The Airmen's Stories - Sgt. J Kaucky

Jan Kaucky was born on 23rd January 1907 in Satalice, Czechoslovakia and was serving in the Czech Air Force when the Germans took over the country on 15th March 1939. He escaped to Poland and joined the Czech Air Force detachment there.

When Poland fell Kaucky made his way to France and in late 1939 he joined l’Armee de l'Air. After the French collapse, Kaucky made his way to England and enlisted in the RAF.

He joined 310 Squadron at Duxford on 15th July 1940.

On 5th September he was wounded in one leg when his Hurricane P8809 (NN-T) was damaged by a Me109.

Above: Sitting left to right, P/O V Goth, F/Lt. JM Maly, F/Lt. GL Sinclair, F/Lt. JE Boulton, F/Lt. J Jefferies, P/O S Zimprich, Sgt. J Kaucky, F/Lt. F Rypl, P/O E Fechtner and P/O V Bergman.

Standing, left to right, P/O S Janouch, Sgt. J Vopalecky, Sgt. R Puda, Sgt. K Seda, Sgt. B Furst and Sgt. R Zima

Kaucky shared in the destruction of two Do17s on 15th September.

On 7th March 1941 Kaucky was posted to instructing duties at 52 OTU Debden and remained there until 20th December 1942, having been commissioned in March that year. Further postings as a test pilot to 15 MU (4th January 1943 to 12th July 1943), 20 MU (14th July to 28th February 1944) followed.

On 1st March 1944 he began multi-engine training at 105 OTU Bramcote on Wellingtons and Dakotas. On 4th June he was posted to 511 Squadron Transport Command and remained with them till the end of the war.

He was released from the RAF in 1946 as a Flight Lieutenant.

He returned to Czechoslovakia and became a pilot with Czech Airlines. After the communist takeover in 1948 ex-RAF airmen came under suspicion and in 1950 Kaucky escaped to England with his family and two other Czech airline pilots, Rechka and Prchal (both Battle veterans) and their families. Kaucky died in Britain on 23rd August 1970.

Additional research courtesy of Pavel Vancata at http://cz-raf.hyperlink.cz