Jindřich Svoboda (aviator)
Encyclopedia
Jindřich Svoboda was a Czech
colonel
in memoriam, a captain
of the bomber
of the 311th Squadron RAF
.
Jindřich Svoboda was born in Jungmann’s Street in Třebíč
. Then his family moved to Zámostí where they lived in No. 119.
He was a member of the Junák
association (Association of Scouts and Guides of the Czech Republic) and his nick was Horse. In the year 1936 he attended the Military Aviation School in Prostějov
. When the Czech country was in danger he joined the air force
as a volunteer.
On 24 January 1940 Svoboda went to Slovakia
and from there he travelled via Hungary
, Yugoslavia
, Greece
, Turkey
, Syria
and North Africa
to France
and then to Great Britain
where he was trained as a bomber pilot. He accomplished 24 battle flights in total, 16 of them as a captain.
His last flight was raid on Bremen
. Their Vickers Wellington
was shot down and crashed in the Nederlands. J. Svoboda, J. Brož and R. Mašek died while K. Batelka, Z. Sichrovský and J. Šnajdr survived. Jindřich Svoboda is buried in the military cemetery at Vredenhof in Tilburg
in Nederlands.
The Junák association of Třebíč and in 2003 the footbridge in Třebíč are named after him. In 2006 a commemorative plaque was unveiled on the townhall building in Třebíč in memory of aviators of the RAF
who were born in Třebíč.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in memoriam, a captain
Pilot in command
The pilot in command of an aircraft is the person aboard the aircraft who is ultimately responsible for its operation and safety during flight. This would be the "captain" in a typical two- or three-pilot flight crew, or "pilot" if there is only one certified and qualified pilot at the controls of...
of the bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
of the 311th Squadron RAF
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...
.
Jindřich Svoboda was born in Jungmann’s Street in Třebíč
Trebíc
Třebíč is a city in the Moravian part of the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic.Třebíč is situated 35 km southeast of Jihlava and 65 km west of Brno on the Jihlava River. Třebíč is from 392 to 503 metres above sea-level....
. Then his family moved to Zámostí where they lived in No. 119.
He was a member of the Junák
Junák
Junák, or more properly, Junák - svaz skautů a skautek ČR , is the largest association of Scouts and Guides of the Czech Republic...
association (Association of Scouts and Guides of the Czech Republic) and his nick was Horse. In the year 1936 he attended the Military Aviation School in Prostějov
Prostejov
Prostějov is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. Today the city is known for its fashion industry and special military forces based there....
. When the Czech country was in danger he joined the air force
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...
as a volunteer.
On 24 January 1940 Svoboda went to Slovakia
Slovakia
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...
and from there he travelled via Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and North Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
to 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...
and then to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
where he was trained as a bomber pilot. He accomplished 24 battle flights in total, 16 of them as a captain.
His last flight was raid on Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
. Their Vickers Wellington
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
was shot down and crashed in the Nederlands. J. Svoboda, J. Brož and R. Mašek died while K. Batelka, Z. Sichrovský and J. Šnajdr survived. Jindřich Svoboda is buried in the military cemetery at Vredenhof in Tilburg
Tilburg
Tilburg is a landlocked municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant.Tilburg municipality also includes the villages of Berkel-Enschot and Udenhout....
in Nederlands.
The Junák association of Třebíč and in 2003 the footbridge in Třebíč are named after him. In 2006 a commemorative plaque was unveiled on the townhall building in Třebíč in memory of aviators of the RAF
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...
who were born in Třebíč.
External links
- Jindřich Svoboda`s profile on the webpages of 22nd Air Force Base - Náměšť nad OslavouCzech Air ForceThe 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...
- Vredenhof cemetery website