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 Alois Tolar
Alois Tolar - 9.1.1915 Orechov u Brna (district of Brno-venkov) - † 3.3.1943 Paris
On 16 December 1941, Alois Tolar was in the first combat flight (raid on Ostend).
On 3 March 1942, the 311th Squadron bombed the Renault plant in Paris. A. Tolar was a member of the crew of Wellington Mk.IC KX-K, R1378 (the pilot Sgt. B. Hradil). The machine crashed near Creil, 50 km from Paris, the entire crew perished. The crew buried in a cemetery in Creil in de. 2 under No. Z341.
Plaque Inscription:
ZDE ŽIL
ŠTÁB. KAPITÁN CSL. ZAHR. ARMÁDY
bratr ALOIS TOLAR, nar. 9.1.1915.
PADL JAKO LETEC V BOJI ZA SVOBODU VLASTI
4.3.1942 U PARÍŽE.
Za nehynoucí zásluhy venuje
SOKOL Orechov
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Alois Tolar 9.1.1915 Orechov u Brna (okres Brno-venkov) – † 3.3.1943 Paríž
Dne 16. 12. 1941 v osádce Sgt Páry se zúcastnil prvního bojového letu (nálet na Ostende). Dne 3. 3. 1942 - 311. perut bombardovala Renaultovy závody v Paríži, pri tom byl sestrelen letoun pilotovaný Sgt. B. Hradilem, kde A. Tolar zastával funkci navigátora.
Stroj se zrítil u mesta Creil 50 km od Paríže, celá osádka zahynula. Letci pohrbeni na hrbitove v Creil v odd. 2 pod c. Z341/345.