S/Ldr Josef Stehlík - In Four Airforces - Aircraft of World War II

Pisis · 06-19-2005, 03:40 PM

http://cshq-czechs.wz.cz/eng_bio%20stehlik.html

seesul · 04-30-2007, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pisis

CS HQ - Josef Stehlik

Hello Pisis,

I was born in Slavicin but hadn´t many chances to speak to him as he passed away too soon in 1991 and I was 17 back then. Anyway, we got him on visit in our school in 1987- what a discussion! I can remebemer his description of his first kill (in cooperation) of 312.Sqdn over Liverpool yet...

Roman

Pisis · 08-13-2007, 05:12 AM

Čau,

well, lucky you. How was that possible to speak about it in 1987? It amazes me. I know there were a few articles in L&K (main aviation magazine) per year about the heroism of Czechoslovak airmen in "The West", but as far as I know, it was unable to speak openly about this theme but until the fall of the communism in 1989... So you were double lucky.

Thanks for the info.

seesul · 08-13-2007, 05:38 AM

Well, that´s right...
But I was interrested in WW2 history and especially in aviation and war in Pacific.
So I´ve asked our history teacher if it would be possible to invite him to the scholl and open a discussion with him, she agreed and organized it.
Sure, he didn´t mention any word about his fate and experience after WWII but anyway, it was very interresting to see and hear a real hero back then... You could hear a pin falling down on the ground when he was speaking in the school class...
I like to speak to WW2 vets and always have goose flesh when they speak...
We met Willi Reschke in Germany last year and he visited us here in Slavicin and Banov last year (see http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/alb...=14110&cat=602 ). I´ve also found the adress of Hansotto Nehls from 11/JG300 and am in touch with his daughter. He unfortunatelly passed away in 2004... What a pity... In Slavicin museum we have rests from his Bf109G-6AS...
Have a friend in USA that bailed out from his burning B-17G on Aug 29th 1944.
He visited us here in 2005 and we visited him in New Jersey last year. He´s going to visit us this year again with his grandson and Todd Weiler, nephew of James Weiler, whose B-17 went down on the same day. Term of thier visit is Aug 23rd-Sept. 3rd and there will be a commemoration in Rudice on Sat 25th and meeting in Slavicin museum on Sun 26th.

Ahoj

Pisis · 08-13-2007, 05:51 AM

Fine, let's keep in touch then.

seesul · 08-13-2007, 07:33 AM

... and btw, there´s a small pub in Slavicin. Josef Stehlik used to go there to play the cards, I met him there several times when I was there with my father. I guess you know his stories and know that he was an excellent cards player....
The name of this pub is ''U Pilota''.

Bye

Pisis · 08-13-2007, 10:58 AM

Well, I didn't know that actually.

seesul · 05-09-2008, 04:15 AM

Pisis,

have you got this book?
Josef Stehlík - Lovec s pøesnou muškou
Great reading...

Pisis · 05-11-2008, 04:54 AM

Dík, I didn't know about those books!

seesul · 05-12-2008, 07:44 AM

Don´t know if you know it but there´s a nice true story- when Joe drove by ship (Queen Mary) to Canada he played the cards with the captain of this ship and naturaly won....a lot of money.
This captain even put the note into the log book-''today I played the cards and lost for a first time in my life with a little Joe from Czechoslovakia''
When Joe arrived to Canada he even bought a used Ford 8 for this money there

Queen Mary is anchored in Long Beach USA and captain´s log book is still a part of this ship...
My neighbour used to play the cards with Joe often in the pub but never won

seesul · 10-08-2008, 03:10 AM

Hi Pisis!
Here is the mentioned book...
Source: Josef Stehlík\Lovec s přesnou muškou, written by Jaroslav Popelka, Václav Kolesa and Jana Horáková

seesul · 10-08-2008, 03:32 AM

Pisis, he also served as a flying instructor in Canada in 1942, where he trained new Czech pilots and one of them was Otto Smik...
Attached few pics from Canada...
Source: above mentioned book

seesul · 10-08-2008, 03:38 AM

Pisis, our former Czech president, Václav Havel met him in in May 1945 as a kid... Here is a part of the letter that Václav Havel sent to Stehlík´s wife Marie in 90´s:
'' Možná s budete divit, ale mám dodnes v živé paměti, jak Váš zesnulý manžel přistál s letadlem po 9. květnu 1945 v blízkosti Havlova a pak byl u nás na večeři. Bylo mi tehdy devět let a obdivoval jsem ho jako hrdinu a navíc se mi líbila ho anglická uniforma.''

v2 · 10-08-2008, 05:01 AM

realy interesting....

Airframes · 10-08-2008, 05:46 AM

Fascinating! I think it was Josef who was featured in a small article in the (British) 'Fly Past' magazine some years back, when a Spitfire returned to Czech Republic for the first time since the end of the war. There's a picture of him sitting in the cockpit of the (present day) Spitfire. I think I still have the mag and, if so, and I can find it (!), I'll post the article. I always think that the average 'Brit' doesn't realise the debt we owe to Czechs, and Poles, who fought so hard and valiantly alongside our own, Commonwealth and other allied airmen, particularly in the early years of the war.
Terry.

06-19-2005, 03:40 PM	#1
Pisis Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Praga Mater Urbium Posts: 5,859	S/Ldr Josef Stehlík - In Four Airforces http://cshq-czechs.wz.cz/eng_bio%20stehlik.html __________________ "He's a menace to himself and everything else in the air... yes, birds too." - Airplane! Memory of Nation Why Did Hitler Want Czechoslovakia WW2 Was A War That Had To Be Fought! What Really Happened in Israel? Children of Hamas

08-13-2007, 05:12 AM	#3
Pisis Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Praga Mater Urbium Posts: 5,859	Čau, well, lucky you. How was that possible to speak about it in 1987? It amazes me. I know there were a few articles in L&K (main aviation magazine) per year about the heroism of Czechoslovak airmen in "The West", but as far as I know, it was unable to speak openly about this theme but until the fall of the communism in 1989... So you were double lucky. Thanks for the info. __________________ "He's a menace to himself and everything else in the air... yes, birds too." - Airplane! Memory of Nation Why Did Hitler Want Czechoslovakia WW2 Was A War That Had To Be Fought! What Really Happened in Israel? Children of Hamas

08-13-2007, 05:38 AM	#4
seesul Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Zlin, Czech Republic Posts: 2,489	Well, that´s right... But I was interrested in WW2 history and especially in aviation and war in Pacific. So I´ve asked our history teacher if it would be possible to invite him to the scholl and open a discussion with him, she agreed and organized it. Sure, he didn´t mention any word about his fate and experience after WWII but anyway, it was very interresting to see and hear a real hero back then... You could hear a pin falling down on the ground when he was speaking in the school class... I like to speak to WW2 vets and always have goose flesh when they speak... We met Willi Reschke in Germany last year and he visited us here in Slavicin and Banov last year (see http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/alb...=14110&cat=602 ). I´ve also found the adress of Hansotto Nehls from 11/JG300 and am in touch with his daughter. He unfortunatelly passed away in 2004... What a pity... In Slavicin museum we have rests from his Bf109G-6AS... Have a friend in USA that bailed out from his burning B-17G on Aug 29th 1944. He visited us here in 2005 and we visited him in New Jersey last year. He´s going to visit us this year again with his grandson and Todd Weiler, nephew of James Weiler, whose B-17 went down on the same day. Term of thier visit is Aug 23rd-Sept. 3rd and there will be a commemoration in Rudice on Sat 25th and meeting in Slavicin museum on Sun 26th. Ahoj __________________ Roman Susil Zlin, Czech Republic ...a friend of Joe Owsianik,So. Plainfield, NJ, a former left waist gunner from B-17G ''Tail End Charlie" from 2ndBG,20th Sqdn who was forced to bail out on Aug. 29th, 1944 over my country. Last edited by seesul; 08-13-2007 at 05:43 AM.

08-13-2007, 05:51 AM	#5
Pisis Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Praga Mater Urbium Posts: 5,859	Fine, let's keep in touch then. __________________ "He's a menace to himself and everything else in the air... yes, birds too." - Airplane! Memory of Nation Why Did Hitler Want Czechoslovakia WW2 Was A War That Had To Be Fought! What Really Happened in Israel? Children of Hamas

08-13-2007, 07:33 AM	#6
seesul Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Zlin, Czech Republic Posts: 2,489	... and btw, there´s a small pub in Slavicin. Josef Stehlik used to go there to play the cards, I met him there several times when I was there with my father. I guess you know his stories and know that he was an excellent cards player.... The name of this pub is ''U Pilota''. Bye __________________ Roman Susil Zlin, Czech Republic ...a friend of Joe Owsianik,So. Plainfield, NJ, a former left waist gunner from B-17G ''Tail End Charlie" from 2ndBG,20th Sqdn who was forced to bail out on Aug. 29th, 1944 over my country.

08-13-2007, 10:58 AM	#7
Pisis Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Praga Mater Urbium Posts: 5,859	Well, I didn't know that actually. __________________ "He's a menace to himself and everything else in the air... yes, birds too." - Airplane! Memory of Nation Why Did Hitler Want Czechoslovakia WW2 Was A War That Had To Be Fought! What Really Happened in Israel? Children of Hamas

05-09-2008, 04:15 AM	#8
seesul Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Zlin, Czech Republic Posts: 2,489	Pisis, have you got this book? Josef Stehlík - Lovec s pøesnou muškou Great reading... __________________ Roman Susil Zlin, Czech Republic ...a friend of Joe Owsianik,So. Plainfield, NJ, a former left waist gunner from B-17G ''Tail End Charlie" from 2ndBG,20th Sqdn who was forced to bail out on Aug. 29th, 1944 over my country.

05-11-2008, 04:54 AM	#9
Pisis Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Praga Mater Urbium Posts: 5,859	Dík, I didn't know about those books! __________________ "He's a menace to himself and everything else in the air... yes, birds too." - Airplane! Memory of Nation Why Did Hitler Want Czechoslovakia WW2 Was A War That Had To Be Fought! What Really Happened in Israel? Children of Hamas

05-12-2008, 07:44 AM	#10
seesul Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Zlin, Czech Republic Posts: 2,489	Don´t know if you know it but there´s a nice true story- when Joe drove by ship (Queen Mary) to Canada he played the cards with the captain of this ship and naturaly won....a lot of money. This captain even put the note into the log book-''today I played the cards and lost for a first time in my life with a little Joe from Czechoslovakia'' When Joe arrived to Canada he even bought a used Ford 8 for this money there Queen Mary is anchored in Long Beach USA and captain´s log book is still a part of this ship... My neighbour used to play the cards with Joe often in the pub but never won __________________ Roman Susil Zlin, Czech Republic ...a friend of Joe Owsianik,So. Plainfield, NJ, a former left waist gunner from B-17G ''Tail End Charlie" from 2ndBG,20th Sqdn who was forced to bail out on Aug. 29th, 1944 over my country. Last edited by seesul; 10-08-2008 at 07:42 AM.

10-08-2008, 03:38 AM	#13
seesul Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Zlin, Czech Republic Posts: 2,489	Pisis, our former Czech president, Václav Havel met him in in May 1945 as a kid... Here is a part of the letter that Václav Havel sent to Stehlík´s wife Marie in 90´s: '' Možná s budete divit, ale mám dodnes v živé paměti, jak Váš zesnulý manžel přistál s letadlem po 9. květnu 1945 v blízkosti Havlova a pak byl u nás na večeři. Bylo mi tehdy devět let a obdivoval jsem ho jako hrdinu a navíc se mi líbila ho anglická uniforma.'' __________________ Roman Susil Zlin, Czech Republic ...a friend of Joe Owsianik,So. Plainfield, NJ, a former left waist gunner from B-17G ''Tail End Charlie" from 2ndBG,20th Sqdn who was forced to bail out on Aug. 29th, 1944 over my country. Last edited by seesul; 10-08-2008 at 07:43 AM.

10-08-2008, 05:01 AM	#14
v2 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Cracow Posts: 4,207	realy interesting.... __________________ "A good fighter pilot, like a good boxer, should have a knockout punch..... You will find one attack you prefer to all others. Work on it till you can do it to perfection... then use it whenever possible." - Captain Reade Tilley, USAAF 7 Victories, WW-II -

10-08-2008, 05:46 AM	#15
Airframes Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 9,062	Fascinating! I think it was Josef who was featured in a small article in the (British) 'Fly Past' magazine some years back, when a Spitfire returned to Czech Republic for the first time since the end of the war. There's a picture of him sitting in the cockpit of the (present day) Spitfire. I think I still have the mag and, if so, and I can find it (!), I'll post the article. I always think that the average 'Brit' doesn't realise the debt we owe to Czechs, and Poles, who fought so hard and valiantly alongside our own, Commonwealth and other allied airmen, particularly in the early years of the war. Terry.

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