Miroslav Kopecky – Memorial Plaque unveiled

A memorial plaque was unveiled on 10 August 2024 for Miroslav Kopecký, in his birth town of Hrejkovice.

Event video with closing comments by Mrs Linda Ottley, daughter of F/Lt Miroslav Kopecký.

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Miroslav Kopecký was born on 12 August 1911 at Hrejkovice, near Písek. He joined the Czechoslovak Air Force on 1 October 1929, where he trained as a fighter pilot and was posted to the 1st Air Regiment who were deployed at Prague-Kbely airbase. By March 1939 he had achieved a total of 1,000 flying hours.

After the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, on 15 March 1939, the Czechoslovak Air Force was disbanded by the Germans and all personnel dismissed.

On 4 June, 1939, with three airmen colleagues he travelled to Ostrava and then by rural train to Frýdek-Místek where a guide led them across the border to Poland on 8 June. They travelled to Krakow and reported to the Czechoslovak Consulate who made arrangements for them to travel to France. With other escaped Czechoslovak airmen, he travelled by train to Gydnia, Poland , where on 17 June ’39, they boarded the Polish ship ‘Sobieski’ at Gydnia, and sailed, via Dover, England, to Bologne, France arriving on 20 June.

On arrival to France the Czechoslovak airmen were required join the French Foreign Legion for a five year period with the agreement that should war be declared they would be transferred to French military units. In July 1939 he sailed from Marseille, on the General Tirman, to Oran and then transferred to the French Foreign Legions training base at Sidi-bel-Abbès. When war was declared he was transferred to the l’Armée de l’Air and moved to their airbase at Dugny near Paris.

On 30 November 1939 he was posted to Centre d’Instruction de Chasse at Chartres for re-training on French equipment. The re-training was completed on 18 May 1940. He then assigned to Patrouille DAT (Groupe de Chasse de Défense I /55), at Étampes, who were equipped with MS-406c fighters and based at Étampes, 35 km south of Paris.

When the Germans invaded France on 10 May 1940, the rapidity of their Blitzkreig caused GC I/ 55 to frequently have to change their airfields as they retreated westward. By mid June they had moved three times and were now at Clermont Ferrand in southern France.

When France capitulated, Czechoslovak airmen were released from l’Armée de l’Air service and evacuated to England.

On arrival to England he was accepted into the RAF Volunteer Reserve at the rank of Sgt. He was posted to the newly formed 310 (Czechoslovak) Sqn based at Duxford and equipped with Hurricane Mk I aircraft. On arrival to the squadron he was assigned to its reserve pilot pool for re-training on Hurricanes.

Due to limited aircraft and instructor availability he was transferred to 6 OTU at Sutton Bridge on 18 August for this re-training. He completed his re-training and on 9 September, he was posted to 111 Sqn at Drem who were equipped with Hurricanes. His next posting was on 25 September 1940 to 253 Sqn at Kenley who were equipped with Hurricane Mk I’s, and with whom he flow in the Battle of Britain.

The squadron moved to Leaconsfield on 5 January 1941 and to Skeabrae, in the Orkneys on 8 February 1941.

He ceased operational flying on 8 March 1941 and until 21 February 1945 was a pilot instructor 52 OTU at Debden and Aston Down, 3 EFTS at Shellingford, 9 IFS at Upavon, 22 EFTS at Cambridge, RAF College SFTS at Cranwell, 22 EFTS at Cambridge, 5 AFU at Ternhill and 6 EFTS at Sywell.

On 21 February 1945 he was posted to the Czechoslovak Depot at Cosford until his return to Czechoslovakia on 18 August 1945. He had achieved the rank of F/Lt.

He remained in the Czechoslovak Air Force on his return, initially at the Czechoslovak Air Force HQ in Prague until 16 November 1945, then he was posted to the 10 Air Regiment, with the rank of kapitán (F/Lt) until 6 February 1946. He was then assigned as pilot instructor at the Military Aviation Academy.

Following the Communist take-over in February 1948, the Czechoslovaks who fought for the Allies in WW2 were regarded as being tainted by Capitalism and many were arrested, imprisoned and subjected to other persecution. Before he could be arrested he escaped, with three other Czechoslovak ex-RAF pilots, over the border to the American Zone in Germany.

He returned to England and re-applied to join the RAF but was offered acceptance at the lower rank of Sergeant. Instead he and his family emigrated to Rhodesia where he re-trained as an electrician.

He died in Zimbabwe on 19 August 1983, aged 72.

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