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. But many Czechoslovak airmen got themselves smuggled into Poland. Of these a few joined the Polish Air Force but most continued to France. (
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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.
Jiri Jaromir Machacek was born on 28th February 1915 at Sedlcany, south of Prague, Czechoslovakia. He was a member of the Czech Air Force when the Germans took over his country in March 1939.
He is recorded as being processed into the RAF, commissioned and posted to 310 Squadron at Duxford on 6th August 1940. With no experience on Hurricanes, he was posted with a large group of Czechs to 6 OTU Sutton Bridge on 17th August to convert to Hurricanes.
The course ended on 11th September but instead of returning to 310 he was posted to 145 Squadron at Drem.
Flying from Tangmere on 15th October Machacek was attacked by Me109's over Christchurch. He baled out from Hurricane V7337, wounded in the leg, and after landing near New Milton he was admitted to Lymington Hospital. He was not released from the RAF hospital at Torquay until early December.
Machacek was killed on 8th July 1941 on Circus 40, escorting Stirlings to Lille, in Spitfire V R7218 (presentation aircraft Retford). It is thought to have gone down in the sea and he was reported Missing.
Plaque Inscription:
V tomto dome zil a odtud do zahranicniho odboje
1939-45 odešel
porucík letectva Jirí Machácek.
Byl sestrelen a zahynul 8. cervence 1941 jako
príslušník 145, squadrony RAF v hodnosti Flying Officer.
V roce 1945 povýšen na škt. let. i.m. a v roce 1991
rabilitován a povýšen na plukovníka letectva
in memoriam