Re: Czech Pilot Josef Frantisek - What Medals?
 

A book about Sgt Josef Frantisek, DFM and bar just published (in English)
Title:Hurricane Ace Josef František: The True StoryAuthor:Jiří RajlichPublisherMushroom Model PublicationsPrice£13.99Reviewer:Scott Van AkenNotes:7109 in the blue series, 144 pages
ISBN 978-83-89450-71-5

http://modelingmadness.com/scotts/bo.../frantisek.htm

Re: Czech Pilot Josef Frantisek - What Medals?
 

Thanks Jiri, I've been waiting for this book for ages so I'm glad that its now in print!

Jon

Re: Czech Pilot Josef Frantisek - What Medals?
 

Josef Frantisek was awarded by following medals:

Distinguished Flying Medal - gazetted 1 Oct 1940 but not received personally as he was killied in accident on 8 Oct 1940 (members of No 303 Sqdn were decorated by previously gazetted RAF decorations during Dec 1940).
Distinguished Medal and Bar - 28 Oct 1940
Krzyz Walecznych (Polish War Cross) - posthum 1 July 1941
Virtuti Militari V. kl. - Krzyz Srebrny (Silver Cross of the Order "To Military Valour", a Poland's highest military decoration for courage in the face of the enemy) - awarded 17 Sept 1940, a sole award which was personaly decorated during his life (by General Sikorski, Northolt 18 Sept 1940)
Ceskoslovensky valecny kriz (Czechoslovak War Cross) - posthum 25 Nov 1940

All of these decorations were send to family after the WW2.

Many secondary sources also states that he was awarded also by French Croix de Guerre. According French sources (Journal Officiel - "French London Gazette") there are no trace about any French decoration to Frantisek.

Re: Czech Pilot Josef Frantisek - What Medals?
 

Thanks for the summary of his awards Jiri.

I bought your book about Frantisek and I found it facinating.

The section dealing with Frantisek's time in France was very interesting. There are lots of conflicting stories about that period of his life, so your research and conclusions are the first well researched account of that time that I've read.

Thank you for your time and effort in writing the book and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone else on the forum and anyone interested in this remarkable airman.

Jon