Alois Šiška (15 May 1914 – 9 September 2003) was a Czechoslovak pilot. He flew for No. 311 Squadron RAF, a Czechoslovak bomber squadron during World War II. Šiška and his crew crashed in the North Sea; half died before they drifted to enemy-occupied land. The survivors became prisoners of war. He was a decorated veteran and a member of the Guinea Pig Club, an association that focused on the treatment, rehabilitation and socialization of airmen who suffered serious injuries in the war.
Alois Šiška (15 May 1914 – 9 September 2003) was a Czechoslovak pilot. He flew for No. 311 Squadron RAF, a Czechoslovak bomber squadron during World War II. Šiška and his crew crashed in the North Sea; half died before they drifted to enemy-occupied land. The survivors became prisoners of war. He was a decorated veteran and a member of the Guinea Pig Club, an association that focused on the treatment, rehabilitation and socialization of airmen who suffered serious injuries in the war.
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Alois Šiškaa lăsat un gând
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Early life
Šiška was born in Lutopecny near Kroměříž in 1914. His family had a small farm, and he was one of three children. From a young age, Šiška wanted to fly and to become a pilot. However, he became an apprentice locksmith and later a mechanical engineer. He then joined the Bata Aviation Factory in Otrokovice. He would later earn a reward of 5000 crowns for his improvement proposal for the Zlin Z-XII aircraft, but he preferred pilot training. In September 1936, aged 22, he passed the pilot tests for tourist aircraft. He entered military service and decided to become a military pilot. He mastered combat training, served in aviation units and in September 1938 was at the field airport in Ivanovice among the prepared crews.
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Alois Šiškaa lăsat un gând
acum 8 zile
World War II Šiska was a member of an illegal cell through which he helped Jews and others escape to Poland and later to Hungary. He remained in the republic until the outbreak of war. At that time, fear grew that the Germans would discover a hidden prototype of the Z-XIII aircraft. In order not to fall into their hands, it was decided within the illegal group that the prototype must fly to the Balkans. However, this plan failed. Together with Alois Bača, they fled across the frozen river Morava to Slovakia, then with the help of a Hungarian pastor, they crossed the Slovak-Hungarian border and continued by train to the border with Yugoslavia. There they were arrested by a Hungarian border guard and imprisoned in Hodmezövasárhely prison for several weeks. After a failed escape attempt, they were deported to the Citadella in Budapest. Here they were held in harsh conditions together with another hundred and twenty Czechs and a similar number of Poles. An opportunity to escape did not come until 30 March 1940, when Šiška reported to the doctor suffering from scabies. He managed to escape his guards and took a taxi to the French consulate. From there…
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Alois Šiškaa lăsat un gând
acum 8 zile
Post-war
After liberation, Šiška underwent 14 spine and leg surgeries at the Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, thereby gaining membership of the Guinea Pig Club. He returned to his homeland in 1947 to serve in the military in Prague. While in the military, he rejected invitations to join the Communist Party. He was arrested multiple times between 1948 and 1950, and had to retire from the Air Force. Šiška and his family were evicted from Prague after he was named as a "dangerous person", and was limited in his work thereafter. He worked in agriculture and as a TV repairman because as an ex-RAF pilot he was not allowed to hold a career. He was briefly recalled to military service in 1968, but released in 1970 due to health issues. He was completely rehabilitated in 1989 and was allowed back to Prague. On 3 May 1995, he was appointed major general.
Šiška authored the book No Response KX-B.
He died in Prague on 9 September 2003.
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Alois Šiškaa lăsat un gând
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Recognition
Šiška was honoured many times throughout his life and posthumously. For instance, on 17 October 2012, a monument was unveiled in Petten, Holland, in honor of the Czech crew of the Wellington KX-B plane that went down in the North Sea on 28 December 1941. Petten is the town nearest where Šiška and the remaining crew members were found.
Šiška holds the highest Czech honour, the Order of the White Lion class III. It was conferred posthumously on 28 September 2003, as he had died a few weeks previously.
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Alois Šiškaa lăsat un gând
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A list of all his awards/medals:
Order of the White Lion, Class I military group
Order of the White Lion, III. Class Military Group, awarded September 28, 2003, in memoriam
Order of Milan Rastislav Štefánik, III. class awarded 1991
Cross of Merit of the Minister of Defense of the Czech Republic I. degree
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Alois Šiškaa lăsat un gând
acum 8 zile
Czechoslovak War Cross 1939–1945 (four awards)
Czechoslovak Medal for Valor before the enemy
Czechoslovak Military Medal of Merit, 1st Grade
