Emil Boček

Emil Boček was born on February 25, 1923, in Brno-Tuřany as the fifth of eight siblings. His father Jan initially worked as a bricklayer and later became a construction foreman. When Nazi Germany occupied the Czech lands in March 1939, Emil was sixteen years old and was apprenticing as a mechanical fitter at the Brno company Zubokol. During that time, he remembered the words of Vilém Sedlák: "The legionnaires fought for our republic, and you must defend it."

Dangerous Journey to Freedom

On Wednesday, December 27, 1939, Emil made a brave decision. Together with his friend Bořivoj Sedlák from Holásky, he left home. He didn't tell his mother or siblings (except for his oldest brother Jan) about his intentions - he claimed he was just going to the mountains. In reality, he set out on a long and dangerous journey to join the resistance abroad.

Through Hodonín and Bratislava, they made it to Hungary, where they were immediately arrested at the railway station. After several days in prison, they were deported back to the Slovak border. They didn't give up and tried again. In the Budapest prison "toloncház," conditions were harsh - fifty to seventy people slept in one room, with one toilet and one water tap. They had to wake up at five in the morning and sit on concrete platforms all day. Each person had only one blanket. After several more attempts, Emil finally managed to get through Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, and Syria to France.

Emil Boček in the summer of 1938

Czechoslovak soldiers at Agde. Emil Boček is fifth from the right (wearing motoring goggles). France, 1940.

From Mechanic to Pilot

In France and later in England, Emil started as an aircraft mechanic. In the summer of 1940, after a difficult experience in the French campaign as an infantryman, he applied to join the air force. Although he wanted to fly, he was first accepted as a mechanic because of his background as a locksmith apprentice. He became one of the youngest members of the RAF.

Training in Canada

In 1942, he got the opportunity to become a pilot. He had to pass demanding medical examinations, including night vision tests. He completed most of his pilot training in Canada, where conditions were better than in Britain - more favorable weather and clearer landscape. He learned to fly various types of aircraft and had to master not only piloting but also navigation, meteorology, and more.

Students at the beginning of pilot training. Front row from left: Jaroslav Jiránek, Zdeněk Palme, Emil Boček, Jindřich Horský, František Bret, Štěpán Štětka, Josef Ruprecht. Standing above from left: Alois Píška, Bohuslav Brázda. Paignton, March 1943.

Combat Flights with No. 310 Squadron

In October 1944, Emil Boček was assigned to No. 310 Czechoslovak Fighter Squadron RAF. He flew the Spitfire fighter aircraft, and his main task was to protect Allied bombers during raids on German targets. During his service, he experienced several dramatic situations:

Had to make several emergency landings due to technical problems
Flew in extremely bad weather
Once had to fly with an open cockpit because his windscreen was covered in oil
Dealt with situations where he was running low on fuel over enemy territory

Spitfire Mk. VB (JZ-D) at the base of the 57th OTU

Colonel (Ret.) Emil Boček in conversation with a Spitfire pilot at an airshow in Pardubice in 2003.

Return Home

In August 1945, Emil Boček finally returned to his liberated homeland. During his service with the RAF, he completed 26 operational flights and logged 73 hours and 50 minutes of flight time. He received several decorations for his service, including the Czechoslovak War Cross 1939.

After the war, he first worked as a car mechanic. From 1947-1952, he raced Jawa 250 and Walter 250 motorcycles. Later, he worked as a lathe operator at the Research Institute of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in Brno. In 1951, he married Eva Svobodová, and they had two children together - son Jiří and daughter Zuzana. He retired in 1988.

We draw information from the book 'Letci z Holásek a Tuřan ve II. světové válce' by Miroslav Kopecký Tomáš Jambor, a Václava Kolesa.