Letec, pplk. Anton Vanko

Airman, Lt. Colonel Anton Vanko

Hrdina druhej svetovej vojny – pilot Anton Vanko (na fotografiách) sa narodil v Lednických Rovniach 10. januára 1918 v rodine sedliaka. Jeho rodný dom stál na začiatku Súhradky vľavo. Mal ďalších osem súrodencov. Jeho otec Karol nar.1873 mal z prvého manželstva päť detí: Jána, Alexandra, Annu, Máriu a Štefana. Ján a Alex sa vysťahovali do Ameriky a zomreli v Nebraske a Michigane.

Pilot Anton Vanko, a hero of WWII, was born on 10 January 1918 in the Slovak town of Lednické Rovne near Púchov. He had eight other siblings. His father Karol was a farmer, had five children from his first marriage: Ján, Alexander, Anna, Mária and Štefan. Ján (1896-1981), emigrated in 1922 to the USA and lived and died in Lincoln, Nebraska. Alex (1898-1962) also emigrated in 1922 to Detroit, Michigan, where he lived and died.

Po smrti manželky Františky rod. Dubovej sa otec Karol v roku 1913 oženil po druhý krát s Annou Hantákovou, nar. 1887. Z toho manželstva sa narodili ďalšie štyri deti: Karol ml. (1914), Anton (10.1.1918), Emília (1919) a Jozef (1923). Anton sa po skončení základnej školy vyučil za sklára a začal pracovať v sklárňach v Lednických Rovniach. Aktívne pôsobil v miestnej skautskej skupine a v Sokole. Podľa jeho rodiny a priateľov mal Tόno výbornú povahu, večne dobrú náladu, rád spieval, bol to veselý mládenec, ktorý sa na nikoho nevedel nahnevať. Jednoducho chlapec do partie. Sám sa naučil hrať na klavíri a na trúbke, preto ho všade radi videli. S nim prichádzala aj dobrá nálada, pohoda a radosť. Vo voľných chvíľach chodieval hrávať na trúbke-krídlovke na zábavy po okolitých dedinách.

After the death of his first wife, father Karol re-married in 1913. From this marriage, he had four other children: Karol Jr. (1914), Anton (1918), Emília (1919) and Jozef (1923). Anton attended a trade school to learn to be a glass-blower at the local glass factory. This was quite common for many of his peers, as the glass factory had been at Lednické Rovne since 1892. He was active in the local Scouts group as well as the local Sokol. According to his friends and family Tono (nickname for Anton) had a great personality, always had a good mood, loved singing and was a happy young man, the kind of guy who was welcomed in any group. He taught himself to play the piano and trumpet which he freely played for his friends and even in neighbouring villages when local musical events were held.

Nevedno ako, no Tόno sa bezhlavo zamiloval do lietania a chcel sa stať letcom. Keď doma pred rodičmi vyhlásil, že bude letcom, mama sa prekrižovala a otec sa iba pousmial, nebral jeho chlapčenské nápady vážne. Keď jeho starší brat Karol chodieval z vojenčiny domov na opušták, Tόno mu neustále obhrýzal uši slávnou vetou: Karol pomôž mi stať sa letcom! Zrazu po pár mesiacoch mu prišli papiere z Prostĕjova, že môže nastúpiť do tamojšej školy leteckého dorastu. Tonov sen sa začal pomaly napĺňať…

Nobody knows why and when, but Tono fell in love with flying and was dreaming about becoming a pilot. When he mentioned this at home, his mother just crossed herself and father just smiled, not taking the boy‘s dream too seriously. When his older brother Karol visited home from his military service, Tono was constantly bending his ears, repeating the same sentence: Karol please help me to become a pilot. A couple of months, later out of the blue, Tono received an application from the Prostějov Military Academy for joining their flying school for young cadets. His dream slowly started to become reality…

Po ukončení školy pôsobil najprv na letisku v Piešťanoch, neskôr v Trenčianskych Biskupiciach. Po vypuknutí 2. svetovej vojny bol už aktívny poddôstojník a slúžil ako kuriérny pilot medzi východným frontom a zázemím. Jeho sen – stať sa letcom sa mu splnil, lenže spokojný nebol. Nebol spokojný s rozbitím republiky, chcel aktívne bojovať proti Nemcom. Dni a týždne rozmýšlal o tom, kedy sa mu naskytne nejaká príležitosť odletieť na Západ a zaradiť sa medzi letcov – dobrovoľníkov o ktorých úspechoch často počúval v rádiu v relácii Volá Londýn!

After successfully graduating from the flying school, he started was posted to the airbase in Piešťany and later to Trenčianske Biskupice near Trenčín. When WW2 broke out, he already had the rank of a NCO (non- commissioned officer) serving as a ferry pilot between the Slovak Eastern border and his home airbase. His dream to be a pilot was realised, but he was not happy yet. The breakup of Czechoslovakia by the Germans was urging him to get involved in the fight against their occupation. For days, without success, he was thinking about when and how to find a way to fly to the West and to join the volunteer pilots whose successes he heard about on the radio ‘Voice of London’.

Počas okupácie územia Čiech a Moravy a existencie prvej slovenskej republiky počas druhej svetovej vojny fungovala dočasná Československá vláda na čele s prezidentom E. Benešom v Londýne. Britská vláda vtedy hľadala každého, kto by bol ochotný za nich bojovať. Vláda Veľkej Británie a Československá dočasná vláda podpísali 25.10.1940 dohodu, ktorá sa zaoberala vojenským pôsobením čs. vojakov a letcov v Británii. Letci vytvorili československé perute Royal Air Force (RAF). Naši letci tu boli postupne zapájaní do výcviku na britských lietadlách a veľmi úspešne zasiahli do bojov o Veľkú Britániu.

During the Nazi occupation of Bohemia and Moravia and the founding of the first Slovak Republic, the Czechoslovak government, headed by President Eduard Beneš was operating in exile in the UK. The British government was looking for any volunteers who could help in the fight against Germany. The British and Czechoslovak exile governments signed an agreement in October 1940 which stipulated the involvement of Czechoslovak military personnel in the joint fight. Thus the Czechoslovak airmen were assigned to Czechoslovak squadrons within the Royal Air Force (RAF). These airmen were gradually trained on British aircraft and successfully fought in battles for Great Britain.

Po prvý raz sa Anton o útek do zahraničia zaujímal v máji 1939, keď sa s priateľmi informovali na francúzskom konzuláte v Bratislave, či by Francúzi zobrali slovenských letcov do vlastného letectva. Tam nepochodili. Nádejná príležitosť nastala, keď v leteckých opravovniach v Trenčianskych Biskupiciach začiatkom roka 1943 dávali technici dokopy Antku Aviu B-71 . Opravené lietadlo priam provokovalo predstavivosť mladých pilotov. S kolegami Františkom (Leom) Slezákom a Ľudovítom Pollákom začali spriadať plán odletu do Turecka a od tiaľ do Británie. Túto trasu považovali pre nich za najbezpečnejšiu. Pridal sa hlavný mechanik Jozef Koman a mechanik Ján Bžoch. Tí dokonale prezerali technicky vynovené dvojmotorové lietadlo a neustále ho vylepšovali a testovali. Odlet 4. apríla im nevyšiel. A tak si ďalší deň odletu pätica naplánovala na Kvetnú nedeľu 18. apríla 1943.

For the very first time, Anton and his friends showed an interest in an escape in 1939. They contacted the French Consulate in Bratislava with an inquiry if France would accept Slovak pilots in their Air Force, but no such luck. A promising opportunity arrived in 1943 when at the Trenčianske Biskupice airfield, arrived an Avia B-71, known as an ‘Antka’, aircraft for repairs. When the mechanics finished their work, it fuelled the imagination of the young airmen. Together with colleagues František (Leo) Slezák and Ľudovít Pollak they started to plan an escape to Turkey and then onto the UK. This seems to be the easiest way for them. Two aircraft mechanics Jozef Koman and Ján Bžoch joined the group. They were responsible for bringing the repaired aircraft to a tip-top shape. Their planned departure for 4 April 1943 did not materialise, so the next date was set for Sunday 18 April.

V ten deň čatár Anton Vanko naštartoval motor Antky a ostatní naskákali do lietadla, nezastavil ich ani žandár, ktorý sa tam objavil. Slovenskí chlapci preleteli ponad trenčiansky hrad, preleteli ponad Maďarsko, Rumunsko, Bulharsko a keď v diaľke videli siluetu Istambulu, začal im vynechávať jeden motor. Pôvodný plán pozrieť si mesto z vrchu a vyhľadať letisko museli zmeniť na núdzove pristátie v teréne pri Kestanelike asi 26 km od Istambulu.

On that day, čatár (Sgt) Anton Vanko started the Antka, the rest of the group hastily boarded the aircraft so that they could not be stopped even by the security guard who had just arrived. The Slovak boys flew over, Trenčín castle, across Hungry, Rumania and Bulgaria and soon they could see the skyline of Istanbul in the distance. That’s when one of the engines started sputtering and their original plan of seeing the city from above and finding the airport was over. Instead, they had to make an emergency landing in an open field near Kestanelike about 25 km from Istanbul.

O tom, čo nasledovalo potom by sa dala napísať celá kniha. Ich cesta z Turecka do Anglie im trvala dlhých šesť mesiacov! Koľko prekážok a útrap museli prekonať mladí slovenskí chlapci, len aby mohli bojovať proti Nemcom.

An entire book could be written about what followed. The journey from Turkey to England took six long months! These Slovak boys had to overcome many obstacles and struggles so that they could go and fight against the Germans.

V Turecku na vojenskej polícii nasledovali nekonečné výsluchy. Koman, ktorý vedel nemecky ich neustále ubezpečoval, že majú jediný cieľ: dostať sa čo najskôr do zahraničného odboja v Británii. Veliteľ istambulskej vojenskej posádky im nakoniec sľúbil pomoc, pridal im tlmočníka a poslal ich do Ankary. Skupina sa na čas oddelila a zasa spojila. Nasledovala cesta loďou do Izmiru, väzenie v hygienicky neznesiteľných podmienkach a návrat do Istambulu, cesta vlakom cez sýrsky Halab a Damašek do Jeruzalema. V Halabe sa ich cesta znovu zasekla a ako podozrivých ich ich zatvorili do utečeneckého karanténneho tábora. Tu Vanko, Slezák a Pollák dostali maláriu s vysokými teplotami. Keď sa vyliečili, podarilo sa im dostať z tábora a nasadnúť na vojenský vlak do Bejrútu a od tiaľ do Jaffy a Jeruzalema. V Jeruzaleme sa ich ujal čs. konzulát v Palestíne, boli zaregistrovaní ako dobrovoľníci čs. zahraničnej armády. Nasledoval ozdravovací pobyt, kúpanie v Mŕtvom mori a pobyt v Getsemanskej záhrade spojený s modlitbami. Od tiaľ si chlapci doniesli kamienky, ktoré potom nosili všade so sebou. Potom nasledovala cesta do Káhiry, opäť zajatecký tábor a výsluchy, krátke stretnutie s Komanom a Bžochom (ich loď bola bombardovaná a potopená nemeckými lietadlami, zachránil ich záchranný čln). Neskôr cesta loďou do Alžíra, niekoľko dňová plavba oceánom, až konečne pristáli v Liverpoole. Po pár dňoch oddychu konečne cestovali do Londýna.

They had to undergo endless questioning and interrogation by the military police. Jozef Koman, who spoke German kept reassuring them that they only have one goal: to get to the foreign resistance movement in Britain. The Police Chief at Istanbul finally promised to help them, gave them an interpreter and send them to Ankara. There the group were initially separated and then were reunited. What then followed was a boat trip to Izmir, a stay in a jail with horrible hygienic conditions, returned to Istanbul and then by train through Syrian Hallab, Damascus and onto to Jerusalem. In Hallab their journey encountered more troubles and as suspicious individuals, they were sent to a quarantined refugee camp. Here Vanko, Slezák and Pollak contracted malaria resulting in them having very high temperatures. After recuperation, they managed to leave the refugee camp and get on a military train to Beirut and from there to Jaffa and Jerusalem. In Jerusalem they met with Czechoslovak Consul in Palestine, they were registered as volunteers of the Czechoslovak foreign military. They then undertook recuperation, which included swimming in the Dead Sea and attending the Gethsemane garden for prayers. From here they brought some small pebbles which they then carried with them everywhere they went. What followed was a trip to Cairo, another foreign camp and further cross-examinations. Here they reunited with Koman and Bžoch, whose ship had been attacked and sunk by German aircraft and they had to be rescued by life-boats. Finally a voyage to Algeria and, from where, after several days at sea they arrived in Liverpool.

Štvrtok 14. oktόbra 1943 bol v pamäti Antona Vanku, Ľuda Polláka a Lea Slezáka zapísaný ako veľký deň. V ten deň dorazili vlakom do Londýna a boli ubytovaní v Czechoslovak home vo Westminsterskom obvode. O pár dní na to sa stretli s Dr. Clementisom a ďalšími predstaviteľmi čs. vlády. Dr. Clemenits rýchlo pochopil aký odvážny a zároveň senzačný skutok sa podaril skupine slovenských letcov útekom cez Turecko a Izrael do Británie. Dňa 19.oktόbra pripravili tlačovú konferenciu s troma slovenskými pilotmi, kde boli prítomní desiatky žurnalistov zo Spojeného kráľovstva a zahraničia. Interview s Antonom Vankom – pilotom Antky publikovali v nedeľnom vydaní Reynolds News a jeho fotografiou na prvej strane. Novinári predostreli anglickým čitateľom myšlienku, koľko útrap a prekážok museli mladí Slováci prekonať len kôli tomu, aby dostali príležitost bojovať proti Nemcom. Angličanovi stačilo narukovať do britskej armády, ak sa tak ako dobrovoľník rozhodol urobiť. No mladí Slováci kôli takejto možnosti museli prejsť takmer pol sveta. Trojica bola prijatá ministrom zahraničných vecí Janom Masarykom. Interview v Reynolds News s Antonom Vankom malo úžasnú odozvu medzi českými a slovenskými vojakmi, všade sa o tom hovorilo. Dokonca Antona vyhľadal Gejza Hološko, rodák z Lednických Rovní (brat výtvarníka Karola Hološku) a priateľ jeho brata Karola, ktorý žil v Argentíne a ktorý počas druhej svetovej vojny bojoval v britskej armáde ako veliteľ tanku.

Thursday 14 of October 1943 was embedded in Vanko, Pollak and Slezák’s memories as a big day. On that day they arrived by train in London and were sent to a Czechoslovak home in the District of Westminster. A couple of days later they met with Dr. Clementis and other representatives of the Czechoslovak Government in Exile. Dr Clementis quickly realised the brave and sensational escape these Slovak airmen had undertaken through Turkey, Israel and then on to Britain. On 19 October, a press conference was arranged with the three Slovak airmen which were attended by British and many foreign journalists. An interview with Anton Vanko, the pilot of the Antka, was published in the next Sunday issue of Reynolds News together with his photo on the front page. The reporter presented to the readers an idea about the struggles and obstacles which the Slovak airmen had to overcome to get a chance to join in the fight against the Germans. It was much easier for any Englishmen to volunteer to join the British military if they chose to do so. The interview in the Reynolds News had a big following among Czech and Slovak soldiers, they all talked about it. Even one native from Lednické Rovne, living in Argentina and fighting as a tank commander in the British Army looked up Anton Vanko in London.

Jozef Koman a Ján Bžoch docestovali do Londýna o desať dní skôr. Všetci boli zaradení do preškolovacích stredísk po Anglicku. Je známe, že Leo Slezák lietal skúšobne na Hurricanoch a Jozef Koman bol preškolený na pilota- pozorovateľa a obsluhovača bombovnice.

Jozef Koman and Ján Bžoch arrived in London ten days earlier. All of them were assigned to various re-training centres throughout England.

Anton sa dostal hneď na spitfire. Od 57. britskej cvičnej operačnej jednotky (OTU) bol prevelený k 312. Československej stíhacej peruti. Žiaľ 8. decembra 1944 zahynul ako pilot lietadla Spitfire v hodnosti rotmajstra pri zrážke lietadiel na letisku Bradwell Bay. Stalo sa tak za veľmi zlých poveternostných podmienok počas štartu k operačnému letu, ktorého cieľom bol ochranný doprovod zväzku bombardovacích Lancasterov nad vlakové nádražie v Duisburgu.

At 57 OTU (Operational Training Unit), Anton was re-trained to fly Spitfires, and then posted to 312 (Czechoslovak) Sqn. Unfortunately, on 8 December 1944 Anton as a pilot of a Spitfire was killed in a collision with other aircraft at Bradwell Bay airfield. It was during extreme weather conditions during a start of an operational flight as a protective support for Lancaster bombers for a raid on the railway station at Duisburg, Germany.

Bol pochovaný na cintoríne v Brookwoode, neďaleko Londýna vo vojenskom oddelení RAF, hrob č. 20.D.12.

Anton was buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery. near London, in grave row 20.D.12.

V roku 1946 mu bol udelený Čs. vojnový kríž in memoriam a v roku 1991 bol ministrom národnej obrany ČSFR povýšený do hodnosti podplukovníka in memoriam.

In 1946 he was awarded the Válečný kříž 1939 (Czechoslovak War Cross 1939) in memoriam. In 1991, the Czechoslovak Minister of Defense, promoted him in memoriam, to the rank of podplukovník (Lieutenant Colonel).

V listopadu 2017 bylo jeho jméno připomenuto mezi dalšími 2500 československými muži a ženami, kteží sloužili v průběhu druhé světové války v RAF, na pomníku okřídleného lva na pražském Klárově.

In November 2017, his name, along with the names of some 2500 other Czechoslovak men and women who had served in the RAF during WW2, was unveiled at the Winged Lion Monument at Klárov, Prague.

Ešte musím spomenúť, že náš Anton Vanko pred spomínaným odletom zo Slovenska na jar 1943 priletel lietadlom na Lednické Rovne. Zakrúžil lietadlom ponad rodný dom, smial sa a zhodil matke list na rozlúčku (s pribaleným kovovým šrόbom na zaťaženie), akoby tušil že sa vidia naposledy. Tonkova neter – pani Anna Danišová, ktorá dodnes žije v Lednických Rovniach bola pri tom a na túto scénu si zreteľne pamätá. Odpočívaj v pokoji náš drahý krajan! Ďakujeme, že si položil svoj život za našu slobodu!

We also like to mention that Anton before his flight from Slovakia in the spring of 1943 flew over Lednické Rovne, circled over his family home and dropped a goodbye letter to his mother, to which he attached metal screw as a weight. His niece Anna, who was a young girl at that time, has a vivid memory of the occasion. Rest in peace our dear countryman!

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Do histórie Kráľovského letectva sa však natrvalo vpísali aj iní Slováci ako napríklad piloti: Otto Smik, Juraj Landsmann, Karol Kodeš a Eugen Kraft z Bratislavy, Andrej Beleš zo Stupavy, Imrich Gablech z Hrachovišťa, Jozef Grič z Nitr. Stredy, Jozef Chabák zo Zvolena, Jozef Kukučka z Kysuc. N. Mesta, Ladislav Nagy zo Štrby, Anton Provonič zo Záh. Bystrice, Anton Radič z Piesčan, Ján Tomko z Úbrežu, Bohumil Votruba zo Skalice, Ján Škrinár z Myjavy, Ján Štark z Prešova. Palubní strelci: Jozef Drblík z Vel. Rovní a František Tanuška z Hrabovky; pozemný personál: Ján Zelko z Dol. Sŕnia, Jozef Vaniš z Lipt. Teplej, Pavol Kuban z Beckova, František Kulka z Lazov p. Makytou a Pavol Koroš z Marikovej; rádiomechanici: Jozef Rehák z Led. Rovní, Tibor Karas z Ladiec, František Pšenčík a František Skalík z Trenč. Teplíc, Ivan Schwarz z Bytče, Ján Šimko z Mor. Lieskového, Ladislav Žilák z Poltára; letecký mechanik: Arnold Schlesinger z Bytče; zásobovač benzínu: Ján Zeleňák z Drietomy; lekár: MUDr. Arnold Hirtenstein z Trebišova; technický prekladateľ: Ing.Pavol Schulz z Levíc; kuchár: Štefan Gáborko zo Streženíc a mnohí iní, ktorí pôsobili a bojovali s bratmi Čechmi v RAF za oslobodenie Veľkej Británie a ukončenie vojny. Bolo ich 2.507, vrátane príslušníkov leteckého personálu, 512 z nich zahynulo. Telá takmer tretiny z nich sa nikdy nenašli.

There were other Slovak pilots permanently enrolled in the history of RAF. Pilots like Otto Smik, Juraj Landsmann, Karol Kodeš and Eugen Kraft from Bratislava, Andrej Beleš from Stupava, Imrich Gablech from Hrachovište, Jozef Grič from Nitr. Streda, Jozef Chabák from Zvolen, Jozef Kukučka from Kysucké Nové Mesto, Ladislav Nagy from Štrba, Anton Provonič from Záhorská Bystrica, Anton Radič from Piesčany, Ján Tomko from Úbrež, Bohumil Votruba from Skalica, Ján Škrinár from Myjava, Ján Štark from Prešov. Besides pilots there were also air-gunners like Jozef Drblík from Velké Rovne, František Tanuška from Hrabovka (who later lived &died in Los Angeles); groundstaff like Ján Zelko from Dolné Srnie, Jozef Vaniš from Liptovská Teplá, Pavol Kuban from Beckov, František Kulka from Lazy pod Makytou, Pavol Koroš from Mariková; wireless mechanics/operators like Jozef Rehák from Lednické Rovné, Tibor Karas from Ladce, František Pšenčík a František Skalík from Trenčianske Teplice, Ivan Schwarz from Bytča, Ján Šimko from Moravské Lieskové, Ladislav Žilák from Poltár; flight enginneers like Arnold Schlesinger from Bytča; drivers like Ján Zeleňák from Drietoma; medical officer like Dr. Arnold Hirtenstein from Trebišov; technical interpreter like Pavol Schulcz from Levice; cook like Štefan Gáborko from Streženice and many others who fought along with their Czech compatriots in the RAF for liberation of Great Britain and end of the war. There were a total of 2,507 including members of the aircraft personnel. 512 of them were killed with nearly one third of whom, their bodies were never found.

Je známe, ako sa komunistický režim zachoval k príslušníkom RAF, ktorí prežili a vrátili sa domov. Čakalo ich prepustenie z armády, postih rodín, vypočúvanie, väznenie…, mnohí sa vrátili späť do zahraničia. Našťastie po roku 1989 boli všetci rehabilitovaní.

It is well known how the Communist regime treated the RAF personnel who survived and returned home. Awaiting their release from the army, penalising families, interrogating, imprisoning … many returned to the rest of the world. Fortunately, after 1989, everyone was rehabilitated.

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Zuzana and Jan Peer, October 2017

Article last updated: 23.01.2019.