Nepoučitelný „útěkář“. Plukovník letectva v záloze Otakar Černý
The “escapee” who would not learn his lesson reserve group captain Otakar Černý

Summary/Abstract: Group Captain Otakar Černý was the last surviving member of the 311th Czechoslovak bomber squadron, which served in the ranks of RAF during the Second World War. Despite high losses and his minimal chances of survival, he never abandoned his post as a radio-telegraph operator in a Wellington bomber. Even aft er he was shot down and captured, he continued to be an active anti-Nazi fighter, as illustrated by his repeated escapes from prison camps. With luck and with the aid of an appeal by the British government, he escaped being sentenced to death, which meant he was able to return to his country after its liberation. He served for three years in Czechoslovakia’s air force before the advent of another form of totalitarianism in this country. Like many others who served with Western armies, Otakar Černý was also arrested and condemned, but he managed to escape from a penal camp in Dolní Jiřetín. After a number of adventures, he managed to make his way back to England, where his wife, son, recognition and work already awaited him. Group Captain Otakar Černý lived out his days in Cambridge, where he died on 14 October 2009.

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