Major General, pilot of the 312th Czechoslovak fighter squadron and honorary citizen of the city of Pilsen, Antonín Liška, passed away 25 years ago. He was born on July 14, 1911 in Hromnice near Pilsen. He graduated from the Military Academy in Hranice and the Aviation Department of the Military Academy in Prostějov. After leaving the Prostějov Academy, Lieutenant Liška worked at regiment No. 1 – TGM in Hradec Králové. In July 1939 he went to Poland. He left a wife in the protectorate who could not follow her husband due to pregnancy and was then interrogated by the Gestapo throughout the war and imprisoned for over a year. He was accepted into the Polish Air Force, but did not get to fly again due to the lack of aircraft and the rapid turn of events. On September 19, 1939, together with Czechoslovak military group (the so-called Czech Legion) was captured by the Soviet army during the retreat and interned on the territory of the USSR.

After a short training, Antonín Liška went first to the 1st British fighter squadron on the Hurricane II, then to the 312th RAF Czechoslovak fighter squadron, where he flew Spitfire II, Vb. During a combat flight on 29.6. 1942 he suffered severe injuries. After convalescence, he completed a course of operational controllers, an internship with the Signal Corps, and finally the Air Transport School. He worked at the Air Transport Command as a liaison officer.

After returning to Czechoslovakia, he was assigned to the newly created Air Transport Regiment as deputy commander, later as commander. He flew here with, among others, Foreign Minister Jan Masaryk.

In 1949, he was dismissed from the army without reason. He sold cars, delivered milk, worked as a parquet worker, later in the design department of the Plzeň Iron and steel industry project and in Škodova factory (then the V.I. Lenin Works) as a sales worker, also teaching English at the labor school here. Only in 1968, as a member of the Union of Anti-Fascist Fighters, was he able to attend talks with the youth.

After 1989, he became involved in the activities of the Union of Freedom Fighters, the Union of Pilots of the Czech Republic, the Pilsen Aviation Historical Club and the Pilsen-Letkov Aeroclub, where he is the honorary chairman. He is an honorary citizen of Pilsen and the village of Hromnice. He helped the director Zdenek Svěrak in writing the script for the film about the Czechoslovak Republic Airmen in Great Britain Dark Blue World.

In 1996 he was bestowed the honorary citizens of the City of Pilsen.

He is buried in the native community of Hromnice.

Lest we forget!

Source: http://www.classictrainers.cz/

Picture: http://www.classictrainers.cz/, vets.cz