František Peřina
František Peřina | |
---|---|
Weber Aircraft, Burbank, California |
Biography
Born into a farming family in South Moravian Region, Peřina had not visited the city of Brno until he was 14.[1] He undertook a full elementary school education, before serving an apprenticeship as a machinist. Six months after qualifying he joined the Czechoslovak Air Force.[1]
Czechoslovak Air Force
Reporting to
In 1937 Peřina represented the Czechoslovak air force at the International Air Show in Zürich, Switzerland in an Avia B-534. There he met the German contingent headed by World War I ace Ernst Udet, the then chief of the Luftwaffe's office of supply and procurement, and Erhard Milch, second-in-command of the Luftwaffe. The German team were equipped with the Heinkel He 51 and the new Messerschmitt Bf 109. Peřina took third place in both aerobatics and in the climb-and-dive competition, and fourth in the cross-country flight: behind the German pilots.[3]
The 34th fighter squadron was then transferred, and Peřina transferred to the 36th Fighter Squadron when it was rotated to the airfield with reconnaissance pilot
After a border war with Hungary, he married Anna Klimešová on 24 June 1939 and left for Poland without his wife on 26 June (she was delayed through paperwork), with the intention of joining the French Foreign Legion in North Africa.
Armée de l'Air
After the first dissolution of
Initiated at Châtres, Seine-et-Marne, Peřina flew a Curtiss H-75A.[5] On 1 December 1939 Peřina was assigned to the 1ère Escadrille of Groupe de Chasse I, Escadre de Chasse 5 based at Suippes near Reims. The squadron was made up of French pilots who had attended the Zürich air festival, and commanded by Capitaine Jean Accart. His took on the French alias of François Rinopé, in case he was taken prisoner - the Germans would treat a French prisoner much better than they would an exiled Czech.[6]
On operations after 10 May 1940, after Germany began implementing its Manstein battle plan against France, the Netherlands, and Belgium, Peřina shot down four planes in two sorties. He was also promoted to sergent-chef. The next day he shot down his fifth, thus becoming the first Czech ace in the Second World War. A day after that he shot down two more planes.[5] Promoted to Adjutant, he became well known throughout France through media coverage of his exploits.[6]
Peřina's squadron moved to
I had to gain them some time, and I could think of nothing other than to attack. I had to stop them somehow. I distracted them, and I even managed to shoot one down, but then I myself was hit. My plane took 15 cannon hits, 80 by machine gun. My leg and my arm were injured, although I didn't feel a thing. I knew I probably wasn't going to make it back.
After being hospitalised in
Royal Air Force
After a 29-day boat trip, Peřina was allocated to No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF, flying Hawker Hurricanes.[4] He saw little action before suffering from acute appendicitis and was treated at hospital in Ely, Cambridgeshire. He returned to No. 312 on recovery and moved with the squadron to Ayr, Scotland in 1941 to convert to the Supermarine Spitfire Mk V.
On 3 June 1942 while escorting bombers he claimed two Focke-Wulf Fw 190s from a formation of four, one of which was confirmed destroyed and a second as 'probable'. Peřina then served as sector gunnery officer for a year, and then spent the remainder of the war at Fighter Command as part of the Czechoslovak liaison establishment.[4]
His victory claims totalled 12, and consisted of 3 solo and 9 shared destroyed, 2 probables, and 1 damaged[8]
Returned to Czechoslovakia
Peřina returned to Czechoslovakia where his wife Anna had been imprisoned from 1942 to 1945. He became the Commanding Officer of a gunnery school and an aerobatic pilot with his own
Return to the RAF
After his wife recovered in hospital from injuries received during the crash, he rejoined the RAF for five years, but at the age of 36 was not allowed to fly again. He joined the RAF rifle shooting team. Peřina applied for a United States visa in London in 1949 and emigrated to Canada, even though Air Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder tried to persuade him to stay.[9]
North America
In 1953 while in Canada he gained a job building fibreglass fishing boats, but also trained as a commercial pilot - however being over the age of 42 could not find work.
Return to Czech Republic and commemoration
In 1993 Peřina and his wife returned to the Czech Republic following the removal of the Communist regime. Many citizens, not least those in the newly emerging military, greeted him with a 'hero's welcome'. Peřina commented that he simply wanted to die on home soil and that it was the country that he fought for and stressed repeatedly that he loved the Czech countryside.
Peřina died on Saturday 6 May 2006 aged 95 in Prague's military hospital of an unspecified chronic disease and exhaustion. His wife Anna Peřinová (née Klimešová) had died several days before his admission to hospital on 21 April Radio Prague reported. One elementary school in Prague has been given his name.
Combat record
Date | Service | Flying | Kills | Probables | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 May 1940 | Armée de l'Air
|
H-75A
|
4 * Dornier Do 17 | Two missions (all shared victories) | |
11 May 1940 | Armée de l'Air | Curtiss H-75A | 1 * Heinkel He 111 | Became Ace (shared) | |
12 May 1940 | Armée de l'Air | Curtiss H-75A | 2 * Junkers Ju 87 | 2 * Junkers Ju 87 | |
18 May 1940 | Armée de l'Air | Curtiss H-75A | 1 * Heinkel He 111 | (shared) | |
19 May 1940 | Armée de l'Air | Curtiss H-75A | 1 * Heinkel He 111 | (shared) | |
26 May 1940 | Armée de l'Air | Curtiss H-75A | 1 * Heinkel He 111 | (shared) | |
1 June 1940 | Armée de l'Air | Curtiss H-75A | 1 * Heinkel He 111 | 2 * Heinkel He 111 | The day Jean Accart was believed killed in action |
3 June 1940 | Armée de l'Air | Curtiss H-75A | 1 * Messerschmitt Bf 110 | Shot down, hospitalised | |
3 June 1942 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire MkV | 1 * Focke-Wulf Fw 190 | 1 * Focke-Wulf Fw 190 | |
TOTALS | 13 kills | 5 probables |
References
- ^ a b c d World War II: Interview with Czech Ace Frantisek Perina Archived 9 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine HistoryNet Page1
- ^ a b World War II: Interview with Czech Ace Frantisek Perina HistoryNet Page2
- ^ a b c World War II: Interview with Czech Ace Frantisek Perina HistoryNet Page3
- ^ a b c World War II: Interview with Czech Ace Frantisek Perina HistoryNet Page7
- ^ a b c Frantisek Perina - Czechoslovakia's ace pilot who made his name in the Battle of France radio.cz - 5 August 2006
- ^ a b World War II: Interview with Czech Ace Frantisek Perina HistoryNet Page4
- ^ World War II: Interview with Czech Ace Frantisek Perina HistoryNet Page6
- ^ Shores/Williams ; 'Aces High', page 493
- ^ a b c d World War II: Interview with Czech Ace Frantisek Perina HistoryNet Page8
- ^ "ZS Perina School". Archived from the original on 21 October 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
- ^ "Gold investment coin 100 NZD General Peřina proof". ceskamincovna.cz. Czech Mint. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- ^ "Silver Half Ounce 2017 Czechoslovak Airmen - František Peřina". Online Coin Club. Retrieved 16 January 2022.