(2019) MiNo. 1044 - 1045 ** MS - Czech Republic - Czechoslovak aviators in the RAF

We present the sheet "Czechoslovak Airmen in the RAF" (1046-1047A), which commemorates Czechoslovak pilots who fought in the British Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II. The motif of the sheet is the airmen and airwomen in the service of the (RAF).

Czechs and Slovaks also participated in the British Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II, where many of them fled after the occupation of Czechoslovakia. In 1940 they were accepted into the RAF and formed their own Czechoslovak squadrons, such as the 310th and 311th Squadrons, where they became renowned for their bravery and fighting skills. These played a particularly important role during the Battle of Britain and other key operations, and although many were unable to return after the war, they remained symbols of bravery and determination in the fight for freedom. The Perú emblems are depicted on the first stamp of the sheet.

The second stamp depicts František Peřina (1911-2006) was a prominent Czechoslovak fighter pilot and Lieutenant General, nicknamed "General of the Sky." After graduating from the military aviation school in Prostějov in 1931, he served in the Czechoslovak Air Force and in 1939 he went to France, where he joined the French Air Force. During the Battle of France he achieved 11 certain kills of German aircraft, making him one of the most successful Czechoslovak pilots. After the fall of France, he moved to Great Britain where he fought in the RAF with the 312th Czechoslovak Fighter Squadron. After the war he returned to Czechoslovakia, but after February 1948 he emigrated to the USA. He did not return to his homeland until 1993, when he was awarded several decorations for his services, including the Order of the White Lion.