Jindrich Bartos

Background

Bartoš was born in 1911 in Lugansk, which at the time was part of the erstwhile Russian Empire.

Education

He graduated as a pilot from the Czechoslovakian Army Academy in 1935.

Career

He served in the Czechoslovakian Air Force with the 2nd Air Regiment. When Germany invaded Czechoslovakia in 1938, Bartos he escaped to Poland and then in the summer of 1939 on to France. Following the fall of France, Bartoš sailed, via Casablanca to Gibraltar, where he transferred to another ship and eventually landed in Cardiff on 5 August 1940, with fellow Czechoslovakian Otto Hanzlíček.

Bartoš joined the Royal Air Force and trained as a Hurricane pilot.

He joined Number. 312 Czechoslovak Fighter Squadron Royal Air Force on 5 September 1940 at Royal Air Force Duxford and became an operational pilot on 2 October 1940. He flew with 312 Sqn throughout the Battle of Britain, initially as a section leader and following promotion to Flying Officer Bartos became the deputy flight leader of "B" flight.

Bartoš was killed in a flying accident on 13 February 1941 during a high-altitude training flight with fellow Czechoslovakian Sergeant Bohumil Votruba. According to witnesses, the hurricane (tail number V6885) became caught in an uncontrollable spin, probably failure of oxygen device.

lieutenant crashed at 14:30 at Talagre near Prestatyn.

Bartoš was buried on 18 February 1941 in a Commonwealth War Grave in West Derby Cemetery, Liverpool. Coincidentally he shares the grave plot with Otto Hanzlíček, whom he arrived in the United Kingdom with.

Connections

allies:

French Foreign Legion