PART 1
With ever increasing activity of Allied Air Forces over Europe in 1943 the need arose to secure air defense of Slovakia, especially industrial areas around capital city of Bratislava and major weapons factories in Považie region (Dubnica nad Váhom, Považská Bystrica). To meet this goal a Readiness Flight (Hotovostný roj) was formed on 20th August 1943. The unit was based at airfield Vajnory near Bratislava, its flying personnel consisting of experienced pilots - zastavniks František Cyprich (CO), Izidor Kovárik, Ján Režňák, František Brezina, Pavel Zeleňák and Jozef Štauder - all of them former members of first front team of Letka 13 recently returned from Russia. Hotovostný roj was equipped with four Messerschmitt Bf 109E fighters (W.Nr. 6442, 3317, 972, 4870). Despite their obsolescence at this late stage of the war, these were still the best and most modern fighter aircraft available to Slovak Air Arms at that time. The unit also had three biplane aircraft - Praga E-39.32 for courier duties and Letov Š-328.109 and Avia B-534.404 which were to be used for flights related to training of anti aircraft gunners in defense of Bratislava.
During the fall of 1943 the pilots of Hotovostný roj flew interception missions, but without actually engaging the enemy because Allied bomber formations weren't entering Slovakia airspace. Typical of these missions occurred for example on 1st October. At 2.16PM on this day, Slovak observation service detected two Allied bomber formations approaching Bratislava fallowing the flow of Danube river. At 2.46PM anti aircraft batteries opened fire, while fighters of Hotovostný roj scrambled for interception. However, Allied formations changed course to south and southwest never entering the airspace over Bratislava. On one another occasion, on 2nd November 1943, four Slovakian Bf 109Es were patrolling in Bratislava airspace during a heavy air raid on Meserschmitt factories at Wiener Neustadt in neighboring Austria. During this time, interception missions were also supplemented by an intensive training program.
Acknowledging the escalation of air war in the vicinity of Slovakian borders, Air Arms Command decided to further strengthen the defense of Bratislava by replacing Hotovostný roj with one full strength squadron - Letka 13. The date which can be considered as the beginning of service of Letka 13 in home defense is 31st January 1944. The unit now numbered 18 pilots (mostly eastern front veterans) and 73 members of ground personnel, but the equipment was still inadequate and obsolescent - eleven Messerschmitt Bf 109Es and three biplane fighters Avia B-534! By this time Allied bombers started occasionally passing through Slovakian airspace on their way to targets in Germany and Silesia. However, not a single bomb was dropped on Slovakian territory, so pilots of Letka 13 regularly only shadowed Allied formations from above but didn't attack them. Considering their numerical and qualitative inferiority, it is only fortunate for Slovakian pilots they didn't have to engage Allied formations. However, that was about to change with tragic consequences.
In the meantime, interesting incident occurred on 13th April 1944. Two Slovakian Bf 109Es, with pilots R.Hanovec and R.Božík at the controls, scrambled to intercept lone unidentified enemy aircraft near the southern Slovakian border. Upon making a visual contact Slovakian pilots identified this aircraft as German (and thus "friendly") aircraft - twin engined Bf 110G-2 (as it was later established the Zerstörer was from II/ZG 1 based at Welse). As they were about to disengage and return home, German rear gunner opened fire on them. Božík made evasive actions, dived and then attacked from bellow opening fire. Bf 110 received hits to the fuselage which killed the pilot, while the gunner saved himself by parachute. Upon their return to base, Božík and Hanovec conspired to hide the truth and reported the shooting down of an "four engined American bomber". On the other hand the surviving German gunner claimed they were shot down by an American P-51 Mustang, stating that "enemy American fighter had a square-edged wingtips". Obviously a case of mistaken identity, since Bf 109E (still in service with Slovak Air Arms in 1944) had square-edged wingtips.
Picture 1: Airfield Vajnory in late summer 1943. Four Slovakian Messerschmitt Bf 109Es of Hotovostný roj.
Picture 2: Zastavnik František Brezina in front of Bf 109E "White 1" at Vajnory airfield in fall 1943.
Picture 3: Veteran of Eastern front with Letka 13 zastavnik Rudolf Božík rejoined his old unit in winter of 1944 when Letka 13 was redeployed in home defense role. He was involved in an incident of shooting down of German Bf 110G on 13th April 1944.
Picture 4 5: Two aerial shots of Bf 109Es of Hotovostný roj. For the lack of more modern fighters, the obsolescent Emils were used by Slovak Air Arms as front line fighters well into the 1944.
Picture 6: Members of ground personnel of Hotovostný roj with Bf 109E "White 7" in the background. The picture was taken in late summer 1943 at Vajnory.
Picture 7: Typical appearance of Slovak Emils with weary camouflage and traces of extensive over painting of earlier tactical markings on the fuselage and German swastika on the tailfin.
Source: "Slovenske letectvo 1939-1944" Volume 2 and HTmodel Special