Imrich Gablech passes away

WWII pilot Imrich Gablech, a native of Hrachovište, who, along with another seven Slovak pilots, deserted on 7 June 1939 to Poland's Deblin to link up with the Czechoslovak resistance movement abroad, has passed away at the age of 101. In Poland, he joined the ranks of Polish military aviation as a pilot. Upon outbreak of WWII he was captured while on the retreat on 18 Sept 1939 by the Soviet Army. Until Sept 1941 he was interned in several labour camps located on the territory of the Soviet Union. Upon his release he departed for the United Kingdom where he joined the Royal Air Force (RAF). Imrich Gablech was a recipient of numerous domestic and international military awards and decorations, including, notably, the Czechoslovak War Cross (1946), Czech Order of the White Lion (2009), Polish Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2012), and Slovak Order of the White Double Cross (2014).