The „ Wings of Victory „ Exhibition - The Czechoslovak airmen in exile fighting for Freedom of the Czechoslovak Republic in WWII. A tiny contribution to Revival of the Czech Nation`s Memory.
In 1938 - twenty years after the Czechoslovak Republic had come into existence - was this country menaced by the Hitler`s Nazism making the population of the Germans settled in the Czech Border Area claim the cession of all districts where Germans prevailed and their incorporation into the German Reich. The young republic responded by erecting border-region fortifications as well as upgrading installations at military air bases.
Politicians of France and the United Kingdom mistakenly preferred saving the peace in Europe at Czechoslovakia`s cost and signed the Munich Treaty on Sept 29, 1938. The Border Regions had to be ceded by the Czechoslovak Republic to Germany and the protective belt of mountain fortifications was lost.
Late September 1938 the Czechoslovak Air Force had nine hundred aircraft -506 with 48 flights, the other replacement ones. Czech pilots kept flying till the Occupation to retain as their piloting as combat skills which enabled their sawing action at the very beginning of WWII in Poland, France and Great Britain respectively..
Slovakia became an Hitler Germany`s Ally on Mar 14,1939 and Slovak airmen took part in the Polish and Russian campaigns. And it was not only its symbolical support of the German agression against the Soviet Union, eg. the No 13 Slovakian Flight`s pilots flying the Me-109G-2 fighter planes deployed at the Anapa airfield in the Taman peninsula region downed fourty-two Soviet aircraft in March 1943. Not only bombers and close support aircraft, but also fighters. They were excellent airmen and that is pity they did not fight by the Allies` side.
Slovakia declared war on the USA on Dec 12, 1941 and that reason for the Czechoslovakia as a member of the WWII`s Winning Powers was deprived of obtaining any post-war reparations.
To be fair we have to admit that dozens of Slovakian soldiers deployed on the Russian front deserted and joined the No 1 Czechoslovak Infantry Batallion commanded by Col. Luddveek Svobbodda that saw action for the first time on March 8 1943 defending the village of Sokkollovvo South of Kharkov.
Several members of the Slovakian Air Force left for exile together with the Czechs. Later, when the Wehrmacht had to withdraw, attacked by the Red Army and the frontline nearing the territory of Slovakia was, more and more Slovakian pilots deserted the Luftwaffe. Their number peaked before the 1944 Slovakian National Uprising.
There were also several Slovakian pilots among the 470 Czechs aboard the liners leaving the Polish port of Gdynia and arriving in France on May 25, June 20, Aug 1, 9 and 19. The number of 93 Czech airmen signed for the Polish Air Force till August 31, a fighter ace to be Sgt Joe Frantyishek born at the village of Ottaslavitse among them. He had seen action from the first day when WWII broke out in Poland and was ordered to fly the adjutant to the General Strzeminsky onboard to Romania from the Kamionka Strumilova airfield
Joe succeeded in getting to France. The Czech airmen who fought in Poland and were captured by the Red Army advancing westwards after Sept 17, 1939 and were lucky not having been sent to Gullag labour camps, left the USSR at the port of Oddyessa on May 17, 1940 for France and June 26 for UK.
There were 786 Czechs enlisted in the French Air Force on May 1, 1940. The French Air Force Archive states the most successful Czech pilot was Alloys Vashahtko with fifteen Luftwaffe`s planes on his scoresheet. And Frank Perzhinna nicknamed Rinope with fourteen ones.
The total number of German aircraft downed or shared on the French soil by the Czech airmen amassed eighty two at the cost of fourty nine lives.After defeat of France the Czechs used ships heading for UK from the French ports, the first one arrived at the port of Falmouth on June 26, 1940. The Czech RAF Airmen Memorial was unveiled on the fifty eighth anniversary of this event at the Prostyeyov Cemetery in 1998.
The number of the Czech personell signing for the RAF including several dozens of women serving with the WAAF during WWII exceeded 2,450.
The No 310 Czechoslovak Fighter Squadron was established on July 12, 1940, sawing action in the Battle of Britain. No 311 Bomber one as well as No 1429 COTF came into existence on Aug 2 launching ops during Battle of Britain too. No 312 Fighter Squadron was set up at Duxford on Sept 5, 1940 and saw action at the final stage of Battle of Britain in the Liverpool area. No 313 Fighter Sqn came into existence on May 10, 1941 and the Czechoslovak Fighter Wing took part in the Jubille as well as D-Day campaigns.
The Czechoslovak flight of No 68 Night Fighter Sqn was established on Jan 20, 1942 and saw action instantly.
These Air Force units apart from the Czechoslovak Infantry Regiment commanded by Col Klappahlek defending the port of Tobruq and two of the para agents dropped on the Protectorate Boehmen and Maehren`s territory who assassinated the Protector Heydrikh and above all following Nazi reprisals - wiping out the villages of Liddyitse and Lezhahky - made the British goverment as well as the French one in Exile unvalidate their Munich Treaty`s signatures in 1942. This act helped to recognize the pre-war Czechoslovakia`s frontiers.
The RAF`s Czechoslovak Transport Pool was set up on Oct 2, 1944.
The fighter ace to be Joe Frantishek had argument with the Cz. Air Force`s Commanders and that is why he joined the Polish airmen whose side he had fought by in the Polish and French campaigns. Joe downed ten Luftwaffe aircraft in France in the May 10 - June 17 time frame. On British soil he served with No 303 Polish Sqn and had seventeen sure kills on his scoresheet from Sept 1 to Oct 8 when he met his deathwhile landing. Amassing twenty seven Huns, Joe Frantishek became the most succesful Czechoslovak fighter pilot in WWII.
Other excellent Cz. fighter aces were Charles Kuttewascher with eighteen downed Luftwaffe aircraft and Otto Smik who had twelve planes and two doodlebugs on his scoresheet.
The Czechoslovak fighter pilots were highly credited. Only three RAF Sqns were commanded by Non-Brits and all of them were of Czech nationality - Fajtl (Fightl), Smik and Manak (Mannyahk)
No 311 Bomber Squadron made 972 raids for sixty one objectives in Germany, Lower Countries, France as well as Italy and due to losses had to cease its activity under the Bomber Command on April 20 1942. Amassing 2,102 flying hours in the Battle of Atlantic under the Coastal Command, No 311 Sqn`s bombers attacked thirty three U boats and six vessels. Its B 24 hit the Alsterufer runner sailing from Japan with components for V-1 production aboard on Dec 26, 1943. Coup of grace was delivered by another Coastal Command`s bomber. That reason for doodlebugs saw action on June 13, 1944, at least by one month later and were not at hand on the D-Day, possibly causing heavy casualties on the Allies` side.
No 311 Sqn`s Air Gunners claimed seven sure shots and Nos 310-313 Sqns` fighter pilots downed 365 Luftwaffe aircraft in WWII.
Twenty Czechoslovak RAF Fighter pilots leaving for the USSR in February 1944 formed the No 128 Cz. Fighter Sqn commanded by Staff Captain Fajtl (Fightl) there on May 4, 1944.
Two former fighter pilots of No 13 Slovakian Flight Mattusshek and Dobrovvodskee who had crossed the frontline in the summer 1943 piloting Me-109G-2 aircraft, joined on June 1, 1944.
As members of No 1 Fighter Regiment twenty one pilots onboard of twenty one La 5 FN fighter planes they ferried from Poland to the Central Slovakia Zolna detached field air strip on Sept 17, 1944. The Slovakian National Uprising had broken out in this region on Aug 29 and the Insurgent Flight had mostly obsolete biplanes at the vulnerable Tri Duby air base, often bombed by Luftwaffe. That reason for the Regiment made its 560 ops from the semi prepared Zolna airfield mostly.
The Germans advanced and that is why twelve airworthy La 5 FN fighter planes had to leave for Poland respectively Romania on Oct 25 1944. Their close-support missions prevailed though thirty four Luftwaffe aircraft were destroyed by them too. Regiment`s doing so in the deep enemy`s rear for more than five weeks is a matter of rare occurrence.
No 1 Czechoslovak Mixed Air Division was established in the USSR on Jan 25, 1945. No 1 Fighter Regiment flown mostly by Czech and No 3 Bomber one manned by the Slovaks took part in liberating the town of Ostrava in North Moravia from April 16. Though the No 2 Fighter Regiment was armed by the more advanced La 7 variant, their pilots saw no action of WWII and practiced only.
The number of Czechoslovak airmen who lost their lives in WWII totalled 546. Four of them met their death in the Polish and 29 in the French campaigns, 482 serving with the RAF, 7 with No 1 Mixed Division, 2 with the Free French and 2 with the Royal Canadian Air Forces, 12 in Slovakia and 8 in other theatres.
The highest casualties were taken by No 311 Bomber Sqn.
Czechoslovak airmen from the USSR arrived in Prague on May 13, 1945 and the RAF men on Aug 13. Instead of respect not only these ones who had contributed to liberating and restoring of the Czechoslovak Republic as in the 1940 French as well as the 1940-1945 RAF campaigns were disdained, hated and jailed after the February 25, 1948 Communist Coup.
Surprisingly even the members of No 1 Fighter Regiment were pilloried like this, also suffering in nicks or labour camps. The RAF man - Vic Waidlich - was shot dead while being taken into custody on May 25 1949, Edward Shimon on Dec 15 1949 and Vladislav Roubal while fleeing on Oct 15, 1951.
On the other hand, the Slovak airmen fighting the Red Army`s Air Force by the Luftwaffe`s side on the Eastern front were not persecuted at all.
I met Sqn/Ldr Frank Brezina at the Czhahslav air base in 1956. He had shot down at least 7 Sowiet aircraft piloting his Me 109-G-2 fighter plane.
Czechoslovak RAF men were honoured after the 1989 year being out of court rehabilitated as well as promoted.
The sum of 302 wooden urns filled with soil on the graves of the Cz. airmen who had perished in WWII was flown into the Czech Republic in 1945. These ones were found rotten in a store after the 1989 year. The majority of the urns were identified and the soil was put into the new plastic ones.
Designed by Architect Blahoslav Addammeek the Czechoslovak RAF airmen`s Memorial, whose lives had been lost in WWII, was erected at the Prostejov Cemetery in 1998. The monument was made by the Mason Otruba`s Plumlov Ltd and soil from 157 urns was laid into. These airmen perished in all the WWII theatres.
The Monument was unveiled on June 22, 1998 under presence of RAF veterans and guests from Czech as well as Slovakian Armies, Prostejov Municipality and Prostejov Region respectively.
Except the Senator Robert Kollahrz who gained majority of the the funds needed other Czech politicians ignored the event.
The public showed interest in Czech airmen`s campaigns in WW II after unveiling the Memorial and that reason for the Wings of Victory Exhibition was opened to public at the Plumlov Chateau in 2001. It documents this famous era of the Czechoslovak Air Force`s history on more than one thousand http://www.svazletcu.cz/images, tables and exhibits.
This exhibition is possessed by the Czech Airmen Association and its launching was nodded by as Plumlov Councellors as the mayor Mr Ladislav Otruba. Though there were repeated attempts of some individuals to oust the Wings of Victory exhibition from the Chateau`s premises, it has been here to date.
More than 50 thousand visitors have come and apart from ones from the Czech and Slovakia Republics there have been visitors from Poland, UK, Canada,US, Australia, France, Russia, Germany, Netherlands and other countries too..
The Exhibition is available all year round and free of charge. If interested in more detailed inspection or lecture not only at school, phone 588 882 209 or 728 739 928
Mgr Boleslav Povolny No 9 Czech Airmen Association`s Branch