* 04.11.1919, Hrbov.
† 13.07.1944, Malborough, UK.
The Early Years
Karel Novotný was born on 4 November, 1919 in the village of Hrbov near Velké Meziříčí a town about 140 km South-East from Prague, in the Moravia region of Czechoslovakia. He was the second son of Jan and Marie Novotný. After elementary school, he entered the regional grammar school at Velké Meziříčí. In 1939, when Czechoslovakia was already under Nazi occupation, he successfully passed his matriculation exams and decided to continue his studies as a philosophy student at the Masaryk University in Brno. However that November, following protests by students against the Nazi occupation, the Nazi’s authorities shut down all the universities. This strengthened Karel’s resolve to actively fight against the occupiers.
The Balkan Route to France
With Alois Dvořák, a friend from his village, they left on 9 January 1940 and went South using the the arduous ‘Balkan Route’. This involved crossing the border into pro-Nazi Slovakia and avoiding capture by border guards, then they crossed into Romania, again avoiding capture by border guards and from there to Yugoslavia. From here, or sometimes crossing into Greece, it was then boarding a ship which took them around the Mediterranean Sea, via Istanbul to Beirut where they arrived mid-February and then onto Marsellies, France, where they arrived on 6 March and were transferred to Czechoslovak camp at Agde, near Montpellier, in Southern France. where the Czechoslovak Army in France was being formed. There, after training as a radio operator at Montpellier, Karel was assigned to the telegrafní náhradní rota, a telegraph unit in the Czechoslovak Army.
Evacuation from France
The Germans invaded France on 10 May, 1940 and their Blitzkreig attack resulted in the French and British forces their to have to retreat westwards until finally France capitulated on 22 June 1940. During the later stages of that retreat, most of the Czechoslovak soldiers were evacuated by ship from Sète, near Agde, to Gibraltar and from there by ship to Liverpool, England, Karel was one of them.
RAF:
On arrival to Liverpool, England, after security vetting, Karel was initially based at the Czechoslovak transit camp at Cholmondeley, near Chester, before being transferred to the Czechoslovak Airmen’s Depot at Cosford. On 17 August he was accepted into the RAF Volunteer Reserve at the rank of AC2. From there, after basic training and English lessons, he was selected for aircrew training and was posted first, on 21 September, to No 2 Signal School, at Yatesbury for a radio operator’s course and on completion onto No 1 Signal School at Cranwell.
Next, on 15 February 1941, to No.4 Bombing and Gunnery School at RAF West Freugh for air- gunnery training. Karel completed the course on 5 April 1941, and now at the rank of LAC, was posted to 311 (Czechoslovak) Sqn at RAF Honington and equipped with Vickers Wellington bombers. Initially he was assigned to the squadrons OTF (Operational Training Flight) to continue his training with an operational squadron and, on completion, transferred to the squadron for operational duties.
Operational
He made his first operational flight on 12 August, a night bombing raid on Le Havre, France, a flight lasting 4:58 hours, as rear gunner in the crew of Sgt Alois Mžourek. On 30 August Karel was posted to No 3 GTF (No 3 Group Training Flight) for a gunnery refresher course, returning to the squadron on 5 September. On 22 September 1941, he was awarded the Czechoslovak za Chrabost gallantry medal and on 28 October was promoted to the rank of Sgt.
By 12 April 1942, Karel had flown a further 35 operational flights, totaling 139:57 hours with numerous night raids on targets at Hannover, Duisburg, Keil, Berlin, Hamburg, Stettin, Nürnberg, Bremen, Aachen, Wilhelshaven, Mannhein, Emden, Essen, Lübeck and Köln in Germany as well Brest, France, Ostende, Belgium as well as daylight attack on the German battleships Gneisenau and Scharnhorst off Amsterdam, Holland.
Pilot Training
Karel had aspired to become a pilot and on 1 June 1942, he was posted from 311 Sqn to the Czechoslovak Depot at Cosford, and then, on 6 July to the Air Crew Receiving Center at Regents Park, London. There he was accepted for pilot training and was posted from the Centre on 25 July to No 4 ITW [Initial Training Wing], an RAF training school at Paignton, Devon. After pilot theoretical training there, this was followed by pilot training at No 3 Elementary Flying Training School [EFTS], at Shellingford, near Faringdon in Oxfordshire where he successfully completed his course he was posted, on 7 January 1943 to No. 31 Service Flying Training School [SFTS] at Moncton, Canada. There, on 6 August, Karel was commissioned at the rank of P/O.
His next posting was on 16 August to 32 SFTS at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and then onto No.31 GRS at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. This training represented almost the last step for aircrew trainees and the instructors would generally have operational flying experience. Next posting, 28 November, was to 111 Operational Training Unit (111 OTU], at Nassau, Bahamas for training for RAF Coastal Command duties.
111 OTU
That location was selected as there would provide better flying weather, leading to greater continuity in training and less likelihood of contact with the enemy. The unit also operated the B24 Liberator, the aircraft with which 311 Squadron had re-equipped during the early to mid-part of 1943. The initial part of the crew training would be undertaken using the twin-engined B25 Mitchell’s (Mk’s I, II and III). The second, semi-operational stage would be undertaken using the B24 Liberator GR III, GR V and later GR VI and GR.VIII. Whilst the unit was under RAF command a group of Czechoslovak instructors would also be on hand to lead the trainees through flying and operating the B25 and the B24 and S/Ldr Bohumil Liška a RAF Czechoslovak officer would oversee the Czechoslovak contingent.
Here Karel attended Course 16 and joined crew 11 Course 16 comprising of W/O Ludvík Košek (pilot) Karel Novotný (co-pilot) Sgt Jan Hornung, (navigator, Sgt Maxmilián Mayer (F/Eng), Sgt Bohumil Ondrák (WO/AG), Sgt Pavel Dřevěný (A/G) and Sgt Robert Kellner (WO/AG). The course started on 13 December and ended on 4 March 1944, during this time, on 6 February, Karel was promoted to F/O.
On the course, whilst classroom activities were, as might be expected, an essential part of the training, operating the aircraft meant that a considerable number of navigational and radar homing exercises, practice anti-submarine patrols, fighter affiliation exercises, low level bombing and photographic sorties, air to air and air to sea firing exercises were undertaken. All of which largely took place during daylight hours. However, night flying also played a part, when exercises with the Liberators in the use of the Leigh Light would be undertaken. The training courses would usually finish with an up to ten hour practice anti-submarine patrol, usually entitled ‘Kingsley Exercise’.
Return to 311 Sqn
On 8 April 1944 Karel and the crew, were posted to 311 Sqn, who were now stationed at Predannack, Cornwall and part of RAF Coastal Command and now equipped with B24 Liberator four-engined aircraft which were more suited to long Coastal Command patrols that the twin-engined Wellingtons. Their first operational flight was on 10 June and was uneventful anti-submarine patrol over the Atlantic covering some 1440 nautical miles of 9:40 hrs duration with Ludvík Košek as pilot and Karel as co-pilot. The crew were to make a further five similar patrols, totalling 50:29 hrs before their fateful flight.
Fateful Flight – 13 July 1944
That morning, three aircraft from 311 Sqn FL966,B, Captained by F/O Leo Linhart, BZ732, H, Captained by W/O Karel Pospíchal and BZ717, L, Captained by W/O Košek, took-off from RAF Predannck to undertake routine anti-submarine patrols over the English Channel and the approach from the Atlantic.
BZ717 took-off from Predanck at 06:40. Captained by W/O Ludvík Košek (pilot), 27, and crewed by F/O Karel Novotný (co-pilot), 24, Sgt Jan Hornung (navigator), 24, W/O Václav Tarantík (W/O), 33, Sgt Václav Čapek (WO/AG), 28, Sgt Jan Filip (WO/AG), F/Sgt Rudolf Němeček, (W/O), 23, Sgt Pavel Dřevěný (AG), 28, and Sgt Miroslav Maňásek (F/Eng), 21. But due to approaching bad weather, 19 Group, Coastal Command recalled them. Predannack was fog bound and the aircraft was diverted to Exeter. Enroute to Exeter, Liberator BZ717 entered clouds as was approaching the coast near Bolt Head, Devon, but for reasons unknown, instead of a direct flight to Exeter at a safe height, the pilot descended and at 13:15 the aircraft hit high ground and crashed near the village of Malborough, catching fire and killing all on board.
F/O Karel Novotný was 24 Years old.
RAF Accident Findings
The RAF accident findings for the crash reported: “When returning from operational flight the crew was diverted to Exeter where was good weather and 19 aircraft landed successfully. Captain of plane (Liberator BZ717) however did not use available navigational equipment. It seems that instead of flight to Exeter in safe height with help of W/T, Radar, SBA etc. (W/T = Wireless Telegraphy, SBA = Standard Beam Approach), he tried to descend under clouds to locate his position. He should have known that the clouds were too low over the ground.
The finding and opinion of the investigating commission was that the Captain made a wrong decision when he was trying to get under clouds in a hilly area. He killed himself and the other eight members of his crew.”
Liberators FL966 and BZ732 landed safely at Exeter, landing at 14:03 and 15:02 respectively.
Sgt Maňásek
For family reasons, Sgt Maňásek was interred at All Saints Cemetery in West Bromwich, while the rest of the crew were interred at Weston Hill Cemetery at Plymouth, Devon on 19 July.
Medals Awarded
Válečný kříž 1939 [Czechoslovak War Cross 1939]
Za chrabrost před nepřítelem
Remembered
Czech Republic:
Hrbov:
There is a memorial plaque on his birth house in the village of Hrbov, Velké Meziříčí.
Hrbov:
There is a memorial plaque commemorating him at the Sv. Václav chapel at Hrbov, Velké Meziříčí.
Prague 1 – St Vitus Cathedral / Praha 1 – Katedrála svatého Víta na Hradčanech:
He is remembered in the Remembrance book at St Vitus Cathedral, Hradčany, Prague.
Prague 1 – Klárov:
In November 2017, his name, along with the names of 2533 other Czechoslovak men and women who had served in the RAF during WW2, was unveiled at the Winged Lion Monument at Klárov, Prague 1.
Prague 3 – The Army Museum / Praha 3 – Armádní muzeum na Žižkově:
He is remembered on the Memorial Plaque at the Military History Institute, at Žižkov Prague.
Prague 6 – Dejvice / Praha 6 – Dejvice :
He is named on the Memorial for the fallen Czechoslovak airmen of 1939-1945, at Dejvice, Prague 6.
Prostějov:
He commemorated on the RAF Airmen’s Memorial at Prostějov cemetery.
United Kingdom:
London – St Clement Danes :
Karel Novotný is remembered in the Remembrance book at St Clements Danes Church, London.
London – West Hampstead
He is remembered on the Memorial Plaque at the Bohemia House, he former Czechoslovak National House, at West Hampstead, London.
Malborough – All Saints Church
There is a memorial plaque for the crew of Liberator BZ717, at the All Saints Church, Malborough.
France:
British D-Day Memorial : – Ver-sur-Mer.
The assistance of Darja Novotnová with this article is very much appreciated.
A tragic end to fine men.