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.
Václav Jícha was born on 10 February 1914 in Dnešice, a small village near Prestic, near Plzen, Czechoslovakia. His two year compulsory military service commenced on 1 October 1935, and he was sent to the 64th Squadron of the 3rd Air Regiment ‘General M. R. Štefánik’ at Pieštany airbase in Slovakia. Finally Václav was selected for military pilot training and on 1 July 1936 he was sent on the training course to the Military Aviation Academy at Prostejov.
Like many of his fellow airmen Václav could not accept the German occupation in 1938-39 and sought to help in the liberation of his homeland. With the assistance of Svaz letcu, the Airman’s Association of Czechoslovakia, Václav travelled down their escape line to Ostrava. On the night of 13/14 May 1939 he escaped to Poland over the Beskydy mountains.
On arrival in France the Czechoslovak airmen were required join the French Foreign Legion for a five year period with the agreement that should war be declared they would be transferred to French military units. He was assigned to GC I/6, an operational unit was based at Oran and equipped with MS-403c fighter aircraft. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre avec Palmes by
France, and by Czechoslovakia, the Válecný kríž 1939.
When France capitulated, the Czechoslovak airmen were released from l’Armée de l’Air service.
On his arrival in England, Václav was accepted into the RAF Volunteer Reserve, at the rank of Sgt, and on 6 August, was posted to 310 (Czechoslovak) Sqn. On 27 May 1941 he was posted to the newly formed 313 (Czechoslovak) Sqn at Catterick. His operational tour was completed on 17 August 1942 and Václav was then posted as a test pilot to 9 Maintenance Unit. He remained here until 3 January 1943.
On 1 February 1945, Václav was aboard a Avro Anson NK945 for a training cross-country flight. The aircraft took off at about 14:15 from RAF Kinloss en route to Berwick on Tweed, south-east of Edinburgh. The aircraft was piloted by F/Lt R.D. Fergusson with Václav as co-pilot and P/O A.S. Davidson, a flight engineer, as passenger. No more was to be heard from the aircraft.
F/Lt Václav Jícha was buried at grave 17, section M of the Haddington Roman Catholic graveyard, Haddington, East Lothian.
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Plaque Inscription:
NA PAMET PLK. VÁCLAVA JÍCHY
PILOTA RAF
*10.2.1914 DNEŠICE
†1.2.1945 SKOTSKO
The memorial plaque is located on the wall of childhood home of Václav Jícha.