The Airmen's Stories - Sgt. J Sika

Jaroslav Sika was born in Borotin, Moravia, Czechoslovakia on 16th April 1918 and was serving in the Czechoslovakian Air Force when the Germans took over his country on 15th March 1939. Some time later he escaped to France and joined l'Armee de 1'Air. In May 1940 he was serving with Groupe de Chasse 1/8 operating Bloch 151s.

On the 17th May Sika shared in the destruction of a Hs126 and a He111 and on the 25th he shared a Do17. After the fall of France, he made his way to England and joined the RAF.

Above image courtesy of http://fcafa.wordpress.com.

He arrived at 6 OTU Sutton Bridge from RAF Cosford on 21st September 1940. After converting to Hurricanes Sika joined 43 Squadron at Usworth on 4th October.

He moved to No. 1 Squadron at Wittering on the 7th and was with it until 1941.

Commissioned in July 1943, Sika also served with 452 and 74 Squadrons but his longest posting was 310 Squadron, where he remained until July 1944. He then flew night-fighter Mosquitos with 25 Squadron till the war's end.

He was released from the RAF and returned to Czechoslovakia after the war. He was awarded the Czech Military Cross and the C de G (Fr) in 1940.

Sika died on 26th January 1976.