* 13.04.1915, Životice.
† 19.06.1941, North Sea, UK.
The Early Years:
Václav Brejcha was born on 13 April 1915 at Životice, a small village near Nepomuk, about 30km South of Plzeň. He was the eldest of his parents’ four children. His father, also Václav, a Czechoslovak legionnaire who had served in Russia during WW1. At Životice he commenced his education at the local school, but completed it at Klatovy when the family moved there in 1926. On leaving school in 1932, he found employment at Klatovy where he began training to be a carpenter. During this period, he was a keen athlete and an active member of the Scout movement.
Like many young Czechoslovak men, he became fascinated with aviation and so he joined the nearby Pošumav Aero Club, so that he could further pursue this new passion. At the club he undertook flying lessons which he successfully completed to gain his Sports pilot’s license. One of his fellow pilot trainees there was Jaroslav Vyhnis who would also join the RAF in WW2.
Czechoslovak Air Force:
Both young men were required to undertake their compulsory military service, which for Václav was on 27 October 1937 when he elected to join the Czechoslovak Air Force. On completion of his basic military training at the Cadet School at the Prostějov Military Academy, he was selected in 1938 for military pilot training at Chleb. On graduating from that course, he was posted to the 4th Air Regiment at Prague – Kbely airbase for Fighter pilot training, from where many of his fellow trainees would meet up later in the RAF.
He graduated in 1938 where he was rated as a very good pilot. Václav was then posted, at the rank of svobodník [LAC] to the 47th Fighter Squadron at Pardubice airbase which were equipped with Avia B-534 bi-plane fighter aircraft. By the time of the German occupation on 15 March 1939 he had achieved 180 flying hours.
German Occupation:
Upon German occupation, Germanisation of Bohemia and Moravia began immediately. But just four days later, on 19 March 1939, former Senior officers of the disbanded Czechoslovak military had started to form an underground army, known as Obrana Národa [Defense of the Nation]. Obrana Národa also 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 to Poland. Usually, this was by crossing over the border from the Ostrava region. Václav 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:
On 5 June 1939 Václav, along with his friend Jaroslav Vyhnis, successfully managed to covertly escape from the Ostrava district, over the border to Poland. There they were detained by the border guards at Český Těšín for nine days, before being released and allowed to continue their journey to Kraków. There they reported for duty at the Czechoslovak Consulate.
Disappointment in Poland:
However, like all previous escapees from Czechoslovakia, they were to find out that there was no enthusiasm from the Polish authorities to have Czechoslovak military units assembled on their territory as they had no wish to provoke neighbouring Nazi Germany. This Polish attitude caused some of the Czechoslovak escapees to become discontented and disillusioned, with some considering returning to their homeland. Fortunately, patriotic speeches by General Ludvík Svoboda, a Legionnaire veteran from WW1 and Senator Vojtěch Beneš, brother of former Czechoslovak President Eduard Beneš, now exiled in in Britain, helped prevent this return.
However, the Polish Authorities, who recognised the new puppet State of Slovakia, showed little interest in the Czechoslovak military who were escaping across their border in groups and would not allow independent Czechoslovak units to be established on its territory as they were concerned about antagonising neighbouring Nazi Germany. 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 into the French Foreign Legion – French law did not allow foreign military units to be on its territory in peacetime, and the Czechoslovak escapees would be required to 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. The alternative was to be returned to occupied Czechoslovakia and face German retribution for escaping – usually imprisonment or execution with further retribution to their families.
To France:
During this interim period, the Czechoslovak escapees were billeted at Malý Bronowice, a former Polish army camp on the outskirts of Kraków, with Václav arriving there on 18 June. There they waited whilst arrangements were made for their transportation by sea to France. On 26 July, with 189 other Czechoslovak escapees, he went by train to Gydnia on the Polish Baltic coast, where they boarded the SS ‘Kastelholm’, a 921-ton Swedish coastal-cruising ship, which took them to Calais, France arriving on 30 July.
France:
On arrival at Calais, Václav and his fellow escapees were transferred to Place Balard, the Foreign Legion’s recruitment depot at 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 Abbes, Algeria. During this period, they attended French classes and any free time was usually spent in Paris exploring the sights and practising their newly learnt French with the girls they met. But before he could be transferred to the Legion’s training camp at Sidi Bel Abbès, in Algeria, war was declared.
On 10 September, Václav was released from his Foreign Legions contract and transferred to the l’Armée de l’Air, and posted to Centre d’Instruction á la Bombardiers at Pau airbase, near the Pyrenees in South-West France for re-training on French bomber aircraft. On 6 October 1939, now at the rank of caporal-chef, he was assigned to Centre d’Instruction de Chasse at Chartres for training on French fighter aircraft. There he flew 180 hours during that re-training.
The Germans commenced their Blitzkreig invasion on Western Europe on 10 May 1940, by invading Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg and then continuing Westwards into France. On 27 May 1940, Václav, with the rank of Sgt, along with fellow Czechoslovaks Lt Antonín Velebnovský and Sgt František Novotný, were posted to GC III/10 who were equipped with Marcel Bloch MB-152 fighter aircraft and deployed at Deauville airbase, on the Normandy coast, some 170km North West of Paris.
On 4 June 1940 all three were transferred to GC I/4 who were equipped with Curtis H-75C aircraft and deployed at Évreux-Fauville airbase, some 85km North West of Paris. The lightning speed of the German Blitzkreig caused GC I/4 to frequently have to change their airfields on five occasions as they retreated westward and by 17June they were at Perpignan-La Salanque, airbase, on the Mediterranean coast near the Spanish border. The following day GC I/4 evacuated their aircraft from mainland France and flew to Oran airbase, Algeria, and then onto Meknes airbase, Morocco, on 25 June.
With France having capitulated on 22 June, the Czechoslovak airmen of the unit were released from l’Armée de l’Air, service and they travelled by train for four days to Casablanca, Morocco, where, on 29 June, they boarded the ‘Gib-el-Dersa’ which took them to Gibraltar. Here they transferred to the ‘Cidonia’ and on 7 July, as part of a large convoy, sailed to England, arriving at Liverpool, England, on 16 July 1940.
RAF:
The Czechoslovaks were transferred to the Czechoslovak transit camp at Cholmondeley Park near Crewe, Cheshire. Here they lived in tents while they were security vetted and their future roles ascertained.
The Battle of Britain was now in progress and there was an urgent need for fighter pilots. As a trained pilot Václav was quickly transferred to the Czechoslovak RAF Depot, Cosford where, on 5 August 1940, he was admitted to the Volunteer Reserve of the RAF, with the rank of Sgt, and began his RAF training and also English language classes. On 20 September 1940, along with seven other officers and 11 Sgt Czechoslovak pilots, Václav was posted to 6 OTU [Operational Training Unit] at Sutton Bridge for a Hurricane conversion course. There on 2 October, whilst flying Hurricane L1581, he had to make a forced landing at the airfield following an engine failure.
Battle of Britain:
On completion of the course, he was posted to 43 (China-British) Sqn on 10 October 1940 who were now in No.13 Group of Fighter Command and deployed at RAF Usworth, near Washington, Northumberland, for a rest period following the Group’s demanding involvement with the Dunkirk evacuation and in the Battle of Britain.
At RAF Usworth, Václav was assigned to the ‘B’ flight of the squadron. His first flight with the squadron came the following day in Hurricane L1953, for a 50 minute formation flight. Václav’s first operational flight in the Battle of Britain was undertaken on 13 October with a 70 minute patrol flying Hurricane P3386. During these final days of the Battle of Britain he flew 20 hours and 16 min, but had no engagement with any enemy aircraft.
To 257 (Burma) Sqn:
With the Battle of Britain now over, Václav, on 27 November, was posted to 257 (Burma) Sqn who were in No.12 Group of Fighter Command and deployed at Martlesham Heath, Suffolk, equipped with Hurricane fighter aircraft and commanded by S/Ldr Robert ‘Bob’ Stanford-Tuck. The squadron’s role was convoy protection patrols in the Thames Estuary area and its North Sea approaches and patrols covering the southern East Anglia region.
Combat Success:
With 257 Sqn he achieved combat success on 4th February 1941. That morning, two 257 Sqn Hurricanes flown by P/O L Barnes and Václav took-off from Coltishall at 08:55 with orders to patrol base below cloud in the Yarmouth area at 10,000 feet. They were informed by the Sector Controller that an enemy aircraft was flying up the coast at 3,000 feet. The two Hurricanes were vectored on a course of 150 and lost height to intercept it. About 2 miles off the coast 5 miles South East of Yarmouth they sighted the aircraft which they identified as a Do17, which was making use of thin cloud cover flying North at 3,200 feet on their starboard side. They both did a right-hand climbing turn and gained height on the Do17. P/O L Barnes, flying as Yellow 1, went first into beam to quarter attack. Václav, as Yellow 2, then followed up with a quarter beam attack from starboard, experiencing erratic return fire from the top rear gunner as the Do17 turned out to sea and lost height to make use of thin cloud cover. Yellow 2 broke off his attack and noticed that the Dornier’s port engine had stopped.
The Hurricanes repeated their attacks, with Yellow 2 behind and above the Do 17. It made an astern attack, with a long burst, closing in to about 50 yds and raking the top of the cockpit.
The Do17 lost height, jettisoned its bombs and turned West making for the coast. The Hurricanes attacked for the third time and the Do17 glided into the sea. One man jumped out before the plane hit the water. Yellow 2 thought he made out 3 men in the water. Subsequently one of the men was saved and taken to Yarmouth Hospital. A second man was found shot through the head when picked out of the water.
The Do17 was U5+LM (1132) of 4/KG2, crewed by Fw H Ablonski and Gefr. F Muller. Both baled out too low and were killed. Fw. W Blaschyk was captured along with Lt. F Heilman but the latter died of wounds the same day.
Both Hurricanes returned safely to base at 09:40, with only slight bullet damage to their aircraft.
Fateful Flight:
On 19 June 1941, whilst flying solo Tiger Moth Mk I N6835 on a transit flight from Farnborough, Kent, to Coltishall, the aircraft was seen to enter into a spin and crash into the North Sea 400 metres North of Southwold, Suffolk. The cause of the crash is unknown but Václav was killed. His body was not recovered until the following month when it was washed ashore near Southwold on 18 July 1941.
Sgt Václav Brejcha was buried on 21 July 1941 in grave 247 at Scottow cemetery, Scottow, Norfolk. He was 26 years old.
Medals:
1939 – 45 Star with Battle of Britain clasp
Defence Medal
War Medal
Za zásluhy II.stupně
Pamětní medaile se štítky F–VB
Remembered:
Czech Republic:
Prague 1 – St Vitus Cathedral:
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.
Prague 3 – The Army Museum:
He is remembered on the Memorial Plaque at the Military History Institute, at Žižkov Prague.
Prague 6 – Dejvice:
He is named on the Memorial for the fallen Czechoslovak airmen of 1939-1945, at Dejvice, Prague 6.
Klatovy-Chaloupky :
He is commemorated on the War Memorial at Klatovy-Chaloupky .
Životice :
He is commemorated on the War Memorial at Životice, his birth village.
Great Britain :
Capel le Ferne – National Battle of Britain Memeorial:
Václav Brejcha 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:
Václav 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.
Capel le Ferne – London Battle of Britain Memeorial:
He is also commemorated on the London Battle of Britain Memorial:
London – St Clement Danes :
Václav Brejcha 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.
Article last updated: 31.10.2025.
