TEXT One
A corner stone of the Czechoslovak Air Force had been laid during the Great War ie. even before independent Czechoslovakia came into existence on October 28, 1918.
About 100 thousand well trained and armed Czechs and Slovaks formed in six divisions were deployed in Italy, France and Russsia that time. The first independent Czech escadrille was established in France thanks to General Rastislav Stefanik. Eleven volunteers for air training were recruited by him at the Czech NAZDAR Company of French Legion. After health testing only eight of them were accepted - seven for pilot- and one for observer training. But Stefanik failed to deploy all of them in one Squadron. Czech airmen fought in the French AF untill the Great War over was – November 11, 1918. The fighter pilot Jan Hofman was killed while dog fighting on March 18, 1917 and Vilem Stanovsky under pseudonyme Rene Renaud was downed on November 8, 1918, shortly before the Armistice was signed and even twelve days after the Czechs and Slovaks declared their independence on the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Jan Stork was shot downed as a member of the famous Les Cigognes Escadrille. All the Czechoslovak pilots were awarded the French Military Cross, Legion of Honour and Militarieu Medal. Six pilots and three observers being of Czech origin deserted with their Austrian planes to Italy. But they were not allowed to set up an independent Czech AF unit together with eleven volunteers from POWs. Czech airmen did not engage on an Italian Front – they underwent training on Italian aircraft only.
Only Czechs and Slovaks fighting in a Russian Legion succeeded in establishing the Air Unit of their own. Seven planes were given to the Czechoslovaks from the French Air Mission and three ones from Russia on the condition, that the aircraft would be prevented from German seizure at any cost.
The Czechoslovak Aviatic Division had been flunder in February 1918, but while withdrawing Vladivostok-bound, five planes had to be given back to the Russians in Serdobsk, four more in Pemza and the last one in Krasnojarsk. After reaching the town of Vladivostok on June 11, 1918 without a single plane, the staff was changed into an Automobile Unit.
When the Czechoslovak Legions seized the town of Samara, plenty planes had been found here by them. That reason for the Independent Aviatic Unit of No 1 Czechoslovak Gunner Hussite Division was set up on august 14, 1918. When the Czechoslovaks withdrew from the frontline, the Aviatic Unit was attached to the Cz. Army Headquarters and moved to Omsk under the name of Cechovojsk - Czech Army - Aviatic Unit. Robert Lev Melc [ Maelch] was in charge of their training, but being pushed by the Bolsheviks eastwards in the 1919 year, the Cechovojsk Aviatic Unit left for Vladivistok and its 168 staffers including four LWF TRACTOR biplanes embark on January 10, 1920 here heading for Trieste, Italy.
They arrived in Prague on March 2, 1920.
TEXT Two
Since the first cotrollable heavier-than-air flights had been made, the Austria-Hungarian administration did not intend to establish aeroplane manufacturing neither in Bohemian nor Moravian Lands. An Aeroplane Repairs Works „ Al-Ma „was set up by an Dr. Martius being of German origin in the Prague district of Holešovice in 1916. Several days after the independent state of Czechoslovakia had come into existence on October 28, 1918 the Air Force Corps was founded and an order to move all the aeroplanes and air material to Prague was issued. On November 18, 1918 nine planes were seized by the Czechs and eight of them ferried from the town of Cheb to Prague situated near border on Germany so that the Germans were prevented from flying them into Germany. This unexpected raid was commanded by Cpt. Adamec [Addammaets] who was later appointed the Aeroplane Arsenal`s CO.The ninth Czech pilot had to land in Germany and his aircraft was confiscated.
Every plane was concentrated at the Prague Fair Facility and till February 1919 sorted. An young P/O Alois Smolik was in charge of undergoing repairs. He used to be as an aid to the Air Expert and Scholar Profesor Miess. An Sm-1 biplane designed by Alois Smolik and flight-tested in Apríl 1919 persuaded the Czechoslovak government to prefer the home-production aircraft to ones imported from France, though 115 French planes were presented them. The first Czechoslovak plane was the sporting B-5 type built in the Plzen „ Bohemia “ Works.
An recce S-1 and S-2 types as well as a fighter S-4 had been built at the Prague Fair Facility but later the production was moved to the village of Letnany on the Prague outskirts. Till the 1930 year the production bombers S-6, Brandenburg licenced trainers S-10 as well as S-16 and S-616 bombers, S-18 and S-218 trainers, an transport S-19 type and S-20 and S-31 fighters were turned out by this „Letov “ Company here.
An politician Tusar`s intention to invest money into the plane production presented late 1918 was had come true in the Prague District of Bubenec – aircraft was being repaired here at first. An copy of the Brandenburg trainer biplane coded Ae-01 was made here in September 1919, the first one of the 35 pcs production batch built not only at Bubenec but also in the Holešovice „Al-Ma “ premises. The company was called from the 1921 year : Aero, Aeroplane Works, Dr Kabes [Kabbaesh]
The Aero Factory was moved to the Prague District of Vysočany two years later. Production Ae-01 trainers of Brandenburg 10 version, transport A-10, recce bombers A11 + Ab-11, trainers A-211, recce A-12, Brandenburg licenced trainer- and recce A-14, Brandenburg licenced observer A-15, fighter A-18, night-time trainer A-21, De Havilland licenced DH 50 as well as A-22, A-23, A-38 transport planes, A-25 trainers, A-30 bombers and ground-attack A-32 + Ap-32 types were built here till 1930.
The production fighters BH-3, trainers BH-9, aerobatic trainers BH-10, liasion BH-11, BH-17 + BH-21 fighters, fighter trainers BH-22, transport BH-25 J as well as BH-33, BH-33E, BH-33L fighters and Fokker licenced F 60 transporter were in production at the Avia Company at Cakovice till the 1930 year.