This article addresses the destiny of an ordinary man, Karel Bergman – a civilian who fought for the freedom of his nation. It seeks to describe the life of a man for whom entry into the Czechoslovak foreign armed forces was not easy, but who did his very best for his country. The article also…

This article is centred on the life’s story of the Czechoslovak instructor and aerobatics pilot, Josef Flekal. It emerges particularly from documents from the private family archive, specialist publications and from interviews with J. Flekal himself (conducted by Jiří Říha). The article describes…

This article presents the fascinating story of a lesser known personality active in the RAF during World War II, namely Boleslav Ivánek – a native of Palkovice near Frýdek-Místek. His life has hitherto remained unknown to many, and his journey into exile was an unusual one. The article largely draws…

On 2 March 1945 over 1,200 bombers of the 8th US Air Force attacked the oil refineries in Ruhland, Böhlen, Rositz and Magdeburg. Bad weather forced the bombers to disperse, and they were attacked by German fighter planes. One air-to-air combat took place over the town of Slaný. A formation of 12…