World War II Fighter Pilot Ace of Czechoslavakia. He is officially credited with 14 German aircraft kills during WWII while serving with, first, the French Air Force and, later, the British Royal Air Force. Born in Breslaw, Czechoslavakia (now the Czech Republic) he was a member of the Czech Air Force and fled German occupation in 1939 to join France's air force and was credited with four aerial victories on his first day of combat. When France capitulated to the Nazis he fled to Britain and joined the Royal Air Force's No. 312 Fighter Squadron and fought in the Battle of Britain. He is considered one of the most successful Czech WWII fighter pilots. He returned home after the war but when the Communists gained power in Czechoslovakia in 1948, he was expelled from the army; he commandeered a light plane and flew across the Czechoslovak-West German border crash landing only eight kilometers into West Germany. From there he again returned to England to rejoin the Royal Air Force. Later he moved to Canada temporarily and then, in 1960, settled in the United States to work for Weber Aircraft. After a number of years in retirement, he returned to the Czech Republic in 1993 where he was a General (Retired) of the Czech Army. He had been awarded many Czech and Allied decorations and medals, among them were the Czechoslovak Cross of War, the Order of the White Lion and the French Ordre de la Legion d'Honneur. A school in Prague is named after him. Cause of death: unspecified chronic disease, in Prague.
World War II Fighter Pilot Ace of Czechoslavakia. He is officially credited with 14 German aircraft kills during WWII while serving with, first, the French Air Force and, later, the British Royal Air Force. Born in Breslaw, Czechoslavakia (now the Czech Republic) he was a member of the Czech Air Force and fled German occupation in 1939 to join France's air force and was credited with four aerial victories on his first day of combat. When France capitulated to the Nazis he fled to Britain and joined the Royal Air Force's No. 312 Fighter Squadron and fought in the Battle of Britain. He is considered one of the most successful Czech WWII fighter pilots. He returned home after the war but when the Communists gained power in Czechoslovakia in 1948, he was expelled from the army; he commandeered a light plane and flew across the Czechoslovak-West German border crash landing only eight kilometers into West Germany. From there he again returned to England to rejoin the Royal Air Force. Later he moved to Canada temporarily and then, in 1960, settled in the United States to work for Weber Aircraft. After a number of years in retirement, he returned to the Czech Republic in 1993 where he was a General (Retired) of the Czech Army. He had been awarded many Czech and Allied decorations and medals, among them were the Czechoslovak Cross of War, the Order of the White Lion and the French Ordre de la Legion d'Honneur. A school in Prague is named after him. Cause of death: unspecified chronic disease, in Prague.
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