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On 23 June 2012 a ceremony to commemoration the 70th Anniversary of the death of Wing Commander Alois Vašátko DFC, ‘The Great Amos’, was held in his home village of Čelákovice, near Prague.
Whilst returning from a ramrod to Morlaix, France on 23/06/42, his Spitfire Mk.Vb BM592 was in collision with an Fw.190 over the Channel off Start Point. W/Cmdr Alois Vašátko was killed in the collision and his Spitfire was last seen diving vertically into the sea with all guns blazing. His body was never recovered and he is remembered on panel 64 at Runnymede.
Amongst those attending the ceremony was former cosmonaut plk Oldřich Pelčák, representing Svazu letců, the Airman’s Association of the Czech Republic.
During the ceremony there was a flypast by two JAS-39 Gripen of the Czech Air Force.
After the Ceremony, a lecture and discussion on Wing Commander Alois Vašátko DFC, and other Czech airmen serving in the RAF in WW2 was held in the Concert Hall of the nearby music school. Guest speakers at the well attended lecture included plk Oldřich Pelčák and published Czech aviation historian Pavel Vancata.
plk Oldřich Pelčák in discussion
left David Eisner, Director of Čelákovice Town Museum, right Pavel Vancata
More details about this ceremony and discussion, in Czech are here
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