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.
About Jaroslav Rolenc
Jaroslav Rolenc - (January 10, 1915 Brno-Holásky - † 23.10.1941) the Gulf of Cardigan
He completed basic military service in 1934-1936. Then he joined the "Thousands of New Pilots of the Republic" event.
After successfully completing the pilot course, he decided to combine his future with the military service - he was assigned to the Fighter Air Force. In September 1938, he was transferred to Slovakia, along with other pilots of fighter squadrons, to defend the Czechoslovak Air Force against Horty's Hungary. After Munich (
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He left Czechoslovakia on November 16, 1939, using the so-called Balkan Way (through the French Consulate in Budapest to Yugoslavia and thence to France). After various tours, he traveled through Greece, Turkey and Syria to the Lebanese port of Beirut, from where he sailed to France on 3rd January 1940. He arrived in Marseille on January 13, 1940, from where he traveled to Agde, where the Czechoslovak Military Center was located (although it was ready for combat, in the French Air Force War, not by its own fault, did not intervene).
After the surrender of France, he sailed from Port Vendres, France, on June 24, 1940, by boat Appapa, arriving via Gibraltar on July 7, 1940 to Liverpool, England. English language training began on 20 July 1940 in Cosford, Shropshire, on the newly emerging Czechoslovak training and reserve base.
Although he was originally a fighter, his fate became a bomber air force; Prior to joining the Royal Air Force, he had to swear an oath to British Emperor George VI. After training at various British troops, he was in the British rank of Sergeant (Sgt) to 311. Bomber Squadron, deployed at the time at East Wretham County, Norfolk County. From there on 23 October 1941 at 11.40 am take the training flight Wellington T2624. Wellington T2624 crashed into the Irish Sea of Cardigan with the loss of Sgt Karel Hurt and all of his crew (Sgt Otakar Januj, Sgt Jaroslav Poledník, Sgt Jaroslav Rolenc and P/O František Dittrich) whilst on a cross country training flight .
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Plaque Inscription:
ZDE SE NARODIL
JAROSLAV
ROLENC
*10.1.1915 † 23.10.1941
MAJOR Cs. 311. BOMB. PERUTE
BYL SESTRELEN NAD MOREM
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Jaroslav Rolenc - 10.1.1915 Brno-Holásky – † 23.10.1941 prostor Cardiganského zálivu
Základní vojenskou službu absolvoval v letech 1934–1936. Po skoncení vojenské služby se prihlásil do akce „Tisíc nových pilotu republice".
Po úspešném absolvování pilotního kurzu se rozhodl spojit svou budoucnost se službou v armáde - byl zarazen ke stíhacímu letectvu. V zárí 1938 byl preložen na Slovensko, aby spolu s dalšími piloty stíhací letky bránili vzdušnou hranici CSR proti hortyovskému Madarsku. Po Mnichovu se letci premístili nejdríve do Prostejova, krátce poté do Brna, v breznu 1939 byl Jaroslav Rolenc demobilizován.
Do zahranicí odešel 16. listopadu 1939 s využitím tzv. balkánské cesty (pres francouzský konzulát v Budapešti do Jugoslávie a odtud do Francie). Po ruzných peripetiích se vlakem pres Recko, Turecko a Sýrii dostal do libanonského prístavu Bejrút, odkud lodí odplul 3. 1. 1940 do Francie. Do Marseille pripluli 13. 1. 1940, odtud vlakem odjeli do Agde, kde se nacházelo ceskoslovenské vojenské stredisko (i když byl vojensky zcela pripraven k boji, do války ve svazku francouzského letectva, ne vlastní vinou, nezasáhl).
Po kapitulaci Francie odplul z francouzského prístavu Port Vendres 24. 6. 1940 lodí Appapa, pres Gibraltar priplul 7. 7. 1940 do anglického Liverpoolu. Výcvik i výuku anglictiny zahájil 20. 7. 1940 v Cosfordu v hrabství Shropshire na nove vznikající základne Ceskoslovenské výcvikové a náhradní jednotky.
I když puvodne byl letcem stíhacím, jeho osudem se stalo bombardovací letectvo; pred prijetím do Royal Air Force musel složit prísahu britskému panovníkovi Jirímu VI. Po výcviku u ruzných britských jednotek se dostal v britské hodnosti Sergeant (Sgt) ke 311. cs. bombardovací peruti, dislokované v té dobe na základne East Wretham v hrabství Norfolk. Odtud také vzlétl 23. 10. 1941 v 11.40 hodin ke cvicnému letu bombardovací letoun Wellington T2624 /posádku tvorili: kapitán a první pilot Sgt Karel Hurt (Únetice na Plzensku), druhý pilot Sgt Jaroslav Rolenc, navigátor P/O František Dittrich (Hradec Králové), radiotelegrafista Sgt Otakar Januj (*1912, Rudimov na Zlínsku) a strelec Sgt Jaroslav Poledník (*1920, Líšen u Brna)/. Let mel trvat pet a pul hodiny, natankované množství paliva melo vystacit na sedm a pul hodiny letu - príznivá byla i predpoved pocasí, návrat se predpokládal do 17 hodin. Posádka však nepristála, ani nevyslala žádnou zprávu.
Po nezvestném letounu bylo vyhlášeno pátrání v oblastech, kudy vedla trasa plánovaného dálkového orientacního letu - bezvýsledne, celá posádka prohlášena za nezvestnou (po týdnu vyplavilo more na breh Cardiganského zálivu telo navigátora Františka Dittricha, který byl 4. 11. 1941 uložen do hrobu císlo 17 (sekce D) hrbitova v Cardiganu (po válce exhumován, zpopelnen a urna prevezena do rodište). Zbylé cleny posádky se najít nepodarilo. Letoun se zrítil v prostoru Cardigansského zálivu.