Captain František Novák - Prague, Czech Republic - Specific Veteran Memorials on Waymarking.com

About Czechoslovak pilots during WWI
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. (visit link)

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 (visit link) and immediately joined in the Battle of Britain (visit link) . A bomber unit, No. 311 Squadron RAF (visit link) a further Czechoslovak fighter units No. 312 Squadron (visit link) and No. 313 Squadron (visit link) soon followed.

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 František Novák
František Novák was the well known pre war aerobatic pilot of the Czechoslovak Air Force. After escaping from his homeland he went to France in 1939 and joined l’Armée d’Air and served as an instructor at truing truing airbase at CIC Chartres. Following a gastric operation, he discharged himself early from hospital so that he could continue training pilots. He returned from training flight with all the stitches broken and died in a Paris hospital 3 days later on 27/04/40. In October 2002 he was re-interred to the family tomb in the municipal cemetery at Sokolec near Nymburk, Czech Republic.


See also: (visit link)


Plaque Inscription:
ZDE ŽIL A ODTUD ODEŠEL DO ZAHRANICNÍHO LETECTVA „KRÁL VZDUCHU “MAJOR LETECTVA FRANTIŠEK NOVÁK CLEN SVAZU LETCU, PRÍSLUŠNÍK ODBOJ. SKUPINA II. ZAHRANICNÍHO ODBOJE
* 26.VIII.1902 V SOKOLCI + 27.IV.1940 V PARÍŽI
SVAZ LETCU RCS * JEDNOTA CSOL PRAHA VII-HOLEŠOVICEAUTOMOBILOVÉ ZÁVODY – NÁRODNÍ PODNIK * LETECKÉ ZÁVODY – NÁRODNÍ PODNIK

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Date Logged Log User Rating   09/09/2017 Demonici visited it