CZECH AIRMEN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 February 1941, Page 5

CZECH AIRMEN

LARGE NUMBERS IN BRITAIN HARD BLOWS STRUCK AT GERMANY. BIG BAG OF ENEMY PLANES. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY. February 13. Czechoslovak airmen stationed in Britain, who already number about 1000 with many more being trained, have struck hard at the enemy during the past six months. They have taken part in the bombing of Berlin and 24 places in the Ruhr, north-western Germany. and enemy occupied territory. Their fighters have shot down 44 enemy planes, or 59 including probables. The Czechoslovak Air Force comprises bombing mid fighting squadrons. Moro than 40 Czechoslovak pilots are distributed among various English squadrons, whereas the Czechoslovak Army has been constituted as an independent body working in conjunction with the British 'Army. The air force is under British command. The squadron leaders however, are Czechoslovak and a Czechoslovak inspectorate has been set up in the Air Ministry. The language used in service is English. Most of the pilots conn* from France, though some reached England from Czechoslovakia via Scandinavia before the outbreak of war. Many had adventurous escapes, including soma* who fled to Poland where they fought against th? Germans and then reached France via the Balkans. Turkey and Syria. There they re-formed into fighting units, but had to lice a third time when France collapsed. Some of them simply crossed the Channel Others had to go via North Africa. Here they were given new training. Though language difficulties have been great they were .soon overcome, and within a few weeks they went into action Hurricanes flown by Czechoslovak idiots scored their best bag in the great air battle over London.