 | | Lot No. | | *** | | Description: | An Important Group of Medals Awarded to a WWII Fighter Ace, Flt. Lt. Ladislav Svetlik, R.A.F. The 1939-45 Star with copy clasp Battle of Britain, Aircrew Europe Star with Clasp 'Air Crew Europe' (probably entitled to France & Germany), 1939- 45 War Medal, General Service Medal Clasp Malaya with oak leaf emblem (Queen's Commendation for valuable Services in the Air), French Croix de Guerre and four Czechoslovakia medals - The War Cross 1939, Medal for Gallantry 1939, Military medal for Merit and the Commemorative Medal for Czech Armies Abroad 1939-45. There are five log books which accompany this lot covering the years 1940 to 1966, original award documents for the foreign awards, Raf, Czech & French Pilots' Wings, plus many original photos and other documents including a letter from the German Fighter Ace, J. Keifner. Svetlick enlisted with the Czech Air Force in 1936 at the age of 19, trained as a pilot and was posted to Fighter Squadron 38 flying Avia B.534 fighter aircraft. Two days after the Germans occupied Czechoslovakia on 15 March 1939, the Air Force was demobilized. Svetlick, with a friend, fled to Poland and worked his way across to France. In August 1939 he joined the French Foreign Legion and after a brief period of training, was posted as a pilot to the 'Lafayette' Squadron. In 1940 he was fighting against the Germans in the air and won the Croix de Guerre for attacking an He III bomber. With the fall of France, his squadron withdrew to Algiers in North Africa. Not wishing to fly for the French Vichy Government, Svetlick headed for England and enlisted with the Raf. He joined the 312 Czech Fighter Squadron in September 1940 flying Hurricane fighters and Spitfires from 1942. In 1944 he was credited with shooting down the German Ace J. Keifner who crashed, was injured but who rececovered to fly again under General Adolf Galland. By the end of the war, Svetlick was credited with 5 Kills and 3 Probables, making him a Fighter Ace. After the war, Svetlick returned to Czechoslovakia and joined Czech Airlines. Life under the Communist government was difficult, forcing him and his wife to flee the country and return to England where he rejoined the Raf in 1950. He went on to serve in Malaya and was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Services in the Air in 1963. Finally retiring from the RAF in 1966, Svetlik moved to New Zealand in 1973 and died at Warkworth in 2008 | | Estimate: | *** | | Price: | *** | | Category: | Militaria & Weapons — Medals, Badges, Insignia | |
