Remembrance of an airman of war
On Aug 6, 1913 a son was born into a family of a wheeler Karel Krivda as the last of six children, named John. He gained an apprenticeship of a shop boy, but he was sold on aeroplanes. This hobby made a similar enthusiast of flying Mr Frantisek ie Frank Loucky his friend, who was by coincidence a shop assistant too, so they became firm friends. A group of further enthusiast joined them and they established together a Masaryk Flying League Branch in the town of Uhersky Brod. One of their promotional eventss occured on May 1, when their independent group proudly strode across the city drawing attention by an aircraft made by themselves and fastened to a bike. This aeroplane was ´piloted´ by Jan still hangs in the loft of John´s No 195 native house.
John and Frank longed for flying real aeroplanes so they applied to join the Prostejov Military Academy´s cadets. John was lucky – he was accepted. But Frank failed medical due to his prevous injury of his leg. On May 11, 1932 John launched his course of Elementary Flying lasting till Mar 28, 1933. The advancd of advanced flying followed from Apr 1 to June 4, 1933. First John Krivda served at the Kbely airbase flying twin-engine Soviet made SB-2 fast bombers ie Avia B-71s. Later was John posted to the town of Nitra in Slovakia.
And a fateful March 1939 came. The Germans occupied the rump territory of Bohemia and Moravia and set up so-called Protectorate, called by Jan nad Franta ´for this time´. Because also Slovakia declared independence on Mar 14, 1939, Jan was dismissed from the Forces and returned to his native land of Moravia. But he could not accept these facts. The war´s breaking out sooner or later was commonly known and as airmen as men of arms started leaving their Motherland. John and Frank made decision to leave too and that reason for they gathered infos needed for their escape. The first route should have been via Poland, they had all made ready, when the war broke out and the Germans occupied Poland by their ´blietzkrieg´ campaign. There was nothing else left but to try escaping via Slovakia.
A week prior to Christmass 1939 they set for a journey. They were joined by another native of Uhersky Brod, P/O Vláda Kubicek, who was an observer. They got to Budapest without problems, separating there. John was to go on via Romania, Vláda, Franta and the others via Yugoslavia. They had been advised of Cz military units being formed in France. They were in charge of the Czechs, employees of the French Consulate. Interim passports were issued FOR them, but this group failed to leave. The Hungarian authorities refused to provide them with a departure permit so their group was interned for four long moths in the Budapest Toloc-haz prison.
Meanwhile John luckilly arrived in France, he met Vláda and Frank not before May 1940 at an Agde camp in South France. The Nazi troops were at full swing via Low Countries to France and there were fierce clashes on the frontline. They learned of successes of Cz airmen from the news, but the matters sudddenly went into rapid succession. France surrendered and they had choice but to go further into the unknown. They met again on the British soil. Vlada got there by plane, John aboard of a Norwegian coal freighter and Frank in a group of sports fliers aboard a small Dutch vessel called Karanan.
Soon following their arrival the Czechoslovak personnel began to form up into Cz RAF´s units. John and Vlada were posted to No 311 Bomber Sqn, Frank was deployed to a course for a RAF´s fighter pilot. They kept frequent correspondence.
An extract from the Frank Loucky´s book ´Many did not complete their sortie´
The Chistmass were at hand. We had much to do in the course, the pilot´s ones as theoretical as practical were thorough. But sometimes everything seemed to me to proceed a bit slowly. I would like to serve with an operational Sqn and fly with John or Vlada to encounter the Germans. I downright envied them both. I had had no idea yet what the nearing anniversary of our collective leaving our Motherland would bring.
My second wartime Christmass were the saddest in my life. Shortly before the Christmass Eve I was sent two letters. One from Lada Kubicek and the other from Mirek Plecity, a good friend of mine from the Aeroclub of Prague. First I started reading the letter from Mirek. He wrote :
Sgts' Mess
RAF Honnington – Dec 17, 1940
Dear Frank,
I feel obliged to advise you of a very sad piece of news, though I will spoil you and the others the time of Christmass. I am sure you would learn anyhow that from the others. Yesterday John Krivda took for a mission following a longer break. After a short time they were made to return for still unknown grounds. They were landing bombed up fully. But John´s aircraft crashed into the woods shortly prior to landing and burned completely. Only three crewmen were safe. Three others perished, our dear John among them. So, Frank, there willbe only two of us returning home/ ?!/ without John but there is no other choice, that ´s war. I am going to write you further details later. Sorry for spoiling your Christmass, but we are the men after all! Your Mirek
That was a very painful piece of news for me. My best friend left for the place of no return. My exams and training prevented me from taking part in his funeral and that reason for I expected further news impatiently Mirek wrote in his next letter to me :
…..That fateful evening John was told by the chaps to shave himself. He replied :´That is good, chaps, let Ada ie Hitler see what pirates are had here by Churchill, when we do not come back´. He also mentioned an anniversary of your leaving the Motherland and he looked forward to wreaking havoc on Germany. Several our ships went on operations that night including the Sqn´s CO Mares who was taking off aboard the last one. He could see fall of the last but one aircraft into the forest next to the airfield catching fire. He realized he was losing some of his men, but he went on towards Mannheim and did his duty. They were complimented by the Englishmen for that. The cause of the crash is still unknown. After taking off the ship was reluctant to gain height, engines roared and the chaps eyewitnessing this knew that something strange is up. Because one more ship was taking off, John did more more circuit. While losing height feet by feet he crashed into the forest. The navigator F/O Nedved, who saved his life, conducted himself really great, helped those two crewmen get out, but he could not reach John due to flames. For that reason F/O Nedved returned to the rear gunner, whose legs were trapped under his seat. F/O Nedved tried to get him out in vain. The bombs began exploding in a moment. F/O Nedved was lifted by blast of the air and thrown away, but he came back to the ship. Meanwhile other men from the station arrived to the scene and they succeeded in loosing P/O Toul free, toiling for a longer time. But he died while being brought to a hospital. The front gunner Janousek was probably killed with John just on the crashing in the ground. The funeral of all the three ones was held on Friday Dec 20.
Three heavy coffins covered by the Union jacks on a trailer towed by a truck. The brass band played at the camp´s gate and all the procession marched slowly by a funeral English pace as far as the churchyard of the Honington village. I volunteered to bear the coffins. Because they were covered by the flags, I had no idea, whose coffin the John´s was. As I found out at the grave, it was only by chance, I had been bearing John as I wished. I helped lower him into the grave. Funeral flourish was being played followed by rifle salutes. Then each of usgreeted the comrades.Standing over the graves for a while, many of us with tears in our eyes. I returned again over the John´s coffin and greeted him for you : ´John, for Frank Loucky!´Believe me I was weeping and felt no shame for that. Maybe you will be able to visit his grave sometimes´.
During WWII I paid my visit to a tiny churchyard at Honington, Suffolk. I laid a small tribute to the graves of our fallen comrades, remembered for a while and returned to my unit´s station with sorrow.
An article in the REVI magazíne
Sgt. Vilem Bufka, a co-pilot in Sgt. Taiber´s crew recalled what had occured on leaving ground of the third Wellington bomber captained by Sgt. Krivda :
´Following a short warm-up we taxied for the take off. We were ordered the second and John´s crew after us. I spotted the green light, engines roared and Frank was gaining height by a slight curve, finding ourselves again over the station. A row of runway lights shone through like beads. A dark shade on the move was John´s aircraft just taking off. Her leaving ground seemed to be too long to me. I drew Franta´s attention to that :
´Have a look ! They are not able to make her become aborne´ Frank tilted our ship so that we could see better and said : Maybe a kink and they are in circuit to land. I wish they get her over the forest.´
We circled once more to observe their landing. In several seconds I was sorry we had not flown away at once. Again – for how many times ? – I had to eyewitness helplessly my friend´s quick heading for his destruction. The aircraft fell into the forest about fifty meters from its edge – ?A dull thud and cracks came as far as to us. A wreckage caught fire instantly, developing fast…
Details of the tragic crash eyewitnessed from the air by Sgts Taiber and Bufka are described by one of the participants, nowadays Maj Gen Ret Vladimir Nedved MBE DFC in his letter having been sent to the mayor of the Chlum village Mr Oskar Honzak about ten years ago. The crew´s rear gunner W/C in mem Jaromír Toul had been born there.
´Dear Mr Mayor
With pleasure I will satisfy your wish to write some words on P/O Jaromir Toul, together with whom I served and fought for freedom of our nation at home in Czechoslovakia. On Dec 16, 1940 at 1800 hrs we took off from the East Wreatham airfield onboard the Wellington KX-Q twin engine bomber of the T2577 serial number. Target was Mannheim. The crew consisted of a skipper John Krivda, a co-pilot Joseph Pavelka, a navigator P/O Vladimir Nedved, a W/O P/O Josef Doubrava, a front gunner Sgt Jiri Janousek and a rear gunner P/O Jaromir Toul.
Having been fuelled and bombed up, our take-off was normal. Our ship climbed up to thirty meters, but not higher. The speed reached 95 kts ie about 170 kmph, but later it started to decrease slowly to 80 – 85 kts and less. I was sitting at my navigator´s table with my speed- and altmeters in front of me. When our speed slowly started decreasing below 80 kts, I said to myself : How is it possible to be still airborne ? I got up from my table and went aft – the fuselage was very spacious – there was an astrodome up mid the ship, from which I one could see in all directions and apply the sextant for astronavigation. I could see clearly, that both the engines glowing were, being at very high RPMs. The tops of some trees were higher than our aircraft and I also could clearly see lights of our airfield´s runway about a mile ahead. The skipper Krivda tried to return to the runway and land, doing a wide turning circle. We were only a kilometer from the runway´s threshold, when the port wing hit a tree, the ship spinned, hit the ground and caught fire instantly. All was intensely hot…
Shortly afterwards I succeeded in opening the dome and jumped on a starboard wing. The port one as well as the fore-fusalege were already aflame. When I stood on ground at last, I spotted Sgt. Josef Pavelka lying under the starboard engine. I dragged him about fifty meters from the ship into a ditch to be in safety there. Walking back to the aircraft I met P/O Josef Doubrava who was unhurt and had a rest in a near cops. Meanwhile the fore part of the ship was aflame reaching the height of twenty meters. Metal burnt too, heat was plainly beyond imagination. Ammo in a front turret started exploding. When I came to a rear turret, its door was closed. I opened it and found Jarda uncouscious or in a shock. I woke him up at once and told him : ´Jarda, the ship is aflame, you must get out quickly´. But he poor one could not stand up, because his legs were trapped under his seat, having been pinned down by the ship´s impact. The bombs began blowing up about four meters from us, flames spreading towards us. Jarda asked me : ´ Vlada, do not let me alone´ I told him : Jarda do not worry I will stay with you´ / While writing these words tears are running from my eyes….the decision and the situation is simply unbelievable… I know only the Lord provided me with this courage, force and protection../ I tried pulling Jarda out of the turret in vain. He had been trapped there. My freeing him was beyond my human powers. Flames neared and further bombs exploded.
While this drama unfolding was, the station´s fire tenders waited in a safe distance until all the six bombs blew up, each containing 120 kg dynamite, and A/G ammo ceased to fire. Jarda and me were engulfed by all this. Still conscious and quite unhurt /except his leg pinned by the seat/ Jarda said to me : ´There is a revolver in my overall pocket, take it out and shoot me dead´ He plainly did not want to be burnt alive, which we airmen always feared. A moment of making decision came up : What shall I do ? The friend, who I want to save, is to be shot dead – by me ?
The fate solved the matter itself, when the last last and the nearest 250lb bomb exploded. I was lifted by this blast, blown for about five metres aside and landed on all my fours. By the Lord´s miracle still unhurt – but I knew it was not in human powers to pull Toul out of the wreckage and I decided myself to return to no more towards the ship.
As soon as all the explosions were over, the rescue team came closer to the aircraft, put the flames out and when about twenty ment lifted the tail of the Wellington bomber, Jarda was pulled by them out. By the explosion of the last bomb, that tossed me away, Jarda must have rammed with his forehead against the back part of both his A/Gs, fatally wounded. On way to hospital together with Pavelka and Doubrava by an ambulance, Jarda died and his suffering was over. Pavelka was in hospital for eighteen months till he was ´fit´ again. Our crewmen Jan Krivda and Jiri Janousek perished too. Jarda, AS all the others in No 311 Sqn, was my GOOD friend – Rest in peace. That was war and fight for freedom of the nation of Czechoslovakia – NOT Czecho –Slovakia !
Like all the others, we waited for further fourty four years for rehabilitation and for tribute at last by our nation and goverment for what we and Jarda Toul had done for them. The victims brought by our young boys to our nation are IRREPLACABLE !
I wholeheartedly say good bye to all of us your Vlada Nedved´
On Dec 16, 2010 there was the 60th anniversary of these sad events.
In July 2005 I visited with my daughter Jana for the first time Jan Krivda´s crash site. We experienced a cordial welcome as the ones related to the airman who lost his life in BoB. These pilots have been held in high esteem in England and associations were set up there that take care of these graves, gather any info on these fallen airmen and give various parties with the pilots still alive and their families. There we even met one eyewitness of John´s bomber´s crash who brought us a part of the 2577 Q´s engine. He has been keeping that as a relic.
That reason for I was very surprised, realising, how some would be heroes had done damage to The Red Army soldiers´ Memorial in my town after 1989. In comparison with the English we forgot about these men of arms who had lost their lives for our liberating from Fascism and these dead ones had nothing in common with August 1968.
Jan Krivda is remembered on the Memorial dedicated to the WWII victims near an old cemetery and on plaque of the Local Council´s building. We can read there :´They loved their country more than their life´ A street was named ´ F/Sgt Krivda ´ at the Novy Marsov housing estate at town of Uhersky Brod.
Bohuslav Křivda
Bibliography:
František Loucký - Zůstal jsem sám ie ´I REMAINED alone´ Orbis Publ.1946
* František Loucký - Mnozí nedoletěli ie ´Many did not COMPLETE their mission´. Naše vojsko Publ. 1989
** No 50 REVI magazine
NOTES
1/ 2577 Q´s crash was recalled by Gen Vladimir Nedved MBE DFC in his text ´How and Why´ posted on the www.fcafa. wordpress.com website last spring. A picture of the crashsite to the right of the woods can bee seen there. 2/It was also mentioned by Mr Michael J. W. Bowyer on No 107 pg of his book „Action Stations - Military airfields of East Anglia“. The P2577 serial number is incorrect. 3/ The cause of the crash was explained by No 311 Sqn´s navigator P/O Jan Gellner on Nos 23- 24 of the book „Letec po hvezdach“ by Pavel Vancata. There is discrepancy between his side of the story and the REVI magazíne´s one. 4/ The pictures of Sgts Jan Krivda´s, Jiri Janousek´s and P/O Jaromír Toul´s gravestones, taken by Mr Bohuslav Krivda in July 2005, are HERE 5/ The correct code of the Wellington bomber Mk IC T2577 is „Q“ for Queen 6/ No 144 urn containing the soil from the Jan Krivda´s grave had been interred into an urn vault of the Foreign Airmen´s Memorial in 1998. His name was chiselled into the urn vault´s cover In Sep 2012 – see HERE - Go further via Links, Memorials Museums, RAF memorial Prosteyov. On Sep 28, 2012 Mr Bohuslav Krivda took part in the Unveiling Ceremony.
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Cpl Jan Krivda – a dual seater pilot of the Czechoslovak Air Force |
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Agde, South France, spring 1940. Mr Loucky´s handwriting ´John, thumbs up for your final flight, I will remember you till my dying day. God let rest you in peace´ |
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On a pilot´s seat of 2577 Q |
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The damage to this tree branch was done by 2577 Q´s impact on Dec 16, 1940. |
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Mr Bohuslav Krivda and his daughter are handing this part of 2577 Q´s engine. Its owner is standing behind them. |
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An original cross at Sgt Jan Krivda´s grave at the All Saints Churchyard, Honington, Suffolk. |
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