Miroslav Štandera

Štandera was born on October 5, 1918.[1] In 1936, he enlisted in the Czechoslovak Air Force and became an air force pilot after completing aviation school.[1][3]

He fled from Czechoslovakia to France in 1939 following the German invasion and occupation of the country.[1] Standera joined the French Air Force and fought against the Nazi German pilots during the invasion of France in May 1940.[1][3] In June 1940, Štandera was seriously wounded during an aerial dogfight, but survived the crash landing.[3]

Štandera was evacuated to the United Kingdom for medical treatment following the Fall of France.[1][2] There he became one of the founding members of the No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF, a Royal Air Force squadron made up of exiled Czechoslovak fighter pilots.[3] In 1940, he was one of 87 Czechoslovak fighter pilots who defended the United Kingdom during the Battle of Britain.[3]

He piloted twin-engine fighter bombers for nighttime bombing raids into Germany and occupied France throughout the war.[3] In total, Štandera flew 1,320 hours of combat during World War II.[1] He also protected the air space over Allied forces during the Invasion of Normandy in June 1944.[1]

Miroslav Štandera returned to his native Czechoslovakia following the end of World War II.[1] However, he was expelled from the Czechoslovak Air Force by the new Communist government after the 1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état.[1] The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was seeking to purge members of the armed forces who had served for Western European countries during the war.[3] Štandera fled to the United Kingdom in 1948, where he rejoined the Royal Air Force.[3] Štandera retired from the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1955.[1][3]

Štandera became a silversmith in Britain after retiring from the RAF.[3] He took and apprenticeship and repaired silver teapots.[1] He retired in the early 1980s.

In 1984, Štandera moved from Britain to Bavaria, West Germany.[1][3] He returned to the Czech Republic in 1994 to live with his daughter's family in Plzeň.[1][3]

In 2000, President Vaclav Havel bestowed Štandera with the honorary rank of brigadier general.[3] He also received two Czechoslovak War Crosses and three Czechoslovak Bravery Medals for his service during World War II.[1] In 2006, he was honored with the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk.

Miroslav Štandera died in Plzeň, Czech Republic, on February 19, 2014, at the age of 94.[1] His death was announced by officials from the Plzeň city hall.[3] His funeral was held at the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew in Plzen on February 26, 2014.[1]