was an unorganized wave of emigration towards Poland, where the authorities were reluctant to issue residence permits. The units forming in Poland were to be deported to France and transferred to the Foreign Legion. In July 1939 about 1200 Czechoslovak soldiers, including about 500 pilots, were shipped to France. The situation changed after the attack on Poland when the dozen remaining pilots were accepted into the Polish army. After the defeat, these units, including the leadership, withdrew to Romania in particular and then came to France via the Middle East, a total of about 7,000 members of the Air Force. The Obrana národa resistance group played a major role in helping people escape .

After the occupation of Poland there was only one escape route via Slovakia and Hungary, both states that were allied with Germany and either put Czechoslovak refugees in prison or - what was worse - extradited them back to the protectorate authorities. Those that could reach Yugoslavia were then shipped to France via Greece and Turkey and then via French-occupied Lebanon.

France

Morane-Saulnier MS.406, with which Czechoslovak pilots fought in France

All soldiers arriving in France first had to join the units of the Foreign Legion and were later to found their own associations. On August 2, 1939, the Czechoslovak Military Office was established in Paris. After the outbreak of war, a Czechoslovak military camp was set up in Adge. On November 17, 1939, the Czechoslovak National Committee was established in Paris , which was immediately recognized by the French government and began to form a Czechoslovak army in exile.

As a result of the rapid development, no air formations could be formed, the Czechoslovak pilots served in French units from December 1, 1939, where they flew Morane-Saulnier MS.406 , Bloch MB.152 , Dewoitine D.520 and American Curtiss P -36 and Curtiss Hawk Model 75 fought.

After France surrendered, around 5,000 Czechoslovak soldiers, including around 1,000 pilots, were evacuated to Great Britain by the British Navy.

Associations in the United Kingdom

The Czechoslovak flying ace in the RAF
Surname successes Seasons
Karel tripe washer 18 - 1 - 5 1, 23
Josef František 17 - 1 - 0 303
Otto Smik 11 - 1 - 3 131, 122, 222, 310, 312, 127
Miroslav Mansfeld 10 - 0 - 2 111, 68
Otmar Kučera 7 - 1 - 1 111, 312, 313
Josef Dygrýn 6 - 0 - 1 1, 310
Josef Příhoda 5 - 2 - 3 1, 111, 313
Ladislav Bobek 5 - 1 - 3 68
Emil Fechtner 4 - 1 - 1 310
Josef Hanuš 4 - 0 - 1 310, 32, 245, 125, 68, 600
Remarks:
  1. ↑ first number: confirmed kills,
    second number: unconfirmed kills,
    third number: damaged aircraft
  2. ↑ plus launch of 3 V1 missiles
  3. ↑ plus launch of 2 V1 missiles

The basic unit of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War was the season ( squadron ), which usually consists of two swarms ( flight ) existed from about 1942 constituted about three seasons a group ( wing ).

Almost 2,500 soldiers (including ground personnel) were deployed in the flight formations on the Western Front from 1939 to 1945. In particular, four squadrons were active within the framework of the British Air Force RAF, which consisted almost entirely of Czech and Slovak members:

On May 3, 1942, the three squadrons in Exeter were combined to form a Czechoslovak group ( wing ) (the later No. 134 (Czechoslovak) Wing ) which was initially part of No. 10 Group (10th Fighter Squadron) operated. The individual units each had a dual command - apart from a Czech or a Slovak, there was also a British man who was supposed to simplify communication with the high command.

In addition, many Czechoslovaks also served in the following British or other squadrons:

  • 1st Fighter Squadron of the RAF ( № 1 Fighter Squadron ), a traditional squadron of the RAF, mainly equipped with Hawker Hurricane fighters ; Gradually, 30 Czechoslovak pilots served here, including the famous Karel Kuttelwascher , who, with 18 kills (and another 5 probable), was one of the RAF's largest night flying races and the best among the Czechoslovak pilots.
  • 68th Night Fighter Squadron of the RAF ( № 68 Night Fighter Squadron ) was established on January 7, 1941 in Catterick. According to the numbering it was a British squadron, but it had many pilots from other nations, including 37 Czechoslovak squadrons who founded their own Czechoslovak swarm B on January 20, 1941; the first commander of the squadron was the Czech pilot Veselý. The squadron also used a motto chosen by the Czechoslovak pilots - “Vždy připraven” (“Always ready”).
  • The 111th Fighter Squadron of the RAF ( № 111 Fighter Squadron ) was mainly stationed in Scotland and equipped with Hawker Hurricane fighters. Well-known Czech pilots included J. Mansfeld and O. Kučera.
  • The RAF's 122nd Fighter Squadron ( No. 122 Fighter Squadron ) was based mostly on the Hornchurch base, Essex, and with its Supermarine Spitfires was supposed to accompany British and US bombers in attacks on France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Well-known Czechoslovak pilots included T. Kruml and František Fajtl (who was also the squadron's commander in 1942).
  • The 138th special squadron of the RAF ( № 138 Special Duties Squadron ) was reorganized in 1941 as a predominantly airborne squadron of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) with the task of carrying out special diversion and sabotage actions on enemy territory. The squadron had an international crew. Operation Anthropoid was carried out with Czechoslovak paratroopers in December 1941 - the assassination attempt on Heydrich .
  • 222nd Fighter Squadron of the RAF ( № 222 Fighter Squadron ), where, among other things, the most successful Slovakian RAF pilot Otto Smik served (who previously flew in the 122nd Squadron).
  • 303rd (Polish) RAF Fighter Squadron ( № 303 Fighter Squadron ), a Polish RAF squadron created in 1940 in which numerous Czechoslovaks served, including Josef František , the most successful foreign fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain.

Other, mostly individual Czech and Slovak army members were deployed in a total of 103 additional squadrons.

After negotiations with Moscow, a group of pilots was put together in early 1944, who traveled to the Soviet Union via Gibraltar, Suez and Tehran on February 21, 1944 and founded the first Czechoslovak aviation unit there, from which the 1st Czechoslovak mixed aviation division later emerged fought on the Soviet-German front and in particular also took part in the battles of the Slovak National Uprising .

The battle for England and subsequent battles

The Battle of Britain ( Battle of Britain ), a battle for air supremacy over the British air space, began on 10 July 1940 and lasted - the British According to historians - until October 31, 1940th

Numerous pilots from other nations also took part in the Battle of Britain of the 2927 RAF pilots, some about a fifth, including 147 Polish, 101 New Zealand, 94 Canadian and 87 Czechoslovak pilots.

Hunting associations

During 1940 there were close to 1,000 pilots in the UK receiving training on British aircraft. They were able to intervene in the fighting for air sovereignty over England, after the 310th season on July 10, 1940 , the 312th season on August 29, 1940 and then the 313th season on May 10th officially began their operations. In addition, many pilots took part in the fighting in other units, such as in the Polish 303rd squadron or in the mixed 68th squadron. The ten most successful pilots in the Battle of Britain included a Pole, a Czechoslovak, an Australian and two New Zealanders.

From the spring of 1944, when preparations for the invasion of Normandy had progressed, the three hunting associations were involved in the planning and took part in the invasion.

The Czechoslovak fighter pilots shot down or damaged 365 enemy aircraft from 1940 to 1945, plus 6 V-1 missiles.

Bomber formation

The 311st bomber squadron of the RAF , founded on July 29, 1940 in Honington and initially subordinated to the RAF Bomber Command , began its operations on September 10, 1940 with an attack on Brussels, and on September 23 the squadron flew to an operation Berlin, whereby on the return an airplane had to make an emergency landing in the Netherlands and there were the first losses. In the further course of the fighting, the squadron bombed targets Vlissingen, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Brest, Paris and Turin, in Germany, in addition to Berlin, Cologne, Bonn, Essen and Kiel, dropping 1,320 tons of bombs on a total of 77 targets in 1029 missions .

From the end of April 1942, the squadron was assigned to the High Command RAF Coastal Command , where it flew its operations until the end of the war and took part in the Atlantic Battle; at the turn of 1942/1943, the 311st squadron was evaluated as the best within the Coastal Command. After the war she was posted to Czechoslovakia.

losses

Loss of Czechoslovak
RAF units
unit losses
310th season 31
311st Squadron (Bomber Command) 94
311st Squadron (Coastal Command) 156
312nd season 17th
313th season 25th
68th season 8th
other operational seasons 58
assisting units 12
Workouts 78
depot 3
total
 482

An overview of the losses of the individual Czechoslovak squadrons and other units of the RAF is shown in the adjacent table, where total losses of 482 people are given. Higher numbers are given by the Fliegerverband - 531 people - or by the Ministry of Defense - 529 people - where missing people are expressly included. This source also names 250 injured and 52 captured. The Czech RAF members risked particularly harsh punishments if they were captured: they were not treated as prisoners of war, but could be sentenced to death for high treason under Section 91 or Section 91a of the Reich Code, because as citizens of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia they were not considered to be Foreigners were considered.

The fallen Czech and Slovak soldiers in Great Britain will be commemorated with a ceremony in Brookwood on the Sunday closest to October 28th (Czechoslovak national holiday) .

International significance

The Czechoslovak RAF units played a role for post-war Czechoslovakia similar to that of the Czechoslovak International Legions in World War I, which, in addition to Masaryk's diplomatic efforts, played a major role in the creation of Czechoslovakia (fought on the Russian, Italian and French fronts in between 1914 and 1918 a total of 125,000 Czechoslovak soldiers).

During the Second World War, Czechoslovak units fought on the Western Front as early as 1939, and from around 1943 also on the Eastern Front in the Soviet Union; In addition to the assassination attempt on Heydrich , it was also the Slovak National Uprising that gained recognition. The aviation and bomber units that fought under the RAF played an important role in this.

Czechoslovakia was at war with the Axis powers , which was formally declared on December 16, 1941 by President Beneš on behalf of the government in exile in Article 6 of an additional agreement with the British government. Czechoslovakia was thereby recognized and treated as an Allied power.

Fate after 1945

After returning to Czechoslovakia, the four units were formally still units of the Royal Air Force (310th Squadron until September 14, 1945, 311st Squadron until February 1946, 312nd and 313rd Squadron until September 22, 1945). After that, they became the backbone of the new Czechoslovak Air Force, which also had very little qualified air force personnel (there were also only the few pilots who went to the Soviet Union from Great Britain in 1944).

Of the roughly 2,500 Air Force members who served in the RAF, around 1,400 returned to Czechoslovakia in 1945, and at least 250 remained in western countries; only about 450 of the returnees remained in the air force in 1946.

After the February overthrow of 1948 there were - in addition to the other show trials - also trials and purges in the army, including against former members of the army on the western front, i. H. also against the pilots of the RAF. The background was the mistrust of the Communist Party towards the army leadership, which originated from the time of the former bourgeois republic and was partly active in the West during the war. Many of the soldiers were arrested, often tortured during interrogation and - mostly for espionage for Western powers - sentenced to long prison terms. As early as June 18, 1948, General Karel Janoušek , one of the most important protagonists of the Czechoslovak RAF units, was sentenced to 19 years imprisonment in Prague , and at the end of January 1949 General Heliodor Píka was sentenced to death and executed. Other soldiers were interned in labor camps without a trial, which was allowed for up to two years; so the RAF pilot and later commander of the Czechoslovak squadron in the Soviet Union, František Fajtl , was held in the Mírov labor camp for 16 months .

Those who were spared conviction were also released from their civilian professions and had to vacate their homes. The families were also affected: the wives were also dismissed and the children were denied access to studies. In 1950, after some had managed to flee to western countries, only 13 former RAF members remained in the army, mostly irreplaceable experts.

Monument erected in 2014 on the Lesser Town of Prague for the Czechoslovak aviators in the RAF

The first major steps towards reparation did not date until 1968 during the Prague Spring , but ended with its prostration. Rehabilitation could only be carried out 22 years later, which meant both legal and social reparation.

On the basis of proposals from numerous private associations, the Central Rehabilitation Commission ( Centrální rehabilitační komise ) was set up in 1990 by the Defense Minister . This commission first had to determine the names and addresses of the Air Force members at home and abroad, and then recommended further steps which, in addition to judicial reparation, also included compensation, promotions, etc. In the first years after 1989, the reparation measures affected a total of 1,412 people, 958 people could not yet be determined; In particular, the following people were rehabilitated:

  • 519 people who fell
  • 186 people who lived in Czechoslovakia
  • 277 people who died in Czechoslovakia
  • 231 people who lived abroad
  • 199 people who died abroad

Individual evidence

  1. ^ RAF Organization , online at: rogerdarlington.me.uk/..Section_II , accessed April 7, 2012
  2. ↑ Dohoda mezi vládou Československou a vládou Spojeného království o československé branné moci (Treaty between the Government of Czechoslovakia and the Government of the United Kingdom on the Czechoslovak Armed Forces) of October 25, 1940, online at: cs.wikisohoda/wiki. .. , Czech, accessed March 29, 2012
  3. ↑ a b Příloha I., jednající o československém letectvu (Annex I., which deals with the Czechoslovak air forces) of December 16, 1941, onhline at: cs.wikisource.org/wiki/Příloha I ... , Czech, accessed on 29 March 2012
  4. ↑ Financování čs. jednotek ve Velké Británii, zlatý poklad , online at: fronta.cz/dotaz/financovani ... , Czech, accessed April 8, 2012
  5. ↑ a b Odchod československých vojáků a letců do zahraničí , an unspecified text, online on the website of the Ministry of Defense: army.cz / ... , Czech, accessed on March 15, 2012
  6. ↑ Free Czechoslovak Air Force , online at: fcafa.wordpress.com , Czech / English, accessed March 18, 2012
  7. ↑ a b c d Českoslovenští piloti v cizích službách , online at: druha.svetova.cz/clanky/letecka-valka , Czech, accessed on March 16, 2012
  8. ↑ a b Československé vojenské jednotky ve Francii 1939–1940 , online on the portal of the Czech Ministry of Defense: veterani.army.cz , accessed on March 19, 2012
  9. ↑ The best Czechoslovak fighter pilots in the Great Britain , online at: aces.safarikovi.org/victories/czech-gb , accessed March 12, 2012
  10. ↑ Roger Darlington has 20 kills, s. THE CZECH NIGHT HAWK , section Karel Kuttelwascher's Victories With The RAF , online at: rogerdarlington.me.uk / ...
  11. ↑ a b c d e V Británii bojovali za Československo. A to je pak pronásledovalo , article from July 11, 2011, online on the portal of the Ministry of Defense: mocr.army.cz/informacni-servis ... , in Czech, accessed on March 13, 2012
  12. ↑ Československý stíhací wing , online at: cs-letci.wz.cz/.../csw ( Memento of March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), Czech, accessed on March 16, 2012
  13. ↑ Names of Czechoslovak aircrew who served with 68 squadron in World War II (1941–1945) , online at: laarbruch-museum.net/Source ... , accessed on March 13, 2012
  14. ^ The Squadrons , online at: rogerdarlington.me.uk/..Section_III , accessed April 9, 2012
  15. ↑ History of 138 Squadron , online at: raf.mod.uk/history/138squadron ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on March 13, 2012
  16. ↑ Nejen u československých perutí , online at: cs-letci.wz.cz/.../ostatni ( memento from June 12, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on March 13, 2012
  17. ↑ Seznam letců RAF, kteří odešli do SSSR , online at acr.army.cz/.../012 , in Czech, accessed on March 25, 2012
  18. ↑ a b The Battle of Britain , online at: rogerdarlington.me.uk/...Section_IV , accessed April 9, 2012
  19. ↑ a b Českoslovenští letci v RAF , online on the portal of the Association of Aviators of the Czech Republic: csletci.ipraxe.com , Czech, accessed on March 21, 2012
  20. ↑ 311. československá bombardovací peruť , online at cs-letci.wz.cz / ... ( memento of August 8, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), Czech, accessed on April 15, 2012
  21. ↑ a b History of 311 Squadron , online at: raf.mod.uk/history/311squadron ( memento from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on April 15, 2012
  22. ↑ a b Statistics of Czechoslovak Airmen in the Royal Air Force Voluntary Reserve, Total losses of Czechoslovak airmen in RAF VR , online at: cz-raf.cz/...stat ( Memento from September 16, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on March 12, 2012
  23. ^ Czechoslovaks in the RAF , Section 8: The record , online at: rogerdarlington.me.uk/czechsinraf/...Section_8 , accessed March 19, 2012
  24. ↑ Brookwood Military Cemetery , online at: cz-raf.hyperlink.cz/brookw ... ( Memento from June 14, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on March 12, 2012
  25. ↑ Karel Kaplan : The fateful alliance. Infiltration, conformity and annihilation of the Czechoslovak Social Democracy 1944–1954. POL-Verlag, Wuppertal 1984, ISBN 3-9800905-0-7 , p. 18.
  26. ↑ Českoslovenští vojáci v letech 1938–1945 , online at: ostfront.wz.cz / ... , in Czech, accessed on March 30, 2012
  27. ^ Armádní generál in Janoušek, Karel, RNDr. , online at praha14.cz/MC/letci ... , Czech, accessed April 5, 2012
  28. ↑ Proces s Heliodorem Píkou. První poúnorová justiční vražda , online at: totalita.cz/proc ... , in Czech, accessed on April 5, 2012
  29. ↑ Rehabilitace československých letců, kteří v době 2. světové války, v letech 1940–1945, sloužili v československém letectvu v rámci RAF , online on the army server acr.army.cz/acr/raf ... , accessed on 7th, in Czech, April 2012