* 21.04.1914, Záluží.
† 03.10.1990, Orillia, Canada.
Pre WW2:
Jan Štefan was born on 21 April 1914 at Záluží, near Beroun, a small village some 30 km south-west of Prague, the son of František and Anna née, Hůrková. After completing his primary schooling, he continued his education at a mechanical engineering school for a further three years, where he trained as a locksmith. In 1936, he joined the cadet school at the Military Academy at Hradec Králové, where he trained as a fighter pilot and graduated in 1937.
Mobilisation:
The build-up of military forces by Nazi Germany along the Czechoslovak borders caused the Czechoslovak government to declare a partial mobilisation, on 20 May 1938, to counter that threat. Later that year, the threatening overtures by neighbouring Nazi Germany regarding the Sudeten regions – the German speaking areas – of Czechoslovakia caused the Czechoslovak Government to again declare a mobilisation on 23 September 1938.
Munich Betrayal:
Following this threat, Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister, Daladier, the French President, Hitler, the German Chancellor and Mussolini, the Italian Dictator, met in Munich. The outcome of this was the Munich Agreement of 30 September 1938 wherein the Sudeten regions were ceded to Germany. Eduard Beneš, the Czechoslovak President, was not invited to participate in the discussion concerning the future of his country, instead he was merely told by Chamberlain and Daladier to either accept the agreement or Czechoslovakia would have to defend itself without any support from Britain and France, despite there being a tri-lateral defence agreement between the three countries.
German Occupation:
Despite Hitler’s claims at that time of not wishing to acquire any further territory from Czechoslovakia, by March 1939 Nazi Germany took a different stance. Under pressure from Hitler and Mussolini with the threat of an immediate and destructive invasion, and an absence of any support from its Alliance Treaty partners of France and Great Britain, Emil Hácha, the Czechoslovak President acceded to their demands.
The Germans occupied Czechoslovakia on 15 March 1939. In the early hours of that day, Emil Hácha had ordered all Czechoslovak military units to stand down, remain in their barracks and not resist the occupation. By dawn, the Germans began their occupied of Czechoslovakia. Germanisation of Bohemia and Moravia began immediately: they were now the Reich Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (Protektorat Böhmen und Mähren), while Slovakia in return for its allegiance to Nazi Germany, had become the ‘independent’ puppet state of Slovakia.
By the time of the occupation, Jan had achieved 310 flying hours. Upon occupation, the Czechoslovak Air Force was disbanded by the Germans and all personnel dismissed. 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 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, couriers and other assistance to enable airmen to escape to Poland. Usually, this was by crossing the border from the Ostrava region.
Poland:
Jan was one of the many Czechoslovak airmen and soldiers who saw that it was their patriotic duty to go to Poland from where they could participate in efforts to achieve the liberation of their country. On 3 June 1939, with the assistance of the two underground organisations, Jan travelled with five other ex-Czechoslovak Air Force airmen, by train to Ostrava. This was in south-east Czechoslovakia and adjacent to the Český Těšín region which had been annexed by Poland following the Munich Agreement of September 1939. There they were met by a former presidential guard who guided them to the Polish border from where they crossed into Poland. Shortly after crossing the border. they were detained by Polish police and taken to the local Police Station. Here their details were taken and as the Police station was small and unable to accommodate the six, they were permitted, under parole not to try and return to Czechoslovakia, to leave the Police station and stay in a nearby hotel that night. The following day they returned to the Police station and were taken to Těšín Police station for further questioning. They were there for a week before they were released and travelled to Kraków, where they reported for duty at the Czechoslovak Consulate.
Disappointment in Poland:
In Poland Jan, like all the other escapees from Czechoslovakia, found that there was no enthusiasm from the Polish authorities to have Czechoslovak military units assembled on their territory as the Poles 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 Britain, averted this return.
Instead, negotiations between the Czechoslovak Consulate, Krakow, and the French authorities resulted in the offer that the Czechoslovak escapees would be allowed to travel to France. However as French law did not permit foreign military units to be based on its soil in peacetime, the Czechoslovaks would be required to enlist in the French Foreign Legion for a period of five years but with the promise that if war was declared the Czechoslovaks would be released from their French Foreign Legion service and could enter into French military units. The alternative was that Czechoslovaks who would not accept these terms would be returned by the Polish authorities to Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia and face German retribution for escaping – usually imprisonment or execution with further reprisals to their families.
In the interim, whilst arrangements were made for their journey to France, they were transferred to Małe Bronowice, a former Polish army barracks on the outskirts of Krakow. Jan and his colleagues arrived there on 11 June. Jan was the 280th escapee to have arrived there.
With other Czechoslovak military colleagues, Jan and 138 other escapees left Małe Bronowice by train for the Polish Baltic port of Gdynia where, on 17 June 1939, they boarded the ‘Sobieski’, a Polish passenger ship which sailed via Dover, where the Czechoslovak military were not permitted to disembark, to Boulogne in France, arriving on 19 June.
To France:
On arrival in France the Czechoslovaks 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. At Boulogne, they were met by the Air Attaché from the Czechoslovak Consulate in Paris and each escapee was given 20 francs to cover their immediate needs. After two days there, they boarded a train for the thirteen-hour journey to Paris, where they transferred to Place Balard, the Legion’s recruitment centre in south-west Paris. Here, medical examinations were undertaken, and documentation prepared for recruitment into the Legion. While there they were required to attend 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.
French Foreign Legion:
Jan was accepted into the French Foreign Legion, at the rank of soldat, on 28 June and then transferred to the Legion’s base at Fort Saint Jean, at Marseille. On 3 July, the escapees boarded a transport ship which sailed to Oran, on the Mediterranean coast of Algeria. From there they travelled onto the Legion’s training base at Sidi bel Abbès, some 35 miles south of Oran.
l’Armée de l’Air:
Following the German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany. On 16 September, Jan was transferred to the l’Armée de l’Air Centre and posted to 572 Escadrille Regionelle de Chasse, initially at Blida airbase, Oran, for re-training on French fighter aircraft. On 16 February 1940, having completed his training, he was posted, at the rank of sergeant, with fellow Czechoslovaks Otakar Hrubý and Bohumil Votruba to GC I /10 who were equipped with MS-406 and deployed at La Senia airbase, Oran.
The phoney war came to an end on 10 May 1940 when the Germans invaded Holland, Belgium and France. The rapid success of their advance caused Italy to declare war on France and Britain on 10 June. At that time, GC I/10 was deployed at La Senia airbase, Oran. With the perceived threat of attacks from neighbouring Libya by the Italian Regia Aeronautica on Algeria and Tunisia, GC I/10 redeployed the next day to Djedeida, on the Mediterranean coast of Tunisia to counter those perceived attacks.
When France capitulated, Czechoslovak airmen were released from l’Armée de l’Air service. Jan was now at Djedeida airbase, Tunis. With other Czechoslovak airmen he travelled to Casablanca, Morocco, where, on 28 June, under the command of Alois Hlobil, they boarded the ‘Gib-el-Dersa’ and sailed to Gibraltar. There they transferred to the ‘Cidonia’ which sailed for England on 7 July, arriving in Liverpool on 16 July.
RAF:
On arrival to Liverpool, Jan’s first path, like for most of the Czechoslovaks, led to the Czechoslovak resettlement camp at Cholmondeley Park, near Chester. The first Czechoslovaks boarded a train to Nantwich, Cheshire , some 30 miles away, and from there marched to Cholmondeley Castle, 8 miles away, where in the grounds a tented camp where the evacuated Czechoslovak were being billeted and where they were security vetted.
There, Jan and his fellow Czechoslovak pilots re-trained to fly Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft. Firstly, the theoretical aspect of flying Hurricanes and then the practical aspect. After completing the theoretical training, they then practiced in a dual seater Miles Magister training aircraft. When they reached the required standard, training continued in single-seater Hurricanes. Jan passed his re-training and, on 14 October 1940, he and fellow Czechoslovaks P/O’s Evžen Čížek, František Běhal and Sgt Antonín Zavoral were posted to 1 Sqn., After being heavily engaged in the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain, the squadron had, on 9 September, been redeployed from their 11 Group base at RAF Northolt to RAF Wittering, part of 12 Group. The squadron was now officially a ‘C’ type unit, which meant that while they were being rested and retaining a few experienced pilots, they were given an influx of new pilots to bring up to operational standard and then had to pass them onto them to operational squadrons in the battle area. They were equipped with Hurricane Mk I fighter aircraft.
Battle of Britain:
Jan was a latecomer to the Battle, which was now in its closing stages. By 31 October, he had made 20 flights, totalling 17 hrs 40 min, with 1 Sqn, but only three were operational, thus qualifying him for the coveted Battle of Britain clasp. The first of those flights was a scramble on 26 October, flying Hurricane P5187, taking off at 12:55 and returning at 14:00. The other two operational flights were also scrambles and patrols. During those flights, no Luftwaffe were encountered. The remaining 17 were a mix of various training and local reconnaissance flights.
After the Battle:
After 31 October, when the Battle of Britain is classed as having finished, Jan flew operational patrols with 1 Sqn, but not all without mishap. On 29 November 1940, at 14:30, shortly after taking off from Wittering, the engine of his Hurricane Mk I V7099 started to smoke. He made a forced landing near the airfield. He was uninjured, but there was underside damage to his aircraft. Then on 10 December 1940 at 15:00, after landing at Luton, his Hurricane Mk I V7379 got stuck in soft ground, causing minor damage.
On 15 December 1940, 1 Sqn was redeployed back into 11 Group’s Order of Battle and stationed at Northolt before moving to Kenley, near Croydon, on 5 January 1941. Their role here was primarily to carry out defensive patrols over South-East England as well as to protect Allied shipping in the English Channel. However, RAF Fighter Command was now also starting to take the offensive in the aerial war and began ‘Rhubarb’ patrols over Northern France. These patrols were usually undertaken by just two fighters when there was a low cloud so that they could escape into the cloud in the event of their being attacked. The purpose of these ‘Rhubarb’ patrols was to seek targets of opportunity over Northern France and attack them. Hopefully, Luftwaffe fighters trying to defend those targets could be engaged in combat. 1 Sqn was one of the RAF squadrons that engaged in those patrols and in which Jan participated.
On 19 March 1941, whilst on one of those patrols, he was shot down over Dungeness, Kent. Jan was flying Hurricane Mk IIa Z2810 alongside two other 1 Sqn Hurricanes, when they were attacked by two Luftwaffe Me 109s. Jan’s Hurricane was damaged in the combat and he made a forced landing near Udimore, East Sussex, at 18:20. He was uninjured in the crash.
Tour Completed:
Having completed his operational tour, he was posted, on 30 July 1941, to SFS Ferry [Service Ferry Squadron] at RAF Kemble, some 80 miles west of London, for his rest period from operational flying. The squadron was in RAF Ferry Command and their role was ferrying of new aircraft from the factory to operational squadrons. He was promoted to the rank of F/Sgt on 1 September 1941.
Return to Operational Flying:
Having completed his rest period, he returned to operational flying on 13 March 1942 and was posted to 65 Sqn They were based at Debden and equipped with Spitfire Mk Vb and Vcs. His next posting was to 313 (Czechoslovak) Sqn on 14 April 1942. They were deployed at RAF Hornchurch, Essex and also equipped with Spitfire Mk Vb and Vcs. He returned to 1 Sqn on 22 April 1942 who were now deployed at RAF Tangmere, near Chichester, and equipped with Hurricane Mk IIs. His next promotion, to W/O, was on 1 September 1942.
312 (Czechoslovak) Sqn:
He was posted to 312 (Czechoslovak) Sqn on 27 November 1942 to start his 2nd operational tour. The squadron was deployed at Churchstanton, near Taunton, Somerset, and equipped with Spitfire Mk Vb and Vcs. He remained with 312 Sqn until 24 February 1943, when he was posted to 310 (Czechoslovak) Sqn, who were deployed at RAF Ibsley, Hampshire, and also equipped with Spitfire Mk Vb and Vc’s.
On completion of his 2nd operational tour, he was posted, on 25 March 1943, to 57 OTU at RAF Eshott, 20 miles north of Newcastle, for flying instructor duties. That Autumn, due to health problems, he was stood down from operational flying and on 17 September, attended the Central Medical Board, in London, so that his health issues could be assessed.
On 15 October, he attended a course at the Air Fighting Development Unit (AFDU) at RAF Wittering, near Peterborough. Jan’s next movement was on 25 November when he was promoted to the rank of W/O and posted for non-operational duties to the No 2 Delivery Flight at RAF Cranfield, Bedfordshire, as a ferry pilot, flying replacement aircraft to operational squadrons throughout the UK. On 14 February 1944, he was posted to the RAF’s School of Flying Control at RAF Cranwell? and attended Course 73. He graduated on 26 March and returned to the Czechoslovak Depot at RAF Cosford. Jan’s next posting was on 7 April 1944 to the 134 [Czechoslovak] Wing – comprising 310, 312 & 313 squadrons, and deployed at RAF Ibsley, Hampshire, for Flying Control training.
On 1 May 1944, he was posted to RAF Ayr, 30 miles south-west of Glasgow where his role was in Flying Control. He returned to the Czechoslovak Depot at RAF Cosford on 7 July to await a posting for flying control duties. On 3 October 1944, after a detailed examination by the RAF Medical Branch, he was declared fit to return to operational flying.
Jan was commissioned, on 16 October 1944, at the rank of P/O and at the end of the month was posted to the Czechoslovak transport pool at RAF Croydon but for flying control duties. His final RAF promotion was on 16 April 1945 to the rank of F/O.
Post WW2:
Jan returned to Czechoslovakia after the war and served in the Czechoslovak Air Force at the rank of podporučík [P/O].
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. He escaped on foot over the Czechoslovak border into the American Zone in Germany and later emigrated to Canada.
To date, little is known about him when he lived in Canada.
He died on 3 October 1990, at Orillia, Ontario, Canada, aged 76.
Medals Awarded:
Válečný kříž 1939
Za chrabrost
Za zásluhy I.stupně
Pamětní medaile se štítky F–VB
1939 – 45 Star with Battle of Britain clasp
Air Crew Europe Star
Defence Medal
War Medal
Remembered:
Czech Republic:
Záluží:
A memorial plaque in honour of Lieutenant Jan Štefan is placed on the building of the Záluží Municipal Office.
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.
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:
Jan 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:
Article last updated: 31.10.2025.
