Service book of a Fighter Pilot Alois Dvorak of the 1940 year is French made. Opening its first page, you can read here : five months in France in 1939, five months 18 days in France in 1940, Sgt. Alan Dvorak, CAF Cosford Wolverhampton – later scratched – No 310 Squadron RAF Duxford, Cambs
Jan 1, 1940 Avord, Jan 15 to Chartres, Apr 28 Novak +, Apr 29 last training flight, Apr 30 Flight, May 3, Cpt Nov funeral, May 10 Germans Low countries, May 11 comrades to frontline, May 14, 16, 18 readiness, May 19 bomb raid, May 22 to Cazaux nr. Bordeaux, June 1 Perina chap, May 19 to the port of Bordeaux, sea at 17 30. ENGLAND above the page, May 22 Capitulation Fr, port of Falmouth 15 00, 18 30 train dep via Plymouth Bristol. June 23 at 09 30 arr at Liverpool, Hayduc Park, billeted in stables, June 24 Poles 5 th, collection of tents. June 25 at 17 30 dep to Bridgeworth, arr at 01 30, recreation camp. July 1 at 08 50 dep to Gloucester arr at 11 30, July 13 uniform of Sgt, July 16 London Uxbridge, July 17 Uxbridge, July 18 Duxford, July 19 to the CAF Cosford. Aug 2 Oath of Allegiance, Aug 9 President, Aug 19 start leasing En, Sep 20 brawl with the Police Wolverhampton, Sep 21 at 08 20 dep to Sutton Bridge, arr 04 30 pm Oct 12 Sutton Bridge – Kings Lynn, Oct 14 to Duxford RAF, Oct 25 Duxford London op, belly landing nr Maidstone, Oct 29 belly landing at Debden - oxygen, Nov 5 belly land Gravesend Roche, Půda, Jiroudek, Jeffries, Mlejnecky. Dec 31, 1940 I am making the last note of this year and wish so that the the next one is if not better, so at least such as this one. Duxford England Dec 31, 1940 6 pm
NOTES :
- Cpt Frank Novak {Novvahk} - aerobatic ace called Air King
- Lonely P/O Frank Perina {Perrzhinna} as member of a famous les Cigognes
Group de Chasse he ambushed bunch of sixty Luftwaffe fighters to draw them
from keeping their eye on the German bombers just being attacked by his
eight comrades.
- Besides Sgt. Alan Dvorak also Jeffries, Mlejnecky, Puda and Jiroudek were downed by No
26 Jagd Gruppe Luftwaffe fighters over Kent on Nov 5, 1940. None of them KIA !
- Sadly, Sgt. Alois Dvorak was not alive on Dec 31, 1941.
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From left firm friends Sgts Vaclav Horak and Alois Dvorak [Vahtslav Horrahk] The former one became a pilot of two-engined Bristol Beaufighters and De Havillland Mosquitos as a member of the B Czechoslovak Flight of the No 68 Night Fighter Squadron. He succeeded in surviving the World War Two and died on February 6, 1979. |
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Cosford Depot August 1, 1940. L to R : Schor Karel [Skhorzh Charles], Dvorak Alois, Sala Jaroslav [ Shahla Yarroslav] and Hajek Jaroslav [Hahyek Yarroslav] - a pilot. NOTE - there was another Hajek Jaroslav serving with No 311 Sqn as an WOP. - Charles Schor had 58 sorties on his sheet as a No 311 Sqn pilot of Wellingtons as well as Libs. WWII was survived by him, but he was imprisoned for 10 years by the Communist Regime in 50s. - A pilot Jaroslav Sala serving with the 310 and 313 Cz Fighter Sqns was killed in action on Jan 29, 1943, downed by Fw 190s.
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Sgt. Alois Dvorak and his girlfriend Eileen at the town of Woverhampton on September 3, 1940. Joseph Dvorak remembers she is said to work in the Cosford Depot canteen. We have some snaps more. There is Eileen coming to Vrahovice after WW II in one of them. Accompanied by her sister, Eileen intended to take Alois`s father Antonin to England. He refused. |
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Sgt. Alois Dvorak is being welcomed after his op at Duxford RAF on Feb 21, 1941. He did damage to a Me 109. From left : S/Ldr Jeffries-Latimer /handing the gloves/, Sgt. Brezovsky Frantisek, Sgt. Alois Dvorak on a wing, F/Lt Frantisek Dolezal with his hand akimbo, F/O Vladimir Zaoral wearing light shoes, F/O Josef Jan Hanus - S/Ldr J. Jeffries-Latimer commanded the B Flight of the Cz No 310 Fighter Sqn first. As he as Sgt.Dvorak were shot by JG 26 German fighters over Kent on November 5, 1940. Both made belly landing. Later he underwent conversion on Lanc heavies and was killed in action as a No 106 Sqn pilot. - Frantisek Brezovsky died on Feb 15, 1959. - Although W/Cdr Frantisek Dolezal DSO, DFC outlived lots of his friends perishing in WW II, he was killed in a crash on Oct 4, 1945. - F/O Vladimir Zaoral met his death on Nov 19, 1941 at Dyce. Burried in the No 33 grave, Dyce Old Cemetery, not far from Sgt Dvorak. - P/O Josef Hanus DFC. His efforts to became a Flight Commander of the Nos 310, 312 and 313 Fighter Sqns or CO of the Cz B Flight of No 68 Sqn were fruitless. So he swapped to British Nos 32 and 245 Sqns and later left for the N Africa and piloting an Beaufighter VI F of No 600 Sqn he claimed five kills. He survived WWII. |
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Sgt. Alloys Dvorak and Emil Foit`s mascot of a No 310 Sqn a female Scottish Terrier Mita [Meetya] front of a Huricanne II A fighter at the Dyce AF, Scotland. The Czechoslovak No 310 Fighter Sqn was deployed here from Jul 19,1940 to Dec 14, 1941.
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A Sgt. Dvorak`s funeral - RAF Dyce Sept 29,1941. He is being carried by : from L Sgts Josef Dygryn, Jaroslav Chlup and Miloslav Petr [ Jozzaeph Dygreen, [Yarroslav Khloop, Milloslav Paetr].Only a Czechoslovak sentry Pasa [Pasha] in the background right was recognized by Mr. Popelka. - Josef Dygryn-Ligoticky was proclaimed missing presumely killed after his night-time flight on June 4, 1942 as a member of No 1 British Sqn. - Jaroslav Chlup had to bail due to the engine failure. But he did no tsucceed to unstrap the harness on his touching the surface of the Channel. Sgt. Chlup fell vicitim to the severe wind hauling the silk and drowning him. |
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A Sgt Dvorak`s coffin is being carried by Sgts L to R - Palicka, Dygryn,Chlup and Petr. Vladimir Palicka was a No 310 Sqn`s Fitter, later a No 313 Sqn`s pilot. |
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An Dyce Old Cemetery. The coffin with the remains of Sgt. Alois Dvorak is about to be burried into the No 29 grave. NOTE : Sgt. Mlejnecky was downed by the German fighters of the Jagd Gruppe 26 on Nov 5, 1940 over Kent too. He bailed, Sgt. Dvorak made his emergency landing at the Gravesend Roche RAF. |
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The Dyce Old Cemetery September 29, 1941. The coffin with Sgt. Alois Dvorak is just being laid into his grave. Sgt. Miroslav Petr left to a grave digger, Sgts Jaroslav Chlup and Frantisek Mlejnecky to the right of him.[Frantyishaeck Mlaynaetskee]
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Sgt. Alois Dvorak`s obituary notice. NOTE : The name of Alois Dvorak can bee seen by the Czech visitors to London too - in particular on the Battle of Britain Memorial unveiled on Sept 18, 2005 on Queen Victoria Embankment across the river of Thames of the London Eye. Eighty eight names of the Cz airmen who take part in the BoB till Oct 31, 1940 are there.
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A Vrahovice elementary school. You can see the wrong first name of Alois Dvorak here possibly mistaken for his father`s or brother`s ones Antonin abbr Ant. In adddition, there is one more name of a RAF airman on this plaque. Sgt. Adolf Podivinsky [Addolph Poddyivveenskee] was killed in action on his mere second sortie as a tail gunnner serving with the Cz No 311 Bomber Sqn on Mar 3, 1942. Burried in the town of Creil, France.
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The name of Sgt Alois Dvorak is seen as on the Battle of Britain Monument - www.bbm.org.uk, as on the Capel Le Ferne Battle of Britain Memorial, Kent - www.battleofbritainmemorial.org.uk