Arnost Valenta
He was shot dead seventy five years ago. As an only airman of fifty one Czechoslovak members of the RAF made POWs by the Germans during WWII
The third of five chapters of the ´Broken Wings´ie Zlomena kridla Book was dedicated to him. Authored by Eduard Cejka the Nase vojsko Publ. 1968
His involvement is on www.fcafa.com/2019/03/23/czech-the-great-escape/ Bilingual. Two more Cz airmen are mentioned in this stext. Those had managed to get out of the Harry tunnel and beyond the forest neighbouring on the Sagan camp before a German sentry spotted the tunnel´s mouth and gave a shot. Both survived. In 1973 a plaque dedicated to S/L Arnost Valenta had been unveiled on a wall of the Local Community House in his native village of Svebohov. On Sep 8, 2012 was unveiled a second one on a stone below the first one.
Done on the occasion of his 100th birhhday anniversary -
www.svebohov.cz/fotografie/kulturni-a-sportovni-deni-v-obci/100-vyroci-narozeni-a-valenty/
Alarm sounded by the German guard saved lives of two more Cz airmen queuing in No 104 Hut - the ´On the Run´ Book on Joseph Bryks MBE. Authored by Ludek Navara and Miroslav Kasacek. Published in 2014 by the Host Ltd.
You can find the names of three men and two women in the ´Bullets for help to RAF airmen´ Update of June 30,2017 – HERE Those had been shot dead on that day in 1942 at the Prague Kobylisy Borough Firing Range. S/L Roger Bushell, who later masterminded the Great Escape, and F/O Jaroslav Zafouk a member of the Cz No 311 Bomber Sqn had been put up by them. Zafouk´s place of birth Prague.
Four more Sagan Escapers are mentioned in the ´Czech in Great Escape´ Text in the article on F/Lt Ivo Tonder. Having been captured they met at the Liberec ie Reichenberg prison. All four were shot dead on Mar 28, 1944 and cremated at the town of Most ie Brux in Northern Bohemia.
Thanks to Mr Michal Holy a Memorial dedicated to those four was unveiled at the Most local cemetery on Mar 24, 2012 – HERE
NOTE
As Reichenberg as Brux were German names of the Czech towns of Liberec and Most respectively under the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.
Assistence of Mrs Martina Stastna – a Mayor of the village of Svebohov – is appreciated