Ace From Slovakia?
 

I don't know how to spell his last name but was Jan Gershoffer(?) who was an ace from Slovakia was an Ethnic-German? He was in the Luftwaffe who had over 20 air to air victories. After WWII he was in the Czech Air Force as a major. Help please.
Edward L. Hsiao

Re: Ace From Slovakia?
 

I found the right spelling of Jan's last name. It is Jan Gerthoffer, a Slovak national. The question is, was he Ethnic-German? German background? Born 1910.

Edward L. Hsiao

Re: Ace From Slovakia?
 

Slovak Ján Gerthofer born 27.5.1910 in Láb, died 9.9.1981 Podbrezová
in 1948 left the army and served as transport pilot.

It is common to have german sounding surname in Slovakia as lot of Germans were in the country.

Re: Ace From Slovakia?
 

The language in Slovakia were Slovak and German.

Edward L. Hsiao

Re: Ace From Slovakia?
 

... and Czech and Hungarian, depends on what part of the cpountry and what time era you refer to ;)

Re: Ace From Slovakia?
 

Most ethnic Germans were either killed or ethnically cleansed after the war as part of the larger pogrom directed against ethnic Germans in central and eastern Europe.

Re: Ace From Slovakia?
 

Exactly! My grandfather was born in Hungary in 1909, spoke Hungarian but his birthplace is now well into Slovakia!