Saved lives
Seventy years ago during WWII the third case. A Czechoslovak crew of No 68 Night Fighter Sqn did not obey the Ground Control´s command to down a would be ´bandit´
On the night of Apr 28, 1943 a WM-L Beaufighter flown by F/O Ladislav Bobek and crewed up by a Radar Operator W/O Bohuslav Kovarik was vectored by a Ground Control Op at the bandit flying at 12 th ft at the course of 315 . WM-L took from the Peterhead Action Station Scotland.The crew had been deployed there four days ago with two more crews of No 68 stationed at Coltishall, Norfolk. The crew of WM-L was instructed to down this aircraft without previous identification.
Having approached to the target W/O Kovarik manning his radar recognized this´bandit´is not the Luftwaffe´s aircraft but a British Wellington twin bomber. The pilot was ready to open fire instantly.Barred from doing so by his Radar Operator the pilot approached nearer. He found out W/O Kovarik had been right.
F/O Bobek radioed to the GC the aircraft is a bogey. The latter insisted on shooting this ship down. Meanwhile the Wellington crossed the Scottish coast and her pilot switched the position lights on. The pilot of WM-L also switched his own ones for a moment and the Wellington´s rear gunner responed by a correct torch signal. These were changed in that area every two hours.
The GC Op threatened by sanctions for the WM-L crew. They ignored him. F/O Bobek switched the position lights again on and asked the Peterhead air base for lighting its runway. He led the Wellington and both the aircaft landed smoothly.
The Ringway Ground Control Op did apologize to both the Cz Airmen and offered them drink. They refused calmly. W/O Kovarik and F/O Bobek saved both the bomber and her six Canadin crewmen. On home leg from the target of Essen in the Ruhr area Germany they went astray as far as the Northern Scotland. In addition their IFF went haywire.
The Canadians suggested awards for as F/O Bobek as W/O Kovarik. The Brits nodded. But someone at the Czechoslovak Inspectorate decided as follows.The WM-L crew should have been punished for not obeying the command !!! So no award. No wonder some Czechoslovak airmen who had served with British Sqns declined their posting to the Cz ones during WWII.
This event was not the first event.Two more Cz crews of No 68 Sqn had refused to follow the Ground Control´s order to down a would be bandit. Two more Allied bombers including their crews had been saved by Joseph Adam crewed up with Fridolin Gemrot and by Jan Serhant with his Radar Op Karel Bednarik.
Sadly a crew of No 604 British Night Fighter Sqn´s Beaufighter acted less profesionally on July 2, 1941. Vectored at a would be bandit both these crewmen omitted visual identification of the taget first. This aircraft – R 1516 Wellington - belonged to the Czechoslovak No 311 Bomber Sqn. All hands lost over Shaftesbury.
R&R
Mezi morem a hvezdami ie Between the Sea and the Stars by Mr Martin Vrana 2015
Karel Bednarik – Angel Saviour both on Ground and in the Air – The Kolesa Publ. 2003
NOTE
A picture of a front page of late Martin Vrana´s book depicting escapades of his grandpa HERE