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Armourer Cyril Sklenar

His name is mentioned in a booklet on an armourer Frank Zivela

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Celebration of 100 Powered Flying

Held not only at the Mlada Boleslav Flying Club on Oct 3, 2003.

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Man of Defiance Joe Bryks MBE

He had been behind bars under both the Nazi and Communist regimes for thirteen years. Joe didn´t survive the latter one.

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Sokol Promise

Back side of Sgt. Miroslav Ctvrtlik´s Sokol pass.

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Ctvrtlik bros

They are remembered by a plaque on their native house at Olomouc – Cernovir.

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GCpt Joseph Duda CBE

He was one of many Cz members of the RAF pilloried by the ones in power till their deaths after Feb 25, 1948.

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Route of the Balkans after June 24 1940

Fall of France made transport of Cz volunteers via Yugoslavia much more complicated.

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Oath of Allegiance July 2 1935

On the day of the 18th anniversary of the Zborov battle it was taken by two hundred and fifty eight Lts and F/Os of the Hranice Military Academy commisioned on the previous day.

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GHQ Col Rosik from Bzova to Africa

As far as in Africa was laid to rest our compatriot born at the village of Bzova GHQ Col Vitezslav Rosik. Prior to WWII he had acted as the Czechoslovak Airmen Association´s Chairman.

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Accordion player Jahoda

Below mentioned facts are recalls of his daughter, nephew and wife. The latter from May 1990.

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Col Joseph Stehlik three campaign ace

A name of the booklet ´Sure Shot Hunter´ by the Kolesa Publ. suits him

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Bloody Sunday Dec 17 1944

This air battle is mentioned also by Mr Martin W. Bowman in his ´ Consolidated B-24 Liberator´Book. The Luftwaffe pilots of No 300 Jagdgruppe ´Wilde Sau´ are classed very experienced by the author.

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Col Imrich Gablech

The below mentioned text was recorded in his garden on July 19, 2011 and updated by the phone call dated Oct 25, 2014.

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Cz airmen Poland Sep 17 1939

The Red Army invading the eastern regions of Poland made the situation of Cz airmen much more complicated. One of them was sentenced for five years in a Soviet gulag labour camp. Two more perished there.

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Route of the Balkans

Situation of Cz refugees was complicated after Mar 15 1939. The Government of Yugoslavia made the Cz Ambassador Mr Lipa vacate the premises in Beograd for Germans.

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Cz airmen in Polish Sep 1 - 16 1939 campaign

Ninety three Cz airmen were enlisted in the Polish Air Force on Aug 28. They signed their contracts in three stages by the groups of eight, thirteen and seventy two.

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Jindrich Henry Prokop

The Valachs provided us with both the notes on his life, comments to the four images on No RAF 03 panel and the below mentioned text. Thanks to these Henry´s firm friends his urn had been brought from England to the town of Prostejov. The Zajiceks residing to Worthing too, who persuaded Henry´s daughter Wendy to nod, should by appreciated too.

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U 971 vs No 311 Sqn on June 24 1944

The sector designated to the Czechoslovak No 311 Sqn for combing was of such an extent so that each of three B 24s on patrol there could flow over the same spot at an exact interval of twenty minutes. After ten hours their role was taken over by three further No 311 Sqn´s Libs.

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STW synthetic oil refinery May 12 1944

Though the American bombers dropped their bombload on the STW synthetic oil refinery at Zaluzi nr Most ie Brux not before May 12, 1944, it became their most frequent target within the territory of today´s Czechoslovakia.

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Czechoslovak Foreign Military Group

Patriotism of Mr Vladimir Znojemsky and the deeds done by his subordinates for the Czechoslovak refugees in Poland seventy five years ago have not been appreciated sufficiently.

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Biography of Sgt Joseph Tomanek

Based on recalls of his sister Mr Helena Sukova agend 93. Written up by her great-daugter Miss Svetlana Klouckova.

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Col in mem Vaclav Jicha DFC AFC

Vaclav Jicha (Vahtslav Yeekha)called Wenda was decorated by not only Czechoslovak, but also French and British awards in his lifetime – the DFC for his combat effort and the AFC for his contribution to the British research.

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USSR bound

Fourteen fighter pilots ceased to serve in the RAF on Jan 31, 1944, six further and an inteligence officer F/O Jiri Sehnal on the following day. Their Good Bye Ceremony was held at the Cz Inspectorate in London.

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My brother Joseph Tomanek

Courtesy Miss Svetlana Klouckova for six pictures of Josef Tomanek´s activity in the Masaryk Flying League as well as two others and three carricatures by him.

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Otakar Korec Hatchet

Five pictures in the text are by an expert in Cz RAF´s members Mr Jaroslav Popelka. The pilot´s passport photo, his signature dated Sep 25,1936 as well as a map of three Cz pilots´ six day journey to No Group de Chasse I/3 are by the author. The map significantly shows a typical French disorder multiplying the odds tackled by Czechoslovak airmen not only in May 1940.

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FLt Otakar Hruby DFC

An excerpt from a ´Personas of the Nova Paka Region´ Book by Yvone Bencova. Issued by the Nova Paka Municipality. 300 pgs. Available also on a CD.

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Three nicknames of Major Gen Vlastimil Vesely DFC AFC

The text was written by a pilot´s nephew for a Jicin local newspaper due to his uncles´s birthday centenary.

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Gen Vlastimil Vesely DFC AFC

We were provided as with the text as the picture of Vlastimil and Erazim /L to R/ by their nephew Mr Jaroslav Vesely residing to the town of Jicin.

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Sgt Jan Krivda

Two of the images are by an expert in Cz RAF men Mr Jaroslav Popelka. He was given one of them by John´s firm friend and RAF veteran Mr Frank Loucky fourty years ago. Four others from Mr Bohuslav Krivda. Their assistance is much appreciated.

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After Cz airmen named streets of Cerny most Prague Borough

The life story of the twenty seven RAF´s members was described by a military historian Mr Jiri Rajlich, Col Vaclav Vlcek´s – the Czechoslovak Airmen Association´s Chairman – by Mr Jiri Slavestinsky and Mares´s and Dobrovolny´s war escapades were assembled by No 14 Prague Borough´s editorial staff from the belongings owned by their families.

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FLt Ladislav Bobek DFC

The surname of W/O Bobek misprinted ´Bebek´was mentioned by Mr Michael J. F. Bowyer on No 88 pg of his ´Action Station – Military Airfields in East Anglia´ Book for his shooting down a Dornier 217 on the night of July 23, 1942.

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Beaulieu May 26, 1943

Cz No. 311 bomber Sqn moved from Talbenny, Wales to Beaulieu, Hampshire on this day.

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Mauthausen Extermination Camp Oct 24, 1942

The number should have been higher by one victim. Mrs Alena Vyhnisova was shot dead pregrant due in Jan 1943.

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E 3000 - Emigranten

The first of them was interned in the Svatoborice Camp himself, the second failed to meet her detained mother despite her coming to the village of Svatoborice. The third arrived at the village too and was more lucky and succeeded in meeting his mother.

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No 311 Sqn summer of 1942

All the other Cz No 311 Sqn´s airmen who went missing over the Bay of Biscay have no known grave.

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Cz No 311 Sqn June 1942

No 311 Sqn moved to the Talbenny air base on the South West coast of Wales from Aldergrove, Ulster on June 10, 1942. It was equipped with brand new concrete runways and subsidiaries.

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Trejtnar vs Faber Jun 23 1942

No citation or even promotion for this cz pilot´s lion share on falling the first intact Fw 190 of an A3 sub-type into Allied hands !

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Cz No 311 Sqn at Aldergrove

Seventy years ago the Sqn was just on the move to a brand new air base of Talbenny on the South-West coast of Wales.

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Operation Millenium

Thirty eight Cz airmen took part in the Operation Millenium on the night of May 30/31, 1942, masterminded by a new Commander of Bomber Command - Air Marshall Arthur Harris.

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East Wreatham April 24, 1942

Seventy years ago the fist part of Cz No 311 Sqn´s history came to its end.

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Lt Col Bohumil Rysanek Bob Aug 2, 2008

This second part of the Cz No 311 Bomber Sqn was posted on his death`s anniversary. It covers the time frame from Nov 4, 1943 to the date when the Ex-Serviceman`s ash scattered was.

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To the old pack comrades

This Letter of Remembrance of the Cz. Volunteer Group in Poland both in spring and summer 1939 belonged to Bohumil Rysanek. It was issued at the author`s - Zdenek Vrsovsky`s - expense in the Czechoslovak No 1 Inf Bat`s Camp on July 28, 1941 somewhere in England on the second anniversary of their leaving the Polish port of Gdynia aboard the Chrobry liner towards the Foreign Legion.

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Bohumil Rysanek Bob July 27, 1914

The first part of whereabouts of the Czechoslovak No 311 Bomber Sqn was posted on his birthday`s anniversary. As a member of the French Legion he was not allowed to leave it on Sept 3, 1939 after France had declared War on Germany like Cz airmen, but even in October.

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Lib 42-52479 on Aug 24, 1944

A black couloured B 24 flying mid one of BSs was downed by Luftwaffe fighters over the hamlet of Vlcice in South Bohemia this day. And not only this single ship.

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Black Friday Aug 29, 1944

Not only all the seven ships of the 2nd BG`s No 20 BS were downed by Luftwaffe fighters on Aug 29, 1944.

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Austrian helicopter forced to land

An Austrian helicopter Augusta went astray on May 23, 1978 and only thanks to the Czechoslovak Air Force pilot`s common sense it was not shot down.

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The E 3000 Action

Courtesy of Mrs Navratilova, whose father Florian Jahoda served with the Czechoslovak No 311 Bomber Sqn. Her mother was detained at the Svatoborice Interment Camp and her uncle Alois Jahoda was held not only there, but also in one of Brno prisons. Mrs Navratilova resides at the village of Velky Tynec nr Olomouc, where wife of Gen. Karel Klapalek Olga Kosutova Klapalkova had been born.

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nr Svatoborice

An excerpt from a book by Olga Koshut Klapalek who was detained there with an older of her two daughters till Apr 14, 1945. They were driven to the Plana upon Luznice Interment Camp in South Bohemia and freed on May 5 This book was published in 1946.

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Oct 6, 2006 Reunion

The Czechoslovak Army Day used to be celebrated on this day, the event was held on this date on purpose.

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Nov 9, 2007 Reunion

The intention was to hold the event on the Veteran`s Day, so on Friday Nov 9th.

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Cz Airmen in their Fight for Freedom

This article was posted also in English in order to raise public awareness of History of Czechoslovakia not only in schoolchildren.

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