Nejmladší kapitán Liberatoru P/O Augistin Netrefa DFC – Vančata Pavel (2025)

The life story of a Czech-Canadian, a pilot of Liberators in the 311th Squadron and transport Dakotas during the post-war blockade of Berlin.

Czech-Canadian Augustin Netrefa was among the Canadian citizens of Czechoslovak origin who were allowed to serve in the Czechoslovak section of the British Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (Czech Section). He began operational activities on Liberators in the 311th Czechoslovak bombing squadron of the RAF as a second pilot, and compared to others, his experiences were rich in extraordinary events.
At the turn of 1944-1945, he retrained as a captain directly with the squadron and returned to operational flying in February 1945 in his new role. During one of the patrol flights, he attacked a German submarine in the Baltic. In the summer of 1945, for this act, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by King George VI of Britain.
In 1947, he returned to the ranks of the RAF once more and flew as a pilot of Douglas Dakota transport aircraft. Among other things, he participated in an air exercise with a flight to Southern Rhodesia. Between 1948 and 1949, he took part in the airlift during the Berlin blockade with 184 supply flights.
After completing his commitment to the RAF, he worked as a perfumery chemist and...