Just saw Dark Blue world...

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C

Chocks away!

Senior Airman
336
2
Jan 16, 2005
Cyprus
It's a shame we don't get to see european movies so often.
I just saw the Czech film 'Dark Blue World' which tells the story of Czech pilots who fought for the Raf when their country was taken over by the Germans, only to suffer at the hands of the post war communist government when they returned. I thought (though the film had it's flaws) that it was genuinely involving and moving. Furtermore, it doesn't have a happy 'hollywood ending', rather it's sad with a hint of hope. That serves to make it all the more realistic and convincing in my opinion.
 
First, I have to remind you we're not Czechoslovakia anymore (since 1st Jan 1993!), we're THE CZECH REPUBLIC, hence it's a CZECH movie (Czech the spelling of this word, please).

And yeah, the fate of the war heros here was very unpleasant, some of the leaders of the ressistance (there were two armies; one in the West, mainly consisted of airmen and one on the Eastern front - more than 50,000 Czechoslovakians) were even executed.

I have (had) the luck to be somewhat a friend with many of these Vets.

Though, there is a movie from 1968 (just from the year the Soviet Army occupied us, thus it was banned until 1989...), called "The Sky Raiders" - BFI | Film TV Database | NEBESTI JEZDCI (1968) Mailbox - 18-03-2007 - Radio Prague Nebeští jezdci (1968) - Režie: Polák Jindøich - Hrají: Bednáø Jiøí, Hrzán Jiøí, Matyáš Svatopluk NebeÅ¡tí jezdci - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
I have this movie, and have seen it several times. The frustrating part for the Czech and Polish airmen that escaped to England is that the current thought of the time were that these airmen couldn't be very good, they lost to Germany! They were kept in reserve and training until almost too late in the Battle of Britain. I have this from my grandfather, former Squadron Leader of 307 Squadron RAF.

I found the scene of the pilots practicing formation flying on bicycles particlarly poignant, and again, true! Both the Czechs and the Poles valued manouverability and skill above that of perfect formation flying, which was a British fetish, pre-war.

Victor
 
I don't think it was considered that they weren't any good. Most of them had hundreds (if not thousands) of hours. It was just that nobody could understand a word they said. Doesn't help much if somebody tells you in Polish about a German fighter on your tail when your mother tongue is English.

You get the translation at the pearly gates!
 
That was why the RAF Command decided to build up purely "guest nations" squadrons. There wasn't only Czechoslovakians and Poles in the RAF, there were also Dutch, Norwegian, French, Belgian, Danish and other airmen.

The frustrating part for the Czech and Polish airmen that escaped to England is that the current thought of the time were that these airmen couldn't be very good, they lost to Germany!
Click to expand...
Agree. They were highly trained prior to WW2, because of the imminent danger from Nazi neighbor. Also, they had already been through the Battle of Poland and the Battle of France campaigns.

And one more thing - because of the Munich Agreement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia , Czechoslovakia lost its ability to defend. Germans simply took over without any fight! Hence this, all Czechoslovakian citizens were considered as the citizens of the Third Reich, thus all Allied soldiers of Czechoslovak origin who fell in captivity were threaten by a possible death penalty. That made their mission over occupied Europe absolutely fatal. They were the real heros of that war.
 
v2 said:
Dear Victor,

Your Grandfather served in PAF not in RAF!
Click to expand...
Well, officially, weren't the loyal to the King of England? They had to sware on the Bible and English Constitution, as far as I remember. Of course, the Polish air force (as well as the Czechoslovak) was independent, and thus under the command of the Polish (Czechoslovak) government in London, but also implemented into the RAF at the same time.
 
I'm terribly sorry I will edit it at once 8)
 
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