Czechoslovak Air Force
Encyclopedia
The Czechoslovak Air Force (Československé Vojenské Letectvo) was the air force
branch of the military of Czechoslovakia
. It was known as the Czechoslovak Army Air Force (Československé Letectvo) from 1918–1939. In 1993, it was divided into the Czech Air Force
and the Slovak Air Force
.
The Czechoslovak government between the wars balanced a home-grown aviation industry with licensing engine and aircraft designs from allied nations. Several major aircraft companies, and a few engine companies, thrived in Czechoslovakia during the 1930s. One well-known engine manufacturer was A. S. Walter
located in Prague.
The Aero
Company (Aero továrna letadel), was located in the Vysočany quarter of Prague
. Its mixed construction (wood, metal and fabric covering) and all-metal aircraft were competitive in the early 1930s; however, by 1938, only its MB.200
(a licensed Bloch
design) was not totally obsolete.
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The Avia
Company (Avia akciová společnost pro průmysl letecký Škoda), a branch of the enormous Škoda Works
(Škodovy závody) for heavy machinery and defence industrial organization, was different. Founded in 1919 in an old sugar factory in the eastern Prague suburbs of Letňany and Čakovice, Avia made entire airplanes, including motors, which were usually licensed Hispano-Suiza
designs. The standard Czechoslovak pursuit plane of the late 1930s, the B-534
reached a total production of 514 units. It was one of the last biplane
fighters in operational use, and also one of the best ever produced.
The state-controlled Letov
(Vojenská továrna na letadla Letov) was also situated in Letňany. It employed about 1,200 workers in the late 1930s, and it manufactured the Š-328
biplane
, of which over 450 were produced. The entire airframe was welded together, not bolted or riveted. The Letov factory was the only Czechoslovak plant that manufactured metal propellers.
) – a rump state
directly controlled by Nazi Germany
– and the Slovak Republic – a German puppet state.
Many Czechoslovak pilots successfully escaped to Poland
and France
, where they helped to fight against the Nazi "blitzkrieg" in the first period of the war
, and later in Britain
where they formed fighter and bomber squadrons within the Royal Air Force
, which were a constituent of the Czechoslovak army in exile on the British Isles. Czech fighter ace Josef František
became arguably the best top scoring allied fighter pilot of the Battle of Britain
. Other Czech and Slovak pilots continued to fight against the Germans in the Soviet Union
.
Under German rule all Czechoslovak aircraft where absorbed into the Luftwaffe
– and the huge Czechoslovak manufacturing base was converted to produce German aircraft and engines.
After the end of the war in late 1945 four Czech RAF squadrons, Numbers 310
, 311
, 312
, and 313
were all despatched to Czechoslovakia and became part of the Czech armed forces.
After the division of Czechoslovakia
by Nazi Germany
in 1939, Slovakia was left with a small air force composed primarily of Czechoslovakian combat aircraft. This force defended Slovakia against Hungary in 1939, and took part in the invasion of Poland in support of Germany. During the Second World War, the Slovak Air force was charged with the defence of Slovak airspace, and, after the invasion of Russia, provided air cover for Slovak forces fighting against the Soviet Union
on the Eastern Front
. While engaged on the Eastern Front, Slovakia’s obsolete biplanes were replaced with German combat aircraft, including the Messerschmitt Bf 109
. The air force was sent back to Slovakia after combat fatigue and desertion had reduced the pilots' effectiveness. Slovak air units took part in the Slovak National Uprising against Germany from late August 1944.
, allied with the Soviet Union
, and from 1955 a member of the Warsaw Pact
. Because of this, the Czechoslovak Air Force used Soviet aircraft, doctrines and tactics. The types of aircraft were mostly MiG
s. Fighters MiG-15, MiG-19 and MiG-21F was produced in licence; in 1970s, MiG-23MF were bought, accompanied by −23MLs and MiG-29s in 1980s.
In May 1987, two Czech Air Force jets were scrambled to try to bring down a Czechoslovak engineer attempting to escape his home country via a home-built ultralight
aircraft. After flying about 10 miles to the West German border, the refugee's aircraft ran out of fuel, and he landed safely in a Bavarian forest, just before the Czech fighters could intercept him.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, the Czechoslovak Air Force consisted of the 7th Air Army, which had air defence duties, and the 10th Air Army, responsible for ground forces support. The 7th Air Army had two air divisions and three fighter regiments, and the 10th Air Army had two air divisions and a total of six regiments of fighters and attack aircraft. There were also two reconnaissance regiments, two transport regiments, three training regiments, and two helicopter regiments.
, dissolved their union on 1 January 1993. The assets of the former air force were divided 2:1 in the Czech favour, and thus the Slovak Air Force
was (re)formed. The 18 MiG 29s were shared equally between the two countries.
Air force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
branch of the military of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. It was known as the Czechoslovak Army Air Force (Československé Letectvo) from 1918–1939. In 1993, it was divided into the Czech Air Force
Czech Air Force
The Czech Air Force is the air force branch of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic. The Air Force, with the Land Forces, comprises the Joint Forces, the main combat power of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic...
and the Slovak Air Force
Slovak Air Force
The Slovak Air Force, known since 2002 as the Air Force of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic , is the aviation and air defense branch of the Slovak Armed Forces. Operating 70 aircraft from 3 major bases - Kuchyňa, Sliač, Prešov...
.
Interwar period (1918–1939)
For a modern nation surrounded by potentially hostile neighbors, without access to the ocean, the Czechoslovak leadership needed to build a capable air force. So was born the motto "Air is our sea".The Czechoslovak government between the wars balanced a home-grown aviation industry with licensing engine and aircraft designs from allied nations. Several major aircraft companies, and a few engine companies, thrived in Czechoslovakia during the 1930s. One well-known engine manufacturer was A. S. Walter
Walter Engines
The Walter Aircraft Engines was a company that manufactures aircraft engines, particularly the M601 turboprop. Based in Prague, Czech Republic, the company has been a subsidiary of GE Aviation since July 2008.-History:...
located in Prague.
The Aero
Aero Vodochody
Aero Vodochody is a Czech aircraft company, active from 1919, notable for producing the L-29 Delfin, L-39 Albatros, L-59 Super Albatros and the L-159 Alca....
Company (Aero továrna letadel), was located in the Vysočany quarter of Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. Its mixed construction (wood, metal and fabric covering) and all-metal aircraft were competitive in the early 1930s; however, by 1938, only its MB.200
Bloch MB.200
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Angelucci, Enzo. World Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft. London, Jane's Publishing, 1981. ISBN 0-7106-0148-4....
(a licensed Bloch
Société des Avions Marcel Bloch
The Société des Avions Marcel Bloch was a French aircraft manufacturer of military and civilian aircraft, that further changed its name in Dassault Aviation, after the end of World War II....
design) was not totally obsolete.
Avia
Avia is a Czech aircraft and automotive company notable for producing biplane fighter aircraft, especially the B-534, and trucks.- History :...
Company (Avia akciová společnost pro průmysl letecký Škoda), a branch of the enormous Škoda Works
Škoda Works
Škoda Works was the largest industrial enterprise in Austro-Hungary and later in Czechoslovakia, one of its successor states. It was also one of the largest industrial conglomerates in Europe in the 20th century...
(Škodovy závody) for heavy machinery and defence industrial organization, was different. Founded in 1919 in an old sugar factory in the eastern Prague suburbs of Letňany and Čakovice, Avia made entire airplanes, including motors, which were usually licensed Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza was a Spanish automotive and engineering firm, best known for its luxury cars and aviation engines in the pre-World War II period of the twentieth century. In 1923, its French subsidiary became a semi-autonomous partnership with the parent company and is now part of the French SAFRAN...
designs. The standard Czechoslovak pursuit plane of the late 1930s, the B-534
Avia B-534
The Avia B-534 is a Czechoslovak biplane produced during the period between the Great War and World War II. The B-534 is considered one of the last aircraft built with a classic biplane design.-Design and development:...
reached a total production of 514 units. It was one of the last biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
fighters in operational use, and also one of the best ever produced.
The state-controlled Letov
Letov Kbely
LETOV is an aircraft company located in Prague - Letňany, Czech Republic. It is the oldest aircraft company in the region.Letov was founded in 1918 by the Czechoslovakian Ministry of Defense to repair World War I trophy planes. The first indigenous aircraft, the Letov Š-1, was designed and built in...
(Vojenská továrna na letadla Letov) was also situated in Letňany. It employed about 1,200 workers in the late 1930s, and it manufactured the Š-328
Letov Š-328
- Bibliography :* Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Seven - Bombers and Reconnaissance Aircraft. London:Macdonald, 1967....
biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
, of which over 450 were produced. The entire airframe was welded together, not bolted or riveted. The Letov factory was the only Czechoslovak plant that manufactured metal propellers.
World War II (1939–1945)
During this time, Czechoslovakia was divided into the "Protektorat Böhmen und Mähren" (Protectorate of Bohemia and MoraviaProtectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was the majority ethnic-Czech protectorate which Nazi Germany established in the central parts of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia in what is today the Czech Republic...
) – a rump state
Rump state
A rump state is the remnant of a once-larger government, left with limited powers or authority after a disaster, invasion, military occupation, secession or partial overthrowing of a government. In the last case, a government stops short of going in exile because it still controls part of its...
directly controlled by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
– and the Slovak Republic – a German puppet state.
Many Czechoslovak pilots successfully escaped to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where they helped to fight against the Nazi "blitzkrieg" in the first period of the war
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
, and later in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
where they formed fighter and bomber squadrons within the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, which were a constituent of the Czechoslovak army in exile on the British Isles. Czech fighter ace Josef František
Josef František
Sergeant Josef František DFM* was a Czech fighter pilot and World War II flying ace. He flew for the air forces of Czechoslovakia, Poland and the United Kingdom. He is famous as being the number one allied ace in the Battle of Britain.- Career :Born in Otaslavice in 1913, Josef František joined...
became arguably the best top scoring allied fighter pilot of the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
. Other Czech and Slovak pilots continued to fight against the Germans in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
– and the huge Czechoslovak manufacturing base was converted to produce German aircraft and engines.
After the end of the war in late 1945 four Czech RAF squadrons, Numbers 310
No. 310 Squadron RAF
No. 310 Squadron RAF was a Czechoslovakian-manned fighter squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War .It was first formed on 10 July 1940 at RAF Duxford, equipped with Hawker Hurricane I fighters and was the first RAF squadron to be raised crewed by foreign nationals, in this case...
, 311
No. 311 Squadron RAF
No. 311 Squadron RAF was a Czechoslovakian-manned bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.It was first formed at Honington on 29 July 1940, equipped with Wellington I bombers and crewed mostly by escaped Czechslovakian aircrew. It was transferred from Bomber Command to...
, 312
No. 312 Squadron RAF
No. 312 Squadron RAF was a Czechoslovakian-manned fighter squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.It was first formed at Duxford in July 1940, equipped with Hurricane I fighters and crewed mostly by escaped Czechslovakian pilots. Its first victory was a Junkers Ju 88 above...
, and 313
No. 313 Squadron RAF
No. 313 Squadron RAF was a Czechoslovakian-manned fighter squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.It was first formed at Catterick on 10 May 1941, equipped with Spitfire I fighters and crewed mostly by escaped Czechslovakian pilots...
were all despatched to Czechoslovakia and became part of the Czech armed forces.
After the division of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
in 1939, Slovakia was left with a small air force composed primarily of Czechoslovakian combat aircraft. This force defended Slovakia against Hungary in 1939, and took part in the invasion of Poland in support of Germany. During the Second World War, the Slovak Air force was charged with the defence of Slovak airspace, and, after the invasion of Russia, provided air cover for Slovak forces fighting against the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
. While engaged on the Eastern Front, Slovakia’s obsolete biplanes were replaced with German combat aircraft, including the Messerschmitt Bf 109
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
. The air force was sent back to Slovakia after combat fatigue and desertion had reduced the pilots' effectiveness. Slovak air units took part in the Slovak National Uprising against Germany from late August 1944.
1946–1988
During this time Czechoslovakia was member of the Eastern BlocEastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
, allied with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and from 1955 a member of the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
. Because of this, the Czechoslovak Air Force used Soviet aircraft, doctrines and tactics. The types of aircraft were mostly MiG
Mig
-Industry:*MiG, now Mikoyan, a Russian aircraft corporation, formerly the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau*Metal inert gas welding or MIG welding, a type of welding using an electric arc and a shielding gas-Business and finance:...
s. Fighters MiG-15, MiG-19 and MiG-21F was produced in licence; in 1970s, MiG-23MF were bought, accompanied by −23MLs and MiG-29s in 1980s.
In May 1987, two Czech Air Force jets were scrambled to try to bring down a Czechoslovak engineer attempting to escape his home country via a home-built ultralight
Ultralight aviation
The term "ultralight aviation" refers to light-weight, 1- or 2-person airplanes., also called microlight aircraft in the UK, India and New Zealand...
aircraft. After flying about 10 miles to the West German border, the refugee's aircraft ran out of fuel, and he landed safely in a Bavarian forest, just before the Czech fighters could intercept him.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, the Czechoslovak Air Force consisted of the 7th Air Army, which had air defence duties, and the 10th Air Army, responsible for ground forces support. The 7th Air Army had two air divisions and three fighter regiments, and the 10th Air Army had two air divisions and a total of six regiments of fighters and attack aircraft. There were also two reconnaissance regiments, two transport regiments, three training regiments, and two helicopter regiments.
Velvet Revolution to break up of Czechoslovakia (1989–1992)
In November 1989 the communist leaders and guidelines fell across Czechoslovakia. The two parliaments of the two new states the Czech republic and SlovakiaSlovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, dissolved their union on 1 January 1993. The assets of the former air force were divided 2:1 in the Czech favour, and thus the Slovak Air Force
Slovak Air Force
The Slovak Air Force, known since 2002 as the Air Force of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic , is the aviation and air defense branch of the Slovak Armed Forces. Operating 70 aircraft from 3 major bases - Kuchyňa, Sliač, Prešov...
was (re)formed. The 18 MiG 29s were shared equally between the two countries.