Forgotten Kloboucnik
One of two founders of the Czechoslovak Night Fighter Air Force met his death seventy five years ago.
F/O Joe Kloboucnik´s crash made the second founder - F/Lt Vlastimil Vesely - fill his shoes. The former had served with the British No 68 Night Fighter Sqn. The opening note of S/L Vesely´s diary dated to Oct 23, 1941 mentioned this crash of the R 2029 Beaufighter flown by the Czech crew of two. Taking part in their funeral four days later F/Lt Vesely met No 68 Sqn´s CO S/L Max Aitken on this occasion. The former proposed his joining No 68 Sqn to the latter.
F/O Joseph Kloboucnik in a cockpit of a Hurricane belonging to No 96 Night Fighter Sqn in No 438 picture - HERE
The cause of R 2029 crash has been unknown though Sgt. Tofel´s diary seen in the W/O´s Diary Book mentioned both bullet holes in R 2029 and living black inside the Beaufighter. The pilot F/O Joseph Kloboucnik as well as his Radar Operator Joseph Klvacek were laid to rest in the General Cemetery at Wellington. A picture of both the neighbouring gravestones and also one of Sgt Klvacek can be seen at www.fcafa.wordpress.com/not-forgotten/midlands/. It is the fourth burial ground in this text. By mistake a picture of F/O Kloboucnik´s gravestone to the right of the data of his own is not one of him but of Cpl Miroslav Drnek.
Posting of Czechoslovak airmen to No 68 Sqn was caused by F/O Kloboucnik´s skill in dealing with them. This initiative of Joe´ s own was also mentioned by Mr Martin Vrana in his ´Between the Sea and Stars´ Book. The author recalls his grandpa S/L Ladislav Bobek DFC who served with 68.
NOTE :
Having graduated from the Hranice Military Academy Joseph Kloboučnik and Vlastimil Vesely were commissioned on the same day - HERE