Žhavé nebe nad Československem - Letecké souboje československých stíhačů nad naším územím 1918–1989 – Brzkovský Marek (2021)

Much has been written about the involvement of Czech and Slovak airmen in the battles of the First and Second World Wars, but far less is known about their participation in conflicts over Czechoslovak territory, especially during periods described as peaceful. This richly illustrated book by two Czech specialists in military aviation history addresses that gap. It is not widely known that Czech pilots first fought in the skies over Czechoslovakia in spring 1919, during the conflict with Hungary, or that the same border was also highly active in 1938 and 1939. Among the forgotten chapters are the Gendarmerie Air Patrols, which were responsible for protecting Czechoslovak airspace from 1935 onward. Separate chapters cover fighting in Slovakia and during the Ostrava Operation in the final two years of the Second World War. Most of the book focuses on 1948–1989, when Czechoslovakia’s borders formed the point of contact between two hostile power blocs. The country’s air force and air-defence units were therefore involved in an undeclared war, during which Czechoslovak fighter pilots recorded several shootdowns of both military and civilian aircraft.