Operation Ostrava
Seventy years ago Cz members of Nos 1 and 3 Regs of the 1st Mixed Air Division saw action in the Ostrava Region´s Liberation.
Only No 1 Fighter Reg flying Lavochkin 5FN aircraft and No 3 one flying ground attack Ilyushin Il2m3 Shturmoviks moved to a Poremba grass landing ground in Poland. No 2 Fighter Reg flying La-7s was stationed at the Balice AF near Krakow and saw no action at all. Joined by fourteen pilots of No 1 Air Reg they practised only. Thirty two airworthy La 5FNs for eighteen pilots of No 1 Reg and thirty three two-seat Il-2s for twenty six crewmen were at Poremba. Nos 1 – 3 Flights of No 1 Reg were commanded by 1st Lt. Chabera, Lt Srom and Cpt Kolembus. The first two missions of eight-ship ´Shturmoviks´ formation were lead by experienced Soviet ´Winged Tank´ pilots. Escorted by La-5s their battlefield target was a gunpost near the Olza river. But on the following day the each formation of Il2m3s was lead by the No 3 Reg´s pilots of Slovak descent. One La 5FN fighter encountered a Fockewulf 190 fighter plane and damaged her in the afternoon. A half of the escorting fighters was armed by two 25 kg bombs on this mission. An Ilyushin 2m3 gunner and a former member of Czechoslovak No 311 Bomber Sqn F/Sgt Richard Husman – No 573 picture - repelled a Fockewulf 190´s attack shortly past noon of Apr 16. Though wounded severely he downed his adversary. Three days later No 3 Reg´s two crewmen KIA. Their ship was shot down by a German 88mm gun near Zavada. Another Winged Tank fell victim to AA fire on the following day. Her pilot succeeded in landing within the Red Army trenches and both the crewmen were safe. On the same day a pilot of No 1 Reg met his death while taking off. Activity of the Luftwaffe was weakening day by day so two thirds of the escorting La 5FNs joined strafing and bombing runs.
No 3 Reg´s Shturmoviks were grounded from Apr 22 to 27 as well as No 1 Reg´s Lavochkins except the ships of a readiness section on Apr 26 due to a parade. Two days later an Il2m3 pilot was killed in action and a gunner of another one met his death in a take-off crash. Apr 29, 1945 No 1 Fighter Reg ceased to go on operations having amassed fourty six sorties in duration of 41 hrs 17 mins. The last member of the 1st Mixed Air Division perished on that day. Practising dogfight at the Balice air base nr Krakov a pilot of No 2 Fighter Reg flying a La 7 lost his life. Neither on Apr 30 nor May 1 the La 5FN fighters could fly due to bogged ground. That reason for eight Shturmoviks lead by Cpt. Singlovic bombed the Tesin railway station unescorted. No Luftwaffe fighter was spotted on the scene.
Shturmoviks and Lavochkin aircraft belonging to 1st Mixed Air Division amassed 559 ops in duration of 543 hrs 47 mins in the Ostrava Operation. They dropped 3820 pcs of bombs of the weight of nearly 85 tons. In addition 581 rockets and 118 350 pcs of amo were fired at the enemy.
Cz No 1 Mixed Air Division in the Ostrava Operation is seen on Nos 548 – 581 pictures of the Wings of Victory Exhibition on Nos 41 – 43 panels - HERE
Early 50s Ilyushin 10s belonging to No 30 Ground Attack Air Reg ´Ostrava´ were painted an emblem of the town in honour of No 3 Ground Attack Air Reg´s members. Seen in the eight picture - HERE
Bibliography :
Podruhé doma ie Homeland for the second time by Frantisek Fajtl The Nase vojsko Publ 1984