Karel Miroslav Kuttelwasher ( Czech Karel Miroslav Kuttelwascher ; nickname Kut ) is a Czechoslovak pilot who is an ace and the most successful Czech pilot in the British Air Force during World War II . It is considered one of the best night fighter pilots on the shores of Britain [1] .
| Karel Kuttelvasher | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Czech Karel kuttelwascher | |||||||||||
| Nickname | Kut | ||||||||||
| Date of Birth | September 23, 1916 | ||||||||||
| Place of Birth | Holy Cross (now - Vysočina Region ), Austria-Hungary | ||||||||||
| Date of death | August 17, 1959 (42 years old) | ||||||||||
| A place of death | Cornwall England | ||||||||||
| Type of army |
 British Air Force | ||||||||||
| Years of service | 1934-1945 | ||||||||||
| Rank | |||||||||||
| Part | 1st RAF Squadron 23rd RAF Squadron | ||||||||||
| Battles / wars | World War II :
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| Awards and prizes |
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Among the enemy aircraft shot down by him - three Heinkel He 111 , destroyed in a four minute time span, on the night of May 4 to 5, 1942 - an achievement that is unparalleled for the Hawker Hurricane MkII (single-seat fighters flying without the use of radar ) [2 ] .
Content
- 1 Biography
- 1.1 UK
- 1.2 Post-war time
- 2 Awards
- 3 Literature
- 4 notes
- 5 Links
Biography
Karel Miroslav Kuttelvasher was born on September 23, 1916 in the village of Holy Cross ( Czech Svatý Kříž ), not far from Havlíčkвv Brod in the Vysočina Region . After graduation, Karel enrolled in a military academy, where in 1934 and received the qualification of a fighter pilot. Karel Kuttelvasher was sent to the 32nd Squadron, based in Hradec Kralove .
With the beginning of the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1938, Kareli, like many pilots of the Czechoslovak Air Force , fled to France , where as part of the French Air Force, took part in the French campaign and won the first victories over the enemy (two joint). After the defeat of France, Kuttelvasher fled to the UK .
UK
Joining the Royal Air Force of Great Britain , Karel was in the 1st RAF squadron ( eng. No. 1 Squadron RAF ). Flying on a four- gun Hawker Hurricane MkII , Kuttelvasher won his first victory in a night battle from April 1 to 2, 1942 . Using the tactics of circling over enemy airfields and waiting for the return or takeoff of enemy aircraft, Karel already had 20 victories in his account by the fall (18 destroyed personally, 2 together (back in France), 2 unconfirmed and 5 disabled) [3] . In the fall of 1942, Kuttelvasher, as an air ace, was transferred to the headquarters of Czechoslovak aviation in London , where he served until the end of the war, training and recruiting new pilots, testing new cars [1] .
Post-war time
After the war ended, Karel Kuttelvasher returned to Czechoslovakia, and then moved his family there. However, the wife with three small children left the country almost immediately and returned to the UK. A few days later, Karel followed them [1] , and until 1956 he worked as a civilian pilot [4] .
Karel Kuttelvasher died of a heart attack on August 17, 1959 in Cornwall .
Rewards
- Czechoslovakia :
- Cavalier of the Czechoslovak Military Cross of 1939-1945 (five times);
- Medal “For courage before the enemy” (four times);
- Medal "For Military Merit I Degree" ;
- Medal for participation in hostilities abroad with the signs “F” and “VB” (France and Great Britain);
- Great Britain :
- Cavalier of the Cross "For Outstanding Flight Merit" (with a bar, since twice);
- Cavalier "Stars 1939-1945" with the sign of a participant in the Battle of Britain ;
- Military Medal 1939-1945 ;
- UK Defense Medal;
- France :
- Cavalier of the Military Cross;
- Czech Republic :
- Medal "For Heroism" , was awarded posthumously in 1998 [5] .
Literature
- Darlington R. Night hawk: the biography of Flight Lieutenant Karel Kuttelwascher, DFC and Bar, the RAF's greatest night intruder ace. - London: W. Kimber, 1985 .-- 220 p. - ISBN 0718305744 .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 Chekanova A. Night “hawk” Karel Kuttelvasher . Historical walks . radio.cz (September 12, 2009). Date of treatment July 13, 2011. Archived on August 20, 2012.
- ↑ Hawker Harriken Mk II Archived January 1, 2011 on the Wayback Machine .
- ↑ Kuttelvasher Karel Miroslav
- ↑ London Gazette :. (Supplement) no. 40731. p. 1522 ( pdf) (March 13, 1956). Date of treatment 2011-07-132. Archived on August 20, 2012.
- ↑ Medaile Za hrdinství: Seznam vyznamenaných (Czech) at hrad.cz.