* 18.11.1914, Mariánské Hory.
† 27.04.1942, Axbridge.
Pre WW2:
Rudolf Roháček was born on 18 November 1914 at Mariánské Hory, a small village near Ostrava, in the Silesia region of Eastern Czechoslovakia. On completion of his secondary education, he attended the State Industrial School in the Vítkovice District of Ostrava, where he studied engineering, graduating in 1934. During this time he developed an interest in aviation and aspired to become a pilot.
Czechoslovak Air Force:
In October 1934, now aged 20, that aspiration motivated Rudolf to apply to become a cadet officer at the Skola pro dust let v zaloze – the Air Force Reserve Officers School at the Military Aviation Academy at Prostějov. He was accepted and there he underwent his basic military training.
On graduating from there in 1935, Rudolf was accepted for training as an aerial observer at the Military Aviation Academy at Hranice. Having completed that course in 1937, Rudolf was selected to for pilot training, for which he returned to the Military Aviation Academy at Prostějov. Rudolf graduated from there in 1938 and was posted to the 2nd ‘Dr. Edvard Beneš‘Air Regiment who were deployed at Olomouc and equipped with Letov Š-328 bi-plane observation aircraft. He was selected to train as a fighter pilot, from which he graduated in 1938. He was then posted to the 42nd Squadron of the 4th Air Regiment who were stationed at Prague-Kbely and equipped with Avia B-534 bi-plane fighter aircraft.
Munich Betrayal:
Despite assurances given by Hitler at the Munich Agreement, also known in Czechoslovakia as the ‘Munich Dictat’ or ‘Munich Betrayal’, of 30 September 1938, that he had no further interest in territorial gains for Germany, just a few months later he extended his demands that the remaining regions of Czechoslovakia become part of Germany.
When the Germans occupied Czechoslovakia, on 15 March 1939, it became a German Protectorate – the Reich Protectorate of Bohemia-Moravia – and Slovakia became a German ‘puppet’ state. The Czechoslovak Air Force and Army was disbanded and all personnel demobilised. The airmen were given the opportunity to enlist in the Luftwaffe or join Lufthansa. Only a handful did, and all personnel were demobilised. By this time Rudolf had achieved 238 flying hours.
German Occupation:
Germanisation of Bohemia and Moravia began immediately after the occupation, but just four days later, on 19 March 1939, former Senior officers of the now-disbanded Czechoslovak military had started to form an underground army, known as Obrana Národa [Defense of the Nation]. Obrana Národa worked in co-operation with Svaz Letců, the Airman Association of the Czechoslovak Republic. One of their objectives was to assist as many airmen and soldiers as possible to get to neighbouring Poland where they could be formed into military units to fight for the liberation of their homeland. These two organisations provided money, courier and other assistance to enable airmen to escape. Usually, this was by crossing the border from the Ostrava region into Poland. Josef was one of the many Czechoslovak airmen and soldiers who saw it was their duty to go to Poland from where they could fight to achieve the liberation of Czechoslovakia.
To Poland:
With the help of those two organisations, on 28 June, Rudolf successfully managed to covertly cross the border into Poland and reported to the Czechoslovak Consulate at Kraków.
Polish Disappointment:
However, the Polish Authorities, who recognised the new State of Slovakia, had shown little interest in the Czechoslovak Air Force airmen who were crossing into their country in groups and would not allow independent Czechoslovak units to be established on its territory. Only after lengthy negotiations between Czechoslovak Diplomats, in France and Great Britain, and the French government, did the French agree to permit 4,000 Czechoslovaks to join the French Foreign Legion. A condition of this agreement was that that they had to enlist for 5 years into the Legion, but with the undertaking that, in the event of war being declared, they would be released from that service and transferred into French units.
In the interim, whilst travel arrangements to France where made, Rudolf and the other escaped Czechoslovak military were transferred to Małe Bronowice, a former Polish Army barracks on the outskirts of Krakow which was being utilised as a temporary transit camp. He arrived there on 10 July and was to find that, due to the poor conditions in the camp, morale was not high.
To France:
On 27 July, Rudolf, along with 546 other escapees, left Małe Bronowice and boarded the train at 4 am which took them to Gdynia, on the Polish Baltic coast. There they boarded the ‘Chrobry’, a Polish trans-Atlantic passenger ship, on her maiden voyage to South America, sailing on 29 July and arriving at Boulogne on 31 July.
At Boulogne, the Czechoslovak escapees disembarked onto French soil. After some refreshments, they boarded a train for the thirteen-hour journey to Paris.
French Foreign Legion:
They arrived there at 17:30 and were taken by coach to the French Foreign Legion’s recruitment barracks at Place Balard, in the South West of Paris, to undergo medical checks, whilst the necessary documentation was prepared for their enlistment into the Legion. Pending their transfer to the Legion’s training base at Sidi Bel Abbès, Algeria, they attended French classes and any free time was usually spent in Paris exploring the sights and being eager to practise their newly-learnt French with the girls they met.
l’Armée de l’Air:
However, before that transfer process could be completed, war was declared and Rudolf and his fellow Czechoslovak airmen were instead transferred to the l’Armée de l’Air at their recruitment centre at Dugny, near Paris. On 9 October, Rudolf, at the rank of Sergent, was transferred to Centre d’Instruction de Chasse at Chartres, the l’Armée de l’Air training airbase, about 50 miles South-West of Paris, for re-training onto French aircraft.
The Germans invaded France on 10 May, 1940 and the lightning speed and ferocity of their Blitzkrieg attack resulted in l’Armée de l’Air rapidly retreating Westwards.
On 23 May, having completed 13 hours of flying, Rudolf, with 14 other Czechoslovak pilots at Chartres, were transferred to Cazaux airbase, about 800 km away in south-west France, on the Atlantic coast, near Bordeaux, but was not assigned to an operational unit. France capitulated before he could participate in the Battle of France.
However, before that transfer process could be completed, war was declared and Rudolf and his fellow Czechoslovak airmen were instead transferred to the l’Armée de l’Air at their recruitment centre at Dugny, near Paris. On 9 October, Rudolf, at the rank of Sergent, was transferred to Centre d’Instruction de Chasse at Chartres, the l’Armée de l’Air training airbase, about 50 miles South-West of Paris, for re-training onto French aircraft.
The Germans invaded France on 10 May, 1940 and the lightning speed and ferocity of their Blitzkrieg attack resulted in l’Armée de l’Air rapidly retreating Westwards.
On 23 May, having completed 13 hours of flying, Rudolf, with 14 other Czechoslovak pilots at Chartres, were transferred to Cazaux airbase, about 800 km away in south-west France, on the Atlantic coast, near Bordeaux, but was not assigned to an operational unit. France capitulated before he could participate in the Battle of France.
Evacuation from France:
Since 15 June, Operation Aerial, the evacuation of Allied military forces and civilians from ports in Western France had been in operation. With the capitulation of France imminent, the Czechoslovak airmen were released from l’Armee d’Air service and those at Cazaux were instructed to get to Bordeaux, about 70 km away, for evacuation by ship to Britain before the advancing German army reached the port. At Bordeaux, 206 Czechoslovak airmen, under the command of Staff Capitan Josef Schejbal, as well as Poles and other nationalities boarded the ship ‘Karanan’, a small 395 tonne Dutch cargo ship, for the voyage to Britain. They sailed on 19 June and arrived two days later at Falmouth. The French capitulated on 22 June.
RAF:
After arriving at Falmouth, they were transferred to RAF Innsworth, Gloucestershire for security vetting. Rudolf was accepted into the RAF Volunteer Reserve, at the rank of P/O and transferred to the Czechoslovak Airmen’s Depot at RAF Cosford. On 12 July he was posted to the newly formed 310 (Czechoslovak) Sqn, becoming one of its founding members. They were based at Duxford, near Cambridge, and equipped with Hurricane Mk I aircraft.
6 OTU:
On 17 August, along with 14 officers and 9 Sgt Czechoslovak pilots, Rudolf was posted to 6 OTU [Operational Training Unit] at Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire to continue their Hurricane conversion course.
Battle of Britain:
Rudolf completed his re-training on 10 September and was posted, with fellow Czechoslovak Sgt František Bernard, to 601 (County of London) Sqn which was equipped with Hurricane MkIs and was deployed at Exeter, Devon. With 601 Sqn, he flew a total of 29.75 hours consisting of formation, cross country, operational take-offs and landing, and practise attacks training flights.
On 8 October, Rudolf and Sgt Bernard were posted to 238 Sqn who were deployed at RAF Chilbolton, near Stockbridge, Hampshire, and were also equipped with Hurricane Mk I’s.
Rudolf was assigned to the squadron’s ‘B’ Flight and two days later achieved combat success on his first operational flight in the Battle of Britain. The squadron was on patrol over the Portland Bill and Warmwell area at 22,000 feet when a formation of between 25 to 30 Me 109s and Me 110s was sighted at 12:30 over the English Channel, South of Warmwell. 238 Sqn entered cloud cover and divided in two so that just 5 Hurricanes attacked the Luftwaffe formation. In the ensuing combat Rudolf engaged a Me 109, firing 1620 rounds into it before losing it in cloud cover. His combat report reads:
I was Green 3 and fourth aircraft in Leader’s section. I saw about 7 Me’s 109 together and left and went into cloud. and on coming out I met another formation very close, and I fired at the last one almost astern, beginning at 400 yds closing. E/A went into cloud. I made circuits to wait for him but did not see him again. I did not see him again. I did not see E/A after it went into cloud, but I think the E/A must be considerably damaged because the number of bullets was very large (1620 rounds) and they must have gone into the E/A. After this I returned to base and landed at Chilbolton at 1330. No of rounds fired 1620.
On 5 November 1940, 238 Sqn was on patrol in near Bournemouth, Devon, when they were attacked by 15 Me 109s at 13:40. Rudolf was flying Hurricane Mk I P3618 and in the ensuring combat, his Hurricane’s radiator was damaged by bullets causing him to make a made a forced landing at Blandford, Dorset. He escaped uninjured.
Rudolf remained with 238 Sqn until 29 April 1941 when, at the rank of F/O, he was posted to 312 (Czechoslovak) Sqn who were deployed at Jurby, on the Isle of Man and equipped with Spitfire Mk Vb and Vcs. The squadron’s role there was to protect convoys in the Irish Sea and the docks at Liverpool from Luftwaffe attacks. Since 1 January 1942, 312 Sqn had been redeployed to RAF Fairwood Common, near Swansea, South Wales, where their role was protecting Allied shipping in the Bristol Channel and the port at Cardiff. Rudolf’s next promotion, to F/Lt came in February 1942.
Equipment Failure:
Rudolf tragically lost his life due to equipment failure on 27 April 1942 when 312 Sqn’s Red Section, comprising Rudolf and F/Sgt Zikmund Karásek were scrambled at 13:45 from RAF Fairwood Common. They were ordered to patrol the Bath area, under the control of the RAF Collerne Flight Controller, to intercept a reconnaissance Ju88 which had been carrying out a meteorological survey at a considerable height now for several days. Rudolf was flying as Red 1 in Spitfire Mk Vb AD533, with F/Sgt Karásek flying Spitfire BL381 as Red 2. At a speed of about 185 mph, on a course of 110, the two Spitfires climbed to an altitude of 26,000 feet.
F/Sgt Karásek later reported “Red 1 was flying in a straight line at an altitude of 26,000 feet, I was about 30 ft below him to his right when suddenly I noticed that his plane jumped. At that moment I heard the ground controller asking for altitude, but instead of answering, I saw his plane turn to the left and began to dive more and more, and from about 15,000 ft, he went into a vertical dive. I tried to radio Red1 in an attempt to wake him up and followed him to 7,000 ft where he disappeared in clouds and thick smoke after a sharp turn”.
The most likely cause of the disaster was sudden loss of pilot consciousness due to lack of oxygen, despite the fact that it was the first flight after regular replacement of the compressed air bottle. Rudolf’s Spitfire began to rise sharply and shortly after that, fell uncontrolled to the left side. F/Sgt Karásek heard a grunt in his headphones and watched Rudolf’s Spitfire go into a dive at about 15,000 ft. The aircraft with the pilot crashed and burned near Axbridge, Weston Super Mare at 14:15.
The aircraft burst into flames on impact and was written off (Cat E) damage.
Accident investigators concluded that the probable cause of the Spitfire crash was the pilot’s loss of consciousness as a result of a malfunctioning oxygen device.
F/Lt Rudolf Roháček was buried on 1 May 1942 at grave 162 at St.Hilary of Poitiers churchyard, Killay. South Glamorgan. He was 27 years old.
Medals:
Distinguished Flying Cross
1939 – 45 Star with Battle of Britain clasp
Air Crew Europe Star
Defence Medal
Válečný kříž 1939 and 2 bars
Za chrabrost and 2 bar
Za zásluhy I.stupně
Pamětní medaile se štítky F–VB
Remembered:
Czech Republic:
Ostrava – Ostrava airport:
He is remembered on a memorial plaque at Ostrava airport, commemorating the fallen Czechoslovak RAF airmen from the Silesia Region of Czecholovakia.
Prague 1 – St Vitus Cathedral: Praha 1 – Sv Vitus
He is remembered in the Remembrance book at St Vitus Cathedral, Hradčany, Prague.
Prague 1 – Klárov: Praha 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.
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 is commemorated on the Airmen’s memorial at Prostějov.
Great Britain :
Capel-le-Ferne:
He is commemorated, along with the other 2940 Battle of Britain aircrew, on the Christopher Foxley-Norris Memorial Wall at the National Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel-le-Ferne, Kent:
Hawkinge:
Rudolf is remembered on the Czechoslovak Battle of Britain pilots memorial at the Kent Battle of Britain Museum at Hawkinge, Kent. It was unveiled on 28 October 2025, to commemorate the 88 Czechoslovaks who flew in that battle.
London – Battle of Britain Memorial:
He is also commemorated on the London Battle of Britain Memorial:
London – St Clement Danes :
Rudolf Roháček is remembered in the Remembrance book at St Clements Danes Church, London.
London – West Hampstead: Londýn – West Hampstead:
He is remembered on the Memorial Plaque at the Bohemia House, he former Czechoslovak National House, at West Hampstead, London.
Article last updated: 31.10.2025.
Their Courage and Sacrifice Will Never Be Forgotten.