Battle of Britain, top ace Jozef Frantisek, Sept 9 1940-slightly embarassing picture/story

[Jan]

I just came across picture of this BoB ace off duty on September 9th

....I find this picture and story fascinating as well as funny - showing 'other' side of 'The Few' and their lives during the crucial days of BoB

 

Background: Jozef Frantisek, No 4 highest scoring pilot of the Battle of Britain.

Based on all reports, very undisciplined pilot. He was nearly kicked out of Czechoslovak Air force before ww2 for lack of dicipline.

After the WW2 broke out he fought in Poland and France.

After retreat to Britain Czech RAF squadrons were not keen to enlist him due to his known problems with dicipline.

He did join Polish 303 squadron(that soon became highest scoring BoB squadron) and flew with the Poles during the battle of Britain.

Poles soon found out that Frantisek's lack of dicipline and refusal to fly in formations endangers his colleagues in the air. The commander wanted to kick him out of the squadron.

But by then he already gained status of 'ace' , so the compromise was found: Frantisek was made 'guest' of 303 squadron, assigned 'spare' airplane and his superiors let him fight his own private war.

He eventually scored 17 kills during Battle of Britain.

 

Now, the story behind the funny photograph: Frantisek was shot down on September 9th over the Brighton(south England).

Frantisek, apparently not used to NOT winning, he headed to nearest pub to have a beer before planned return to his base in North London. One beer turned to many, he apparently became agressive.....

Here are the exerpts from article by   Ben James /Martin Hickman:

 

Quote

 

"Mr Wren remembered his policeman father, Geoffrey Wren, telling him how he had been called to a stand-off at a Brighton pub in September 1940.

A foreign airman was at one end of the bar and the rest of the pub huddled together at the other.

The airman fought all the way back to the police station, then in the basement of Brighton town hall.

Losing patience, the policeman pushed him down the steps and he tumbled down through the double doors, landing in a heap in front of the duty sergeant."

 

 

 

 

Jozef Frantisek spent night in the police station.

Next morning when he sobered up, Frantisek was released. Smiling british policemen took a photograph with a foreign pilot. 

I find contrast in the expressions of policemen and Frantisek really amusing:

( Picture: ©Martin Hickman )

 

Jozef Frantisek was killed four weeks later in 'banal' landing accident (probably due to exhaustion from non-stop operational flying).

He scored 17 enemy planes destroyed during BoB which makes him 4th highest scoring RAF ace of BoB.

(considening he only started operational flying in September 1940 -and thereffore only took part in second half of BoB- makes his position even more impressive)

(http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/13651822.Mystery_of_ace_fighter_pilot_arrested_in_the_pub/)

 

Edited January 2, 2017 by Jan

[Jure Miljevic]

Hi, Jan

Very interesting article. I always wanted to build a model of the plane, he had been flying that day, Hurricane I P3975 RF-U. There are plenty of colour profiles of this plane around, which is usually presented with a Czechoslovakian cocarde just below cockpit rails and red spinner. Unfortunately, I still have not found a photo, which would confirm these markings. Regards

Jure

[Jan]

36 minutes ago, Jure Miljevic said:

Hurricane I P3975 RF-U. There are plenty of colour profiles of this plane around, which is usually presented with a Czechoslovakian cocarde ...I still have not found a photo, which would confirm these markings....

 

no one can be sure, but I would say there is 99% probability that there was no CS cocarde.

Here is why:  photos of airplanes used by 303 squadron during BoB show there were no special markings, not even polish cocardes.

It would be very surprising if polish ground staff ground staff of 303 painted CS cocarde for Frantisek but none for 'their own' pilots.

 

I think the colour profiles showing CS cocarde on RF-U are from old times when probably artists assumed that all airplanes flown by Czechoslovak pilots were adorned by the cocardes- in fact this is not even true for Czechoslovak squadrons during the BoB and afterwards.

CS pilots were typically not keen to adorn their planes by CS cocarde as it presented danger in case they were shot down over the enemy territory and were captured..

(this was related to German legal point of view that Czechoslovak citizens were citizens of Protectorate Bohmen und Mahren that was annexed by the Reich  before the official start of the war- and therefore not entitled to POW status. Instead, from the german legal point of view, they were 'traitors to the Reich'....with expected consequences)

 

So when you see hurricanes/spitfires with CS cocardes, it is more case of personal bravado of individual pilots rather than a rule.

Edited January 15, 2017 by Jan

[Jure Miljevic]

Hi, Jan

I have found colour profiles of P3975 with Czechoslovakian cocarde, Kosciuszko sqn. emblem and also with both CS cocarde and Kosciuszko sqn. emblem. It is probably just a question of time until profile with CS cocarde, Kosciuszko sqn. emblem and Polish red-white insignia on the cowling also appears. My guess is P3975 RF-U was without any additional markings and with black spinner, although I would be very happy if a photo surfaces, which would prove me wrong. In my opinion Czechoslovak pilots in RAF took a risk of being captured as an occupational hazard. Nazi Germany cared little about military conventions and laws of war (or any other laws, including its own) so hardly any excuse was needed for mistreatment or execution of POWs. Of course, being a Protectorate citizen, a soldiers who continued to fight after his/her country capitulated or guerilla fighter in occupied country substantially decreased chances to survive Nazi captivity. Regards

Jure

[Jan]

24 minutes ago, Jure Miljevic said:

My guess is P3975 RF-U was without any additional markings

 

That would be my guess too.

 

 

24 minutes ago, Jure Miljevic said:

In my opinion Czechoslovak pilots in RAF took a risk of being captured as an occupational hazard. Nazi Germany cared little about military conventions and laws of war (or any other laws, including its own) so hardly any excuse was needed for mistreatment or execution of POWs.

 

Not exactly, POW allied pilots were generally treated according to Geneva conventions and mistreatment was an exception rather than a rule.

- I am speaking of the western front of course, eastern front was a totally diffferent story.

 

And I read few articles about CsAF pilots who fell into captivity- they said they did everything to hide anything that would give away their Czech identity - including carrying receipts with their fake English names.

 

Nazis managed to identify only minority of POW CS pilots as such. And these guys were sent to court and sentenced to death.....  with execution 'postponed to victorious end of the war'(apparently potential retaliation from the brirish side played a role).

But still, these pilots spent rest of the war in Gestapo prisons rather than a POW camps.... quite a difference.

[Jan]

P.S. the POW thing reminds me of an interesting  story told by Jiri Manak (first Czech pilot to lead a non-czech RAF squadron).

 

When Manak was shot down over Netherlands and fell into captivity, he of course pretended to be British using name 'George Manning'.

He was interrogated by a luftwaffe ex-pilot who said he could not fly any more due to injuries or something. The interrogator was also a Sudeten German from Czechoslovakia.

During the interrogation it was apparent that his interrogator recognized czech accent in Manak's broken english and played games with him uttering czech words here and there.

He was apparently not satisfied by Manak's explanation that his accent is Welsch.

 

After an hour of this game,German told 'Manning' that he decided to believe he is British and he is being sent to POW camp (rather than to Gestapo) ... German officer ended the meeting with a smile and sentence in Czech: 'and see you in Prague after the war Mr Manning' 

Manak said he was extremely grateful to this interrogator and wanted to find him after the war, but never managed.

 

Edited January 15, 2017 by Jan

[Jure Miljevic]

Hello, Jan

Very interesting. I was aware that many foreign pilots in RAF fought under assumed names, but I have been under impression this had been done to prevent German retaliation against their families and relatives, living in occupied countries, and not to conceal their nationalities. I understand German interrogators had been known to be very perceptive and the best policy had been to keep one's mouth shot at all times. Ex-pilot, who interrogated Jiri Manak alias George Manning (hardly very imaginative assumed name: I have no idea how surname Manak would translate, but Jiri (or Jure for that matter) is George in English) must have already lost faith in final victory of Germany. When did this incident happen, late in the war or towards the end of it perhaps? Timing probably played a role in German interrogator's decision to send Manak into relative safety of POW camp. Regards

Jure

[Jan]

just checked the internet: Jiri Manak fell into captivity in August 1943. At that time hardly any German officer thought the war is lost.- So I would say the interrogator might just felt for fellow airman.

 

52 minutes ago, Jure Miljevic said:

I was aware that many foreign pilots in RAF fought under assumed names, but I have been under impression this had been done to prevent German retaliation against their families and relatives, living in occupied countries, and not to conceal their nationalities.

Yes, you are right. But in case of CsAF pilots and bomber crews, it was about hiding real names AND nationality.....because ambiguous legal status when captured by the Germans.

 

[Jure Miljevic]

Hello Jan

I agree with you about your assumption about German ex-flyer. Also, thanks for the interesting story. Thinking again about P3975 I should probably quit looking for its unpublished photo and just build the model without additional fancy cocardes and emblems. Most of the warplanes on all sides were in standard camouflage and markings anyway. Regards

Jure