About Czechoslovak pilots during WWII
On 15 March 1939 Germany occupied Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic), the Luftwaffe confiscated all Czechoslovak Air Force aircraft. Emigration was strictly controlled and former air force personnel were not allowed to leave the country Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (
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After France capitulated to Germany on 22 June 1940, many Czechoslovak airmen escaped to the United Kingdom. The RAF quickly created new squadrons formed of Czechoslovak pilots. The first fighter unit was No. 310 Squadron RAF (
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Many of the Czechoslovak pilots died during WWII. Their memorials are located in many places in Western Europe, but also in Czech Republic. The monuments have different shapes and sizes. One of the typical forms is the memorial plaque located on the houses where the pilot was born or where they lived for some time.
Plaque Inscription:
CSL. LETEC PORUCÍK
BOHUSLAV PRÍHODA
3.8. 1914
PADL V CIZINE
12.12. 1943
VE SLUŽBÁCH VLASTI
Poznámka:
The memorial plaque is located on the wall of childhood home of Bohuslav Príhoda.
F/Sgt Bohuslav Príhoda (* 03/08/14, Svratka - † 12/12/43, Medicine Hat, Alberta) was a Czech pilot, a member of No. 34 SFTS (Service Flying Training School) of RAF.
He left the Czechoslovakia after the occupation in 1939. He trained flightman in Service Flying Training School in Canada. He died during an acrobatic training flight, his Harvard, 2742, dived into the ground and was burnt out.
No. 34 Service Flying Training School, Royal Air Firce, was established in Medicine Hat in 1941. It was one of 83 such schools established across Canada under the Commonwealth Air Training Plan, which was a joint venture of Canada and Great Britain.
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Bohuslav Príhoda po okupaci v roce 1939 opustil republiku, pusobil v anglické škole stíhacu v Kanade, kde je i pohrben. Podplukovník in memoriam. Pametní deska je umístena na jeho rodném dome v ul. Racanské, místními zvané krátce Racana. Jeho jméno je uvedeno také na pomníku obetem 1. a 2. svetové války.