When German forces occupied Bohemia and Moravia, large quantities of B-534 fighters together with substantial supplies of spare parts were siezed. These were used by the Luftwaffe as fighter trainers and glider tugs, but with the formation of the Slovak Air Force under Luftwaffe patronage, three fighter squadrons, the 11th, 12th and 13th were formed and equipped with B-534s. All three squadrons were sent to the Russian front in July 1941, fighting over the Kiev sector. However, the morale of the pilots was low, few being in sympathy with the German-controlled Slovak government, and the squadrons did not distinguish themselves in combat.
