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74-669: On 30 October 1918, the establishment of Aviation Corps ( Letecký sbor ) marked the beginning of the Czechoslovak Air Force. Under the First Republic , the air force was an integral service of the Czechoslovak army . During peacetime, the army aviation was a subordinate agency of the Ministry of National Defence within its 3rd Department of Aviation ( III. odbor (letecký) Ministerstva národní obrany ) under

148-597: A Czech motto, Vždy připraven ("Always ready"). Czech fighter ace Josef František, acclaimed by one wartime author as "the greatest of all Czechoslovak pilots, perhaps one of the greatest fighters of all time", served in the Battle of Britain in No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron . Karel Kuttelwascher, a night fighter ace nicknamed the "Night Reaper", served in No. 1 Squadron . Other Czech and Slovak pilots fought against Germany under Soviet command. The Air and Air Defence Forces of

222-741: A course of several months in the 1920s to two years by the late 1930s. In 1936 Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring wrote "The Czechoslovak Air Force must be considered as one of the leading air forces as regards personnel, and, considering its limited financial possibilities, more than satisfactory with regard to material and equipment". As the Sudeten crisis with Germany worsened, the Czechoslovak Army and Air Force partly mobilised on 21 May 1938 and fully mobilised on 23 September. The air force had more than 100 airfields and 1,300 aeroplanes, of which 650 were front-line aircraft. But on 29 September

296-506: A few aristocratic landowners—mostly Germans (or Germanized Czechs – e.g. Kinsky , Czernin or Kaunitz ) and Hungarians —and the Roman Catholic Church. Half of all holdings were under 20,000 m . The Land Control Act of April 1919 called for the expropriation of all estates exceeding 1.5 square kilometres of arable land or 2.5 square kilometres of land in general (5 square kilometres to be the absolute maximum). Land reform

370-695: A fighter aircraft. This gave the S-199 poor handling, particularly during take-off and landing. Production ended in 1949 and Czechoslovakia withdrew its last S-199 aircraft from service in 1957. From 1945 the Air Force also had 56 Soviet-built Lavochkin La-7 fighters, which were quicker and manœuvred better than the Bf 109 and S-199. The Czechoslovak aircraft industry continued to produce single-seat ( Avia S-92 ) and two-seat ( Avia CS-92 ) variants of Germany's jet fighter

444-708: A formal name change) under the Ninth-of-May Constitution following the 1948 coup . ČSSR; from 1969, after the Prague Spring , consisted of the Czech Socialist Republic (ČSR) and Slovak Socialist Republic (SSR). Oblast of the Ukrainian SSR . Oblast of Ukraine . Army cooperation aircraft The army cooperation aircraft was an inter-war concept of an aircraft capable of support of ground units in

518-521: A more specialised unit. One of the few countries to actually implement the idea was Poland. By the end of the 1930s the Polish Army had 12 escadrilles of "assisting aircraft", usually operating as platoons of 3 to 6 aircraft attached to regiments of infantry or cavalry. Typical Polish army cooperation planes included Lublin R-XIII , PZL Ł.2 and RWD-14 Czapla . According to Polish specifications of

592-606: A population of over 13.5 million. It had inherited 70 to 80% of all the industry of the Austro-Hungarian Empire , including the porcelain and glass industries and the sugar refineries; more than 40% of all its distilleries and breweries; the Škoda Works of Plzeň , which produced armaments, locomotives , automobiles, and machinery ; and the chemical industry of northern Bohemia . Seventeen percent of all Hungarian industry that had developed in Slovakia during

666-700: A result, the Czechs had to be posted to the more backward Slovakia to take up the administrative and professional posts. The position of the Jewish community, especially in Slovakia, was ambiguous and, increasingly, a significant part looked towards Zionism . Furthermore, most of Czechoslovakia's industry was as well located in Bohemia and Moravia and there mainly in the German speaking Borderlands, while most of Slovakia's economy came from agriculture. In Carpatho-Ukraine,

740-542: A transport regiment. In May 1987 two Czechoslovak 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 (16 km) to the West German border, the refugee's aircraft ran out of fuel, and he landed safely in a Bavarian forest, just before the Czechoslovak fighters could intercept him. In

814-539: A variety of roles. Army cooperation planes combined the roles of artillery spotter aircraft , liaison , reconnaissance plane and close air support . The concept of army cooperation units was invented in France at the end of World War I . Numerous countries experimented with the idea of creating separate units tasked with close cooperation with ground units. However, in most cases the roles of observation, reconnaissance and liaison were kept separate, with each assigned to

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888-627: Is still regarded as the symbol of Czechoslovak democracy for the Czechs and Slovaks today. The Constitution of 1920 approved the provisional constitution of 1918 in its basic features. The Czechoslovak state was conceived as a parliamentary democracy , guided primarily by the National Assembly , consisting of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies , whose members were to be elected on the basis of universal suffrage . The National Assembly

962-691: The Battle of France in May and June 1940. Of these, seven were awarded France's highest military decoration, the Légion d'honneur , and five received the Médaille militaire . 70 Czechoslovak airmen, including Josef František and Karel Kuttelwascher , were awarded the Croix de Guerre . After France capitulated to Germany on 22 June 1940, many Czechoslovak airmen escaped via either France's Atlantic or Mediterranean coasts or from French North Africa . They reached

1036-634: The First Czechoslovak Republic was founded in October 1918 it was landlocked and surrounded by potentially hostile neighbours. Its government realised the need for an air force, and quickly founded one with the motto "Our sea is in the air". From Austria-Hungary the new republic inherited only three military airfields and a handful of Hansa-Brandenburg aircraft. In the First World War few Czechs or Slovaks had served in

1110-749: The Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops or naval air corps , or in exile in the French Air Force or Imperial Russian Air Service . Much of Austria-Hungary's manufacturing companies were Czech, therefore Czechoslovakia could quickly develop an aircraft industry . At first it tended to build foreign designs of aircraft and aero engines under license . As the industry developed it designed more aircraft and engines of its own. Czechoslovak aircraft builders included Aero , Avia , Beneš-Mráz , Letov , Praga , Tatra and Zlín . Engine makers included ČKD , Walter and Škoda . Aero ( Aero továrna letadel )

1184-737: The Little Entente (an alliance with Yugoslavia and Romania ) in 1921 to counter Hungarian revanchism and Habsburg restoration. He concluded a separate alliance with France . Beneš's Western policy received a serious blow as early as 1925. The Locarno Pact , which paved the way for Germany 's admission to the League of Nations , guaranteed Germany 's western border but provided no such promise for its eastern frontier, which meant that it would remain subject to negotiation. When Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, fear of German aggression became widespread in eastern Central Europe. Beneš ignored

1258-719: The Prague Aviation museum in Kbely . Source - Balous et al. 1995, p. 53. The Spitfires were Czechoslovakia's primary fighter aircraft until the 1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état , after which the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia purged air force personnel who had served in the RAF. Many ex-RAF personnel, including Air Marshal Janoušek and Hawker Hurricane pilot Josef Bryks , were tried on false charges and given long prison sentences. Czechoslovakia sold all its Spitfires to

1332-861: The Slovak Republic . Germany allowed Slovakia to keep a small army and air force, but it ordered the puppet government of Bohemia and Moravia to dissolve its armed forces. The Luftwaffe confiscated all Czechoslovak Air Force aircraft. All Czechoslovak aircraft factories were converted to produce German aircraft and engines. The Luftwaffe tried to recruit demobilised Czechoslovak airmen to non-combat roles such as ferry flights and meteorological flights, but without success. It also confiscated Czechoslovak aircraft and tried to get Czechoslovak airmen to fly them to Germany. But of seven Czechoslovak pilots who took off from Hradec Králové airfield in Bohemia , none reached Germany. Three flew to Poland , two reached

1406-521: The Sudeten German vote. As a consequence, diplomatic relations between the Germans and the Czechs deteriorated further. ČSR; boundaries and government established by the 1920 constitution . Annexed by Nazi Germany . ČSR; included the autonomous regions of Slovakia and Subcarpathian Ruthenia. Annexed by Hungary (1939–1945). ČSR; declared a "people's democracy" (without

1480-616: The Sudeten German Party led by Konrad Henlein and the Hlinka's Slovak People's Party led by Andrej Hlinka . The German minority living in the Sudetenland demanded autonomy from the Czechoslovak government, claiming they were suppressed and repressed. In the 1935 Parliamentary elections, the newly founded Sudeten German Party, led by Konrad Henlein and mostly financed by Nazi German money, received over two-thirds of

1554-562: The Sudetenland . Their incorporation into Nazi Germany would leave the rest of Czechoslovakia powerless to resist subsequent occupation. To a large extent, Czechoslovak democracy was held together by the country's first president, Tomáš Masaryk . As the principal founding father of the republic, Masaryk was regarded similar to the way George Washington is regarded in the United States . Such universal respect enabled Masaryk to overcome seemingly irresolvable political problems. Masaryk

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1628-752: The United Kingdom and France agreed to let Germany annex the Sudetenland, which German forces then did without Czechoslovak armed forces being allowed to resist. The Munich Agreement was followed on 2 November 1938 by the First Vienna Award , in which Germany and Fascist Italy allowed Hungary to annex southern Slovakia. Then on 15 March 1939 Germany occupied Czechoslovakia , created the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia rump state and allowed what remained of Slovakia to become

1702-588: The Velvet Revolution ended Communist rule in Czechoslovakia. In 1992 the Slovak Republic voted to leave the federal republic, which was dissolved on 1 January 1993 . First Czechoslovak Republic The First Czechoslovak Republic ( Czech : První československá republika ; Slovak : Prvá československá republika ), often colloquially referred to as the First Republic ( Czech : První republika ; Slovak : Prvá republika ),

1776-467: The " Pětka " ( pron. pyetka ) (The Five). The Pětka was headed by Antonín Švehla , who held the office of prime minister for most of the 1920s and designed a pattern of coalition politics that survived until 1938. The coalition's policy was expressed in the slogan "We have agreed that we will agree." German parties also participated in the government in the beginning of 1926. Hungarian parties, influenced by irredentist propaganda from Hungary, never joined

1850-420: The 1980s and early 1990s the Czechoslovak Air Force consisted of the state air defence command, with air defence fighters, surface to air missiles , and air defence radars, and the 10th Air Army, responsible for ground forces support. The state air defence command had 2nd Air Defence Division ( Brno ) with 8th Fighter Air Regiment, radars, and surface to air missiles, and the 3rd Air Defence Division ( Žatec ) with

1924-462: The 1980s. In 1951 the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Air Defence Districts of State Territory were created, at about the same time as the creation of the 15th Fighter Air Corps. The 15th Fighter Air Corps controlled the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 166th Fighter Air Divisions at various times; the 166th Fighter Air Division later became the 2nd Fighter Air Division. From 1964 to 1969 the 10th Air Army included the 46th Transport Air Division, of two regiments of helicopters and

1998-452: The 1st ( České Budějovice ), 5th ( Dobřany ), and 11th Fighter Air Regiments ( Žatec ), and the 71st Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade and 185th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment. 8th Fighter Air Regiment was based at ( Ostrava ) (Mošnov) from 1959 until 1 April 1985, whereupon it relocated to Brno (Tuřany). It was equipped with the MiG-21 from 1965 to 1991. 1st Fighter Air Regiment at České Budějovice

2072-485: The 1st Composite Transport Air Regiment, and the 30th Attack Air Regiment ( Pardubice Airport , with Su-25Ks). It was disbanded on 1 October 1990 and succeeded by the 1st Mixed Air Corps. Between 1945 and 1968 the Czechoslovak Air Force operated several regiments from Hradčany airfield : Reportedly from January 1976, the 7th Air Army was disbanded and replaced by the State Air Defence Command with

2146-552: The 2nd and 3rd Air Defence Divisions, which existed until 1990. The State Air Defence Command moved from Prague to Stará Boleslav in 1981. The details are based on the Czech Ministerstvo narodni obrany website, which lists all units of the Czechoslovak People's Army in existence between 1954 and 1989, with their location, subordination, equipment and changes over time. In November and December 1989

2220-450: The 9th Fighter Air Regiment at the same base until 30 June 1990), the 34th Fighter Bomber Air Division (HQ Čáslav , which Air International in July 1991 reported as comprising the 6th & 20th (Su-22), and 28 (MiG-23BN) FB Regiments, plus the 9th Air Defence Regiment with MiG-21bis), the 47th Reconnaissance Air Regiment (Ostrava-Mošnov), the 10th Signal Regiment, the 11th Helicopter Regiment,

2294-789: The Balkans and Syria or Lebanon to join their compatriots who had already reached France. At first France insisted that all Czechoslovak airmen join the Foreign Legion . Only after France had declared war on Germany did it agree with the Czechoslovak National Committee in Paris to let the men transfer to the French Air Force and restore their ranks. They needed to be re-trained to fly French aircraft, but some completed their training in time to fight in

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2368-584: The Battle of Britain, later recalled: I must confess that I had been a little doubtful of the effect which their experience in their own countries and in France might have had upon the Polish and Czech pilots, but my doubts were soon laid to rest, because all three squadrons swung in the fight with a dash and enthusiasm which is beyond praise. They were inspired by a burning hatred for the Germans which made them very deadly opponents. From 1940 until 1942, 311 Squadron

2442-413: The Czechoslovak government but were not openly hostile: Edvard Beneš , Czechoslovak foreign minister from 1918 to 1935, created the system of alliances that determined the republic's international stance until 1938. A democratic statesman of Western orientation, Beneš relied heavily on the League of Nations as guarantor of the post war status quo and the security of newly formed states. He negotiated

2516-492: The Messerschmidt Me 262 after World War II. From August 1946, a total of nine S-92s and three two-seater CS-92s were completed and test flown. They were introduced in 1947 and in 1950 were supplied to the 5th Fighter Squadron, becoming the first jet fighters to serve in the Czechoslovak Air Force. These were kept flying until 1951, when they were replaced in service by Soviet jet fighters. Both versions are on display at

2590-650: The Polish Air Force went into action in September 1939 when Germany invaded Poland . Many fought with distinction and 55 were decorated. Josef František was among those awarded Poland's highest military decoration, the Virtuti Militari . After the USSR joined the invasion of Poland its forces captures some Czechoslovak airmen. Others escaped as Poland fell, first reaching Romania and then going via

2664-762: The SVZ defended Slovakia against Hungary in the Slovak–Hungarian War , and fought alongside German forces in the Slovak invasion of Poland . In the German invasion of Russia the SVZ provided air cover for Slovak forces fighting against the USSR on the Eastern Front . During the campaign Slovakia's obsolete biplanes were replaced with German combat aircraft, including the Messerschmitt Bf 109 . The air force

2738-648: The UK, Avia continued building the Bf 109 as the Avia S-99. However, an industrial accident soon destroyed Avia's remaining stock of Daimler-Benz DB 605 aircraft engines, so Avia substituted the Junkers Jumo 211 engine and associated propeller. The resulting hybrid aircraft was called the Avia S-199 . The Jumo engine and propeller had been made for medium bombers and had the wrong performance characteristics for

2812-545: The USSR and the other two crash-landed their aircraft, without injuring themselves but rendering their aircraft beyond economic repair. Thereafter Germany gave up trying to use Czechoslovak airmen. Emigration was strictly controlled and former air force personnel were not allowed to leave the country. But many Czechoslovak airmen got themselves smuggled into Poland. Of these a few joined the Polish Air Force but most continued to France. Czechoslovak pilots who joined

2886-558: The USSR. However, he only arrived on 1 May 1945, when the war was almost over. Vicherek was happy to serve an Eastern Bloc Czechoslovakia, and on 29 May 1945 he was appointed the Commander of the Czechoslovak Air Force. In August 1945 the RAF's four Czechoslovak squadrons, numbers 310, 311, 312, and 313, all relocated to Czechoslovakia and became part of the Czechoslovak armed forces. By then 310, 312 and 313 squadrons were equipped with Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX aircraft and 311 Squadron

2960-776: The United Kingdom, where Brigadier General Karel Janoušek quickly secured an agreement with the UK War Department for them to join the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR). On 12 July 1940 an Inspectorate of the Czechoslovak Air Force was established, with Janoušek as Inspector-General with the RAF rank of Air Commodore . A Czechoslovak depôt was created at RAF Cosford in Shropshire . The RAF quickly created new squadrons formed of Czechoslovak pilots. The first fighter unit

3034-412: The command of divisional general Jaroslav Fajfr (as of October 1938). It was anticipated that individual squadrons and flights would be attached to various field corps and divisions in case of war with Germany . After the liberation of Czechoslovakia in 1945, the air force was once again organized as an integral part of the army within following ministerial departments: In mid-1950s, following

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3108-498: The establishment of Czechoslovakia towards the world, because otherwise the statistical majority of the Czechs as compared to Germans would have been rather weak, and there were more Germans in the state than Slovaks . National minorities were assured special protection; in districts where they constituted 20% of the population, members of minority groups were granted full freedom to use their language in everyday life, in schools, and in matters dealing with authorities. The operation of

3182-485: The example of Soviet Air Defence Forces , the State Air Defence ( Protivzdušná obrana státu , PVOS) was formed alongside the Air Force. In 1976, the State Air Defence formed its own command (1976–1990). In May 1990, the State Air Defence (PVOS), Air Defence of Ground Forces and Frontline Aviation were merged to form an integrated branch of the armed forces – the Czechoslovak Air Force and Air Defence. When

3256-466: The formerly Austrian ( Bohemia , Moravia , a small part of Silesia ) and Hungarian territories (mostly Upper Hungary and Carpathian Ruthenia ). After 1933, Czechoslovakia remained the only de facto functioning democracy in Central Europe , organized as a parliamentary republic . Under pressure from its Sudeten German minority , supported by neighbouring Nazi Germany , Czechoslovakia

3330-411: The late 1920s, the army cooperation aircraft were capable of STOL , had folding wings and relatively small dimensions to allow them to operate from improvised airfields and improvised hangars such as barns. The folding wings also allowed for the plane to be towed by a car or truck, which was essential for the planes to operate in cooperation with the land units. This aviation -related article

3404-510: The late 19th century also fell to the republic. Czechoslovakia was one of the world's 10 most industrialized states. The Czech lands were far more industrialized than Slovakia. In Bohemia , Moravia , and Silesia , 39% of the population was employed in industry and 31% in agriculture and forestry . Most light and heavy industry was located in the Sudetenland and was owned by Germans and controlled by German-owned banks. Czechs controlled only 20 to 30% of all industry. In Slovakia, 17.1% of

3478-511: The nascent Israel in 1948, in a secret arms and military training deal . In 1955 Czechoslovakia became a founder member of the Warsaw Pact . The Czechoslovak Air Force was equipped with Soviet aircraft and followed its doctrines and tactics. Mostly Mikoyan-Gurevich aircraft (MiGs) were bought. MiG-15 , MiG-19 , and MiG-21 F fighters were produced under licence; in the 1970s, MiG-23 MF were acquired, followed by MiG−23MLs and MiG-29s in

3552-578: The nations we wish to see safeguarded and assured, should be accorded the freest opportunity to autonomous development." The full boundaries of the country and the organization of its government was finally established in the Czechoslovak Constitution of 1920 . Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk had been recognized by World War I Allies as the leader of the Provisional Czechoslovak Government, and in 1920 he

3626-603: The new Czechoslovak government was distinguished by stability. Largely responsible for this were the well-organized political parties that emerged as the real centers of power. Excluding the period from March 1926 to November 1929, when the coalition did not hold, a coalition of five Czechoslovak parties constituted the backbone of the government: Republican Party of Agricultural and Smallholder People, Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party, Czechoslovak National Social Party, Czechoslovak People's Party, and Czechoslovak National Democratic Party. The leaders of these parties became known as

3700-611: The old Austrian empire or expropriations of big estates did not support the coherence within the state. Nevertheless still in 1929, for example, in the Carlsbad district, a mainly Bavarian speaking area, 46% still voted for Socialists and Communists. This is especially interesting, because the German Speaking community of the Bohemian Countries is often and from many side blamed for being nationalist and fascist. But

3774-423: The point of living in the or one of the most industrialized areas of Europe also brings a big support for Communist and Socialist Parties, which from another point of view may also be explained by heavy and long lasting traditions of mining industries in the area. Still, nationalism arose amongst the non-Czech nationalities, and several parties and movements were formed with the aim of broader political autonomy, as

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3848-427: The population was employed in industry, and 60.4% worked in agriculture and forestry. Only 5% of all industry in Slovakia was in Slovak hands. Carpathian Ruthenia was essentially without industry. In the agricultural sector, a program of reform introduced soon after the establishment of the republic was intended to rectify the unequal distribution of land. One-third of all agricultural land and forests belonged to

3922-536: The possibility of a stronger Central European alliance system, remaining faithful to his Western policy. He did, however, seek the participation of the Soviet Union in an alliance to include France. (Beneš's earlier attitude towards the Soviet regime had been one of caution.) In 1935, the Soviet Union signed treaties with France and Czechoslovakia. In essence, the treaties provided that the Soviet Union would come to Czechoslovakia's aid only if French assistance came first. In 1935, when Beneš succeeded Masaryk as president,

3996-492: The postwar Czechoslovak People's Army actually celebrated September 17, 1944, as the birth date of their force. On that date, a fighter regiment, manned by Czechoslovak personnel, was formed in the Soviet Union. It grew into the 1st Czechoslovak Mixed Air Division which fought on the Eastern Front. After the German partition of Czechoslovakia in 1938, Slovakia was left with a small air force ( Slovenské vzdušné zbrane or SVZ) equipped primarily with Czechoslovak aircraft. In 1939

4070-539: The prime minister Milan Hodža took over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs . Hodža's efforts to strengthen alliances in Central Europe came too late. In February 1936, the foreign ministry came under the direction of Kamil Krofta , an adherent of Beneš's line. The Czechoslovak Republic sold armament to Bolivia during the Chaco War (1932–35) and sent, close to the end of the war, an unofficial training mission, to support Bolivia in its Chaco war with Paraguay and advance Czechoslovak interest in Bolivia. The new nation had

4144-462: The rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939. The independence of Czechoslovakia was proclaimed on 28 October 1918 by the Czechoslovak National Council in Prague . Several ethnic groups and territories with different historical, political, and economic traditions were obliged to be blended into a new state structure. The origin of the First Republic lies in Point 9 of Woodrow Wilson 's Fourteen Points : "The peoples of Austria-Hungary, whose place among

4218-502: The situation was even worse, with basically no industry at all. Therefore the Borderlands were also more heavily hit by the world economic crisis. This fact, and the fact that the central government did little to help out and even supported more the Czech companies led to the fact, that unemployment among the German community was the double, than it was among the Czech. Further steps like the loss of jobs for German speaking state employees, who did not speak Czech, which were employed earlier in

4292-462: The strong presidencies of Masaryk and his successor, Beneš. The constitution of 1920 provided for the central government to have a high degree of control over local government. From 1928 to 1940, Czechoslovakia was divided into the four "lands" ( Czech : "země" , Slovak : "krajiny" ): Bohemia , Moravia - Silesia , Slovakia , and Carpathian Ruthenia . Although in 1927 assemblies were provided for Bohemia, Slovakia, and Ruthenia, their jurisdiction

4366-450: Was No. 310 Squadron RAF , which was formed on 10 July 1940 and immediately joined in the Battle of Britain . By the end of July a bomber unit, No. 311 Squadron RAF , had been added. Further Czechoslovak fighter units followed: 312 Squadron by August 1940 and 313 Squadron in May 1941. Czechoslovaks quickly adapted to the structure, tactics and aircraft types of the RAF. Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding , who led RAF Fighter Command in

4440-433: Was also in Letňany, where in the late 1930s it employed about 1,200 people. It built the Š-28 reconnaissance and army co-operation biplane, of which more than 470 were made. The entire airframe was welded together, not bolted or riveted. The Letov factory was the only Czechoslovak plant that made metal propellers. By the late 1930s Czechoslovakia's bomber aircraft were obsolescent and the speed with which Nazi Germany

4514-467: Was becoming a threat did not give Czechoslovak manufacturers enough time to develop a new bomber of their own. So in 1937 the government bought Tupolev SB twin-engined medium bombers from the Soviet Union , plus a license to build more in Czechoslovakia as the Avia B-71. 60 Soviet-built SB bombers were delivered in April and May 1938. This was followed by Avia and Aero building 101 of the B-71 version. The training of air force recruits had developed from

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4588-483: Was different. Founded in 1919 in a former sugar refinery in the eastern Prague suburbs of Letňany and Čakovice, Avia made entire aeroplanes. Many of its engines were licensed Hispano-Suiza designs. It build the standard Czechoslovak fighter aircraft of the late 1930s, the B-534 , of which a total 568 were built. The B-534 and its derivatives were among the last biplane fighters in operational use. The state-controlled Letov factory ( Vojenská továrna na letadla Letov )

4662-503: Was elected the country's first president. He was re-elected in 1925 and 1929, serving as President until 14 December 1935 when he resigned due to poor health. He was succeeded by Edvard Beneš . Following the Anschluss of Austria by Germany in March 1938, the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler 's next target for annexation was Czechoslovakia . His pretext was the privations suffered by ethnic German populations living in Czechoslovakia's northern and western border regions, known collectively as

4736-447: Was equipped with Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bombers . The Spitfires were flown to Czechoslovakia with long range "slipper" fuel tanks to give them enough range for the journey. On 15 January 1946 311 Squadron became the Czechoslovak 6 letecká divize ("6th Air Division") at Havlíčkův Brod in southeastern Bohemia. In May it was divided into Letecký pluk 24 and Letecký pluk 25 ("24th and 25th Air Regiments"). Letecký pluk 24

4810-423: Was equipped with MiG-21s from 1964, and was disbanded in 1992. 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. In 1990 the 10th Air Army, with headquarters at Hradec Králové , comprised the 1st Fighter Air Division (HQ Bechyně , included

4884-415: Was forced to cede its Sudetenland region to Germany on 1 October 1938 as part of the Munich Agreement . It also ceded southern parts of Slovakia and Carpathian Ruthenia to Hungary and the Trans-Olza region in Silesia to Poland . This, in effect, ended the First Czechoslovak Republic. It was replaced by the Second Czechoslovak Republic , which lasted less than half a year before Germany occupied

4958-432: Was given the name Biskajsky ("Biscay") and initially equipped with Mosquito FB Mk VI fighter-bombers . Letecký pluk 25 was given the name Atlanticky ("Atlantic") and equipped with Petlyakov Pe-2FT aircraft. Under German occupation, Aero and Avia had built Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters for the Luftwaffe . In order to expand Czechoslovakia's fighter complement beyond the three squadrons of Spitfires transferred from

5032-417: Was in the Vysočany quarter of Prague . Its mixed construction (wood, metal, and fabric covering) and all-metal aircraft were competitive in the early 1930s, but by 1938, only its MB.200 (a licensed Bloch design) was not totally obsolete. Avia ( Avia akciová společnost pro průmysl letecký Škoda ), a branch of the enormous Škoda Works ( Škodovy závody ) heavy machinery and military industrial enterprise,

5106-418: Was limited to adjusting laws and regulations of the central government to local needs. The central government appointed one third of the members of these assemblies. The constitution identified the "Czechoslovak nation" as the creator and principal constituent of the Czechoslovak state and established Czech and Slovak as official languages . The concept of the Czechoslovak nation was necessary in order to justify

5180-631: Was part of No. 3 Group , Bomber Command . The Group commander said 311 "put up a wonderful show" and had "the finest navigators in Bomber Command". A preponderance of air force personnel who escaped from occupied Czechoslovakia were aircrew. The RAF had a shortage of Czechoslovak ground crew , so the new squadrons continued to rely in part on ground crew from the UK and other nationalities. And numerous Czechoslovak airmen were posted to more than 60 other RAF units, including 11 front-line squadrons. Enough Czechoslovaks were posted to No. 68 Squadron RAF to form an entire flight . No. 68 Squadron even adopted

5254-407: Was responsible for legislative initiative and was given supervisory control over the executive and judiciary as well. Every seven years it elected the president and confirmed the cabinet appointed by him. Executive power was to be shared by the president and the cabinet; the latter, responsible to the National Assembly, was to prevail. The reality differed somewhat from this ideal, however, during

5328-606: 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. Towards the end of the Second World War, General Alois Vicherek  [ cs ] left Britain for the Soviet Union, where he was supposed to take over command of the Czechoslovak Air Force in

5402-424: Was the first Czechoslovak state that existed from 1918 to 1938, a union of ethnic Czechs and Slovaks . The country was commonly called Czechoslovakia ( Czech and Slovak : Československo ), a compound of Czech and Slovak ; which gradually became the most widely used name for its successor states. It was composed of former territories of Austria-Hungary , inheriting different systems of administration from

5476-590: Was to proceed on a gradual basis; owners would continue in possession in the interim, and compensation was offered. 1921 ethnonational census National disputes arose due to the fact that the more numerous Czechs dominated the central government and other national institutions, all of which had their seats in the Bohemian capital Prague. The Slovak middle class had been extremely small in 1919 because Hungarians, Germans and Jews had previously filled most administrative, professional and commercial positions in, and as

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