Slovak National Uprising - August 29th, 1944
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The 1st Czech Regiment was now ready to commence operations. Its first mission, on September 19, was to attack the German airfield at Piestany, which was known to have about 40 Bf-109s, Junkers Ju-87 Stukas, Focke-Wulf Fw-190s, Fieseler Fi-156 Storchs, and other aircraft. Flight Officer Stehlík, who knew that airfield very well from before the war, led Srom, Vendl, Hlucka, Skopal and Dobrovodsky of 1st Squadron on the strafing attack, while two pilots from 2nd Squadron -- Matusek and Mráz -- flew protection. The attackers would fly 100 kilometers in 15 minutes, take 20 minutes to attack, then return within the hour. The attack route would be straight in, straight back.
Of the eight fighters that set out, seven returned in formation. Skopal, shot up in a duel with some experienced German anti-aircraft gunners, came back alone, his Lavochkin straining from the damage but okay. A very lively discussion followed. Srom spoke of the red-nosed Fw-190 that attacked him from behind. Hlucka listened in silence, then pointed to his La-5 and said, "Do you see this red nose? This is your Fw-190!" Mráz's plane had flown so low that his propeller and rudder were damaged. But all the pilots were satisfied. Some 10 Ju-87Ds were claimed destroyed and at least 10 damaged. The Germans acknowledged five planes destroyed. Shocked by the presence of such modern Allied aircraft operating so close to Piestany, they ceased using the field as a base for attacks against the Slovak insurgents.
Sorties And Fatalities
The day had only begun, however. A convoy of German vehicles was reported on the move from Prievidza. At 10:15, Chábera and Vaculík went up in La-5FNs Nos. 02 and 151 with 25-kilogram (55-pound) bombs on their wing racks. They attacked with bombs only, saving their cannon ammunition in the event of an enemy air attack, but no German aircraft turned up, and the convoy never knew what hit it. Five times the pilots attacked cars and soldiers, sending up geysers of clay while the Germans took cover in ditches and fired back with rifles. The results: three vehicles in flames and others damaged.
Immediately afterward, Kocfelda and Dobrovodsky dropped six 25kg bombs in the Prievidza area. That afternoon, Stehlík, Kocfelda, Skopal and Borovec returned to bomb enemy positions near Prievidza. Spotting a Ju-88 heading south, Stehlík attacked it and saw it explode on the ground, still carrying its bombload. An Fi-156 Storch was also shot up on the ground by Skopal. The groundfire was frightful, but both Lavochkas came back, albeit badly damaged.
On September 20, Kruta did not return from a mission. It was later learned that he had bailed out and been captured by the Germans but escaped soon afterward and eventually made his way to Soviet lines. Tocauer belly-landed in a field, but he later returned to his base. After attacking German tanks, Borovec force-landed with holes in his radiator. During an attack on German armored cars in the streets of Vrutky-Kralovany, the La-5FNs destroyed all of them, but Vaculík took a direct hit from a 37mm cannon shell and was killed. After 23 sorties, the 1st Czech Regiment had suffered two fatalities, and half its aircraft were damaged.
Operational Difficulties
During a raid on the munitions storehouse in Ruzomberok on September 21, "Lucky" Loucky was seriously wounded with a bullet in the leg and was sent to the hospital. The next day, the Lavochkas attacked the railroad station in Nemecké Pravno. "Two planes came back looking like a couple of strainers," reported Fajtl. On September 24, heavy rain rendered Zolná's airfield too soft and muddy for air operations, but on the afternoon of the 25th, five La-5s flew against a battery of mine-throwers near Handlová, before it rained again. On the 26th, 27th and 28th, the Czechs flew a total of 26 ground attack sorties. After the 29th, however, fuel shortages limited their activity to staying on alert for enemy air attacks. There were 200,000 liters -- 50,000 gallons -- of Slovakian fuel, but the analysis had not come back from Moscow.
While the Czech fighters were grounded, the Germans were reorganizing their forces in early October for a final bid to shatter organized resistance in Slovakia. Once again the offensive, commanded by SS Obergruppenführer Hermann Hoefle, would come from four directions: the 18th SS Panzergrenadier Division "Horst Wessel" would come from the east, SS Kampfgruppe "Schill" from the south, Panzer Division "Tatra" (a Wehrmacht unit) from the north and SS Sturmbrigade "Dirliwanger" and the 14th SS Panzergrenadier Division "Ukraine" from the west. Tiger tanks, backed up by Stuka dive bombers, began to overwhelm the Slovak insurgents on the ground.
Then, Fajtl said, "On October 4 came salvation! More fuel arrived from Russia -- also more ammunition. But our position at Tri Duby and Zolná was very unsure. The rebel army was retreating. The 2nd Squadron was shifted to the airfield of Brezno."
A New Commander
On October 6, Skopal badly damaged his Lavochka during takeoff and was sent to the hospital. Twenty-four missions were flown on October 7, including an attack on a German infantry column near Klacany. During the return flight, five Stukas were encountered, one of which was shot down by Stehlík. Some hours later, however, Mráz was killed during a strafing attack on a German flak position.
October 7 also saw the return of the Fifteenth Air Force. At noon, five B-17Gs of the 483rd Bomb Group, escorted by 30 North American P-51Bs of the 52nd Fighter Group, landed with weapons and supplies for the insurgents. "In one case," Fajtl remembered, "one of the Americans attacked one of our Lavochkas, but he immediately recognized his mistake and everything was okay. The B-17s landed to take aboard the downed American and British pilots who had found refuge at our airfield. It was a pity that we could not use them to attack the German positions, but they had other tasks, and had to take off for Italy."
On October 7, too, General Ján Golian was relieved of command of the insurgent forces by General Rudolf Viest, who had commanded Czech forces in France in 1940 and who had been sent in to coordinate the uprising.
High And Low
In the midst of impending doom, things improved somewhat for the Czech airmen. The weather was improving, and finally word came from Moscow about the Slovakian fuel. If it was mixed with liquid additives called R-9 and 1-T-S, it could be used for the La-5FN engines. With the additives mixed in, the 1st Squadron resumed operations from Zolná, and the 2nd Squadron continued from Brezno airfield until October 10, when it flew back to Tri Duby.
On October 11, Tocauer was injured in a crash landing, but the main fighting that day was on the ground. The Soviets had committed General Vladimír Prikryl's 2nd Czechoslovakian Parachute Brigade to the fight, but its use was being dictated by the left wing of the Slovakian and Czech resistance movements in Moscow. With insufficient materiel support, the position of the 2nd Paras soon became critical.
Mutual Attack
On October 12, the 2nd Squadron placed its disabled aircraft, with their engines removed, on the airfield at Tri Duby as a trap for enemy planes. In the morning, Hlucka and Srom attacked five Stukas supporting SS Kampfgruppe Schill near Svaty Kríz, only to be jumped themselves by five Bf-109Gs. Turning on his two attackers, Srom drove one Messerschmitt down in a dive. The Bf-109 pulled up just above the forest and escaped at high speed. Srom dove after him, but his diving speed was so great that the La-5FN began to shake and he had to pull up and break off the action. At noon that same day, Srom and Hlucka were up again, and at about 6,800 feet above Tri Duby, they encountered some Bf-109Gs on a reconnaissance flight. Both of the Czech pilots hit their targets and saw black smoke pouring from the Bf-109G engines, but both Germans managed to escape.
That afternoon, Srom and Kocfelda ran into two more Bf-109Gs over Svaty Kríz. This time both pilots shot down their opponents. During another flight that day, Matusek found the plane of Pilot Officer Mráz, who had disappeared five days earlier.
"The Ring Was Closing"
Meanwhile, the Germans were threatening to overrun Zvolen, but their assault was stopped by the 2nd Czech Parachute Brigade. "By October 15," Fajtl noted, "we were surrounded and the ring was closing. We did not know where the insurgents were and where the Germans were." The 1st Squadron made heavy attacks against Tiger tanks of Panzer Division Tatra, joined in the afternoon by 2nd Squadron. But the Germans had strong anti-aircraft defenses. The leader of the attack, Pilot Officer Motycka, was killed. Reznícek's plane took 25 hits, while Matusek's took 20; Chábera's and Valousek's aircraft were also damaged. The next day, three La-5FNs bombed and strafed SS Sturmbrigade Dirlewanger as it was unloading at the railroad station at Diviaky.
Rain prevented the Czechs from taking off on October 17, but two de Havilland Mosquitos from Italy attacked Piestany airfield. One was shot down by flak, but its Canadian crew, Flight Lts. Stewart May and Jack Ritck, bailed out and were rescued by Slovak partisans, with whom they would operate thereafter. Back at Tri Duby, the Slovak insurgent staff offered the 1st Czech Regiment's pilots a reward of 20,000 crowns for every German tank they destroyed, and 5,000 crowns for every plane shot down. The pilots of the 1st and 2nd squadrons proposed that 75 percent of any such bounty would go to the widows of their dead squadron mates and the remaining 25 percent to the regimental treasury.
Engaging The Enemy
On the morning of October 18, 11 Fw-190s of Krakow-based Schlachtgeschwader 1 attacked Tri Duby airfield. After dropping their bombs and strafing the decoy aircraft the Czechs had placed on the edges of the field, they strafed the airfield itself, killing or wounding several ground personnel, including an American who was wounded while carrying another wounded man to safety. Two La-5FNs went up to oppose the Germans. When three La-5FNs, flown by Srom, Hlucka and Sticka, took off to oppose the Germans, the enemy aircraft flew away, but an hour later they returned. Again, the Lavochkas scrambled up to engage them. During a dogfight at 16,000 feet, Hlucka scored a hit on an Fw-190's wing tanks at 190 yards and saw it catch fire. Its pilot, Unteroffizier Heinz Vieseotte, bailed out and escaped, but the insurgents caught him in the mountains three days later. Hlucka himself was hit and landed with half his rudder shot away. Sticka damaged another Fw-190 before being forced to break off in the face of superior enemy numbers. Reznícek crashed on landing and went to the hospital.
The next day, six Ju-87s attacked Bánská Bystrica. Srom and Dobrovodsky took off, and Srom damaged the tail-end Stuka before their escorts, two Bf-109s, pounced on him. Dobrovodsky drove them off his tail, and when the Messerschmitts disappeared into some nearby clouds, both Czechs waited for them. When they emerged, Srom fired at one and scored a crippling hit on its engine, forcing the German to bail out. The Bf-109 crashed and burned near Handlova. Dobrovodsky's Messerschmitt escaped to the south, but he then spotted an Fw-189. That plane also escaped, but Dobrovodsky encountered a second Fw-189 and attacked it after closing to a distance of 50 meters. Just as pieces were flying from the German's rudder, Dobrovodsky ran out of ammunition, and he watched in frustration as his third would-be victim of the fight dove away.
Mud And Scarce Supplies
After that, bad weather turned the grass fields to mud. On October 22, Zolná airfield was under water. German tanks and armored cars were advancing along the road at Lubeník, Revúca, Muranská and Dihá Luka, but the Czech squadrons were without materiel or fuel. General Viest sent out a message that the insurgents could not hold out. The 1st Czech Regiment also radioed General Krasovsky for more supplies, but he replied that he had nothing more to send.
On October 23, the Lavochkas, using what remained of their fuel and ammunition, attacked the Germans on the roads near Liptovsky Sv. Jan and in the villages of Mythná and Lucenec. At the same time, Fajtl radioed his Soviet superiors, requesting Li-2s to evacuate his wounded men.
Withdrawal To The Mountains
On October 24, the 2nd Czech Para Brigade, under pressure by SS Kampfgruppe Schill, began a withdrawal to the mountains. The 1st Czech Fighter Regiment flew its last seven sorties, strafing a German column in the Detva area and bombing German tanks near Ruzomberok. After that, Fajtl ordered the unit's wireless station destroyed, along with any aircraft and weapons that they could not take with them.
On October 25, the 18th SS Panzergrenadier Division captured Brezno and was poised to advance on Bánská Bystrica, 22 miles to the south. The 16 La-5FNs that could still fly prepared to leave, joined by the remaining Bf-109G-6 of the Slovak insurgent Combined Squadron. The evacuation was conducted in four groups, led by Fajtl, Stehlík, Chábera, and Sticka. Flights were planned to Krosno and Debrecin. A final message came from General Krasovsky, "Is it possible for four La-5s and some Li-2s to land?"
"That is out of the question!" responded Fajtl emphatically.
Last View Of Tri Duby
"We took off at 1:30 p.m.," Fajtl recounted, "myself, Vendl, Kocfelda, Sticka, Hlucka, Chábera, Valousek, Srom, Rejther, Matusek, Dobrovodsky, Kubovic -- the last-mentioned in a Bf-109G. As we circled Tri Duby airfield for the last time, we could see all the grounded aircraft were in flames. Flying above the clouds at an altitude of 4,000 meters in a bright, sunny sky, our main flight landed in Strzychow, Poland. Nobody there could believe that we were Czechs."
The other groups landed at Oradea-Mare, Romania, and at Arad, Hungary. Not all of them made it. Kubovic lost his life when his Bf-109 crashed in flames. One of the La-5FNs was forced to land behind German lines. Its pilot joined a partisan detachment and fought on with them. Tocauer, Loucky, Reznícek and Skipal had already been evacuated to the Soviet Union for medical attention. Borovec, Stehlík and Sehnal remained in Slovakia, where they fought on with the partisans in the mountains. Klán also stayed to serve with the chief of staff of the Slovakian insurgent army.
Remnants Of An Army
On October 26, the 18th SS Panzergrenadier Division occupied Zolná, and SS Kampfgruppe Schill overran Zvolen. Tri Duby airfield also fell to the Germans. Bánská Bystrica was also taken the next day, ending organized resistance. Remnants of the First Czechoslovakian Army, which had lost 5,000 men in the course of the fighting, joined the Slovak insurgents as they withdrew into the mountains to carry on a guerrilla war against the occupying Germans.
Neither of the insurgent commanders remained out of German hands long after the fall of Bánská Bystrica. General Golian was captured during the retreat into the hills. General Viest was captured on November 3. Both were sent to the concentration camp at Flossenburg, where they were executed in January 1945.
A Great Opportunity Lost
During its time in Slovakia, the 1st Czechoslovakian Fighter Regiment flew a total of 566 hours, of which 383 were in combat. Its pilots were credited with shooting down nine German planes, as well as three probables, and damaging seven. Ground targets destroyed included 10 aircraft, two tanks, three artillery batteries, three mine-thrower batteries, 14 cars, 77 small utility vehicles, four trucks, an armored car, three ammunition magazines and three locomotives. The unit's losses came to nine La-5FNs destroyed, three men dead -- Mráz, Vaculík and Motycka -- plus two men wounded, two injured and one (Kruta) missing. Flying Officer Rudolf Borovec, too, was later killed while fighting with the partisans.
Fought behind enemy lines, the Slovakian National Uprising represented a great opportunity lost -- partly due to the weather and partly, no doubt, to the inconsistency with which the Soviets provided support to a revolt whose principal leadership and control did not emanate from Moscow -- similar in some respects to the way they forsook the uprising in Warsaw by the Polish Armija Krajova at about that same time. General Krasovsky, however, saw to it that the 1st Czechoslovakian Independent Fighter Air Regiment was reconstituted and retained under his command, in which capacity its Russian fighters with their ex-RAF pilots would continue to fly and fight until the final German surrender on May 8, 1945.
La-5FNs of the 1st Czechoslovakian Fighter Aviation Regiment fly a sortie from Ivanovo in May 1944. Leopold Srom is flying aircraft No. 71, normally flown by Frantisek Kruta, while Antonín Vendl flies No. 3. Srom usually flew No. 17, at right.
Originally Posted by SerbPVO
