Minister Naď in the Netherlands: “The story of these airmen from No 311 (Czechoslovak) Bomber Squadron RAF will live on in our historical memory forever”

Today (Thursday 23 June 2022), Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď made an official trip to the Netherlands, where he attended an interment ceremony for the remains of the Czechoslovak crew of the Vickers Wellington Mk.IC T2990 from No 311 (Czechoslovak) Bomber Squadron RAF at the Bergen-op-Zoom War Cemetery. The CzRAF airmen were shot down by a German Luftwaffe Me 110 night fighter at the village of Nieuwe Niedorp in the north of the country on the night of 22 - 23 June 1941.

As part of his official visit to the Netherlands, Jaroslav Naď also held talks with the Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ms Kajsa Ollongren at the MOD in the Hague. Ministers Ollongren and Naď had a discussion about the security situation in Europe in the context of the Ukraine war, the ongoing processes within the trans-Atlantic partnership, and about SVK-NLD defence cooperation and related opportunities to move it forward.

Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “I believe the story of these airmen from No 311 (Czechoslovak) Bomber Squadron RAF will live on in our historical memory forever and will serve as a shining example of patriotism, heroism and military virtues for the successors of their legacy in the ranks of the Czech and Slovak Armed Forces.”

On this occasion, Minister Naď conveyed his warm thanks to the Dutch people, government officials, and local authorities without whom this story of the five-strong CzRAF crew may never have been brought to a definite close. “This difficult period urges us and our Allies to be ready to respond to all types of totalitarianism and defend ourselves against every enemy through our decisive actions,” Mr Naď added.

The Vickers Wellington Mk.IC T2990, crewed by Czechoslovak airmen, was shot down by a German night fighter as it was returning from a bombing raid on Germany's Bremen. Captain/1st pilot F/Sgt Vilém Bufka, the only survivor, was taken prisoner of war (POW) and lived to see the end of the war at a German internment camp. The other members of the crew – 2nd pilot F/Sgt Alois “Lojza” Rozum, navigator P/O Vilém Konštacký, wireless operator P/O Leonhard Smrček, front gunner F/Sgt Jan Hejna, rear gunner F/Sgt Karel Valach – who had no fitting resting place have finally been laid to rest with due respect and dignity at the Bergen-op-Zoom War Cemetery. Their remains were found when the wreckage of the bomber was excavated in 2021.