Strana 9
Although the northern neighbour was now the
socialist state of East Germany from 1949, the
state border divided the mountain region. With
the rise of the Kremlin-controlled communist
government in Czechoslovakia and the onset of
the Cold War, efforts were made to erase the me-
mory of U.S. military involvement in the liberation
of parts of Czech territory. While memories of the
tragic air battle of September 11, 1944, were par-
tially preserved on the German side of the Ore
Mountains, few on the Czech side were aware of
it, and it was not encouraged to take an interest
in the American aerial combat with the Germans.
As a result, the children of the new residents
went to school in Kovářská with no knowledge of
the dramatic event that had taken place in the
autumn of 1944, right in their school building.
Revived History
Gradually, however, the events of the war be-
gan to resurface. Wreckage of planes remained
in the area, visible traces of damage lingered on
houses, and some residents shared memories or
passed along information. Aviation archaeology
slowly became possible during the final two de-
cades of the communist regime. A group of local
enthusiasts, including my current colleague Jan
Zdiarský, began investigating the details of the air
battle—who had participated, where the wrec-
kage of downed planes lay, and, often, where the
remains of airmen were located. In 1984, a boys‘
amateur search began, which led, more than
a decade later, to the opening of a museum dedi-
cated to the air battle. The year 1989 and the fall
of the communist dictatorship brought freedom
of travel and communication, making it possible
to connect with veterans from both sides of the
conflict. This allowed collaboration with rese-
arch groups in the Czech Republic, neighboring
Germany, and various memorials and archives,
which together uncovered the full and unexpec-
ted scale of the air battle, helping to piece to-
gether the larger historical picture.
On the 50th anniversary of the battle, Septem-
ber 11, 1994, a monument to the downed airmen
was unveiled in Kovářská. The local elementa-
ry school, already known for the fact that the
rear part of one of the downed B-17s had fallen
on it during the battle, was given the honorary
name „Sgt. J. C. Kluttz Elementary School,“ af-
ter the B-17 tail gunner, who survived the crash.
The memorial was unveiled by Czech aviation ve-
terans, including members of the British Royal Air
Force. Two of them, Gen. František Fajtl, DFC, and
Col. Alois Šiška, removed the white cloth from the
monument dedicated to their Allied comrades, as
well as their former Luftwaffe enemies, at the pre-
cise moment when the watch of one of the downed
airmen had stopped fifty years earlier.
The Museum of the Air Battle Over the Ore
Mountains was founded in 1996, following more
than twelve years of documentation and histo-
rical research by the Letecko historická skupina
Kovářská (Kovářská aviation historical group)
and the SLET Plzeň. The third founding entity was
the municipality of Kovářská, which provided the
premises, financial support, and continues to be
a key supporter of the museum‘s activities.
On the eve of the main day of the meeting, on Friday, 7 September, the new part of the exhibition, which the muse-
um had been preparing for several years, was officially opened.
Two couples from the group of American guests at this year’s meeting. Lodi and Tim Claypole on the left and Cher-
yl and Brad Hempy on the right. The display case behind Lodi Claypole belongs to the crew of Lt. Howard R. Schul-
te, in which her father, Sgt. Lester Swink, served as radio operator. Brad Hempy’s uncle, Lt. Harry M. Hempy, along
with his co-pilot Jack W. Janssen, brought their B-17 back to base from that battle with only two working engines.
This B-17 is the subject of the display case that Brad Hempy is currently standing at. Both cases were previously
represented in the display, but were given more space in the newly opened section where they were moved.
Gunner Butler, a member of the current U.S. Air Force,
stands near the wreckage of the tail of B-17G 42-97834
in which his great-grandfather, S/Sgt. William E. Kenney,
the rear gunner of the crew of Lt. Everitt, was seriously
wounded.
In September 1997, the former opponents of
the battle—German and American airmen—met
in Kovářská for the first time in 53 years to inau-
gurate the museum together. For the first time
since World War II, they returned to the very
places where they had experienced the horrific
events of September 11, 1944. They stood again
where they had parachuted from burning plan-
es, or where their comrades had fallen. In many
cases, something extraordinary happened—fri-
endships were formed between former enemies,
something they likely never imagined.
I have attended several of these reunions, and
each visit has been an enriching experience. The
museum itself has expanded its exhibits eve-
ry year for nearly three decades. I also had the
privilege of speaking with some of the veterans.
A conversation with Don Bradley, who participa-
ted in the air battle as the 100th Bomb Group‘s
on-board photographer, remains vivid in my me-
mory. Equally unforgettable is Hellmut Detjens of
III./JG 4, who recounted how he shot down one
of the Flying Fortresses with his Messerschmitt.
I also remember meeting people whose na-
mes I did not know. One former German resident
of Kovářská told me how, as a schoolboy, he
experienced the raid while hiding in a corridor
in the basement of the school building. On ano-
ther occasion, I helped translate a conversation
between a young American air officer and a vete-
ran of JG 4. The elderly gentleman, deeply affec-
ted by his wartime experiences, held a strong
anti-war stance. As a survivor of Hitler’s war of
conquest, he emphasized to his young American
colleague that nations should never go to war,
especially not over pretexts like oil.
The organizers once invited me to bring in
a veteran of JG 54, Mr. Heribert Koller, to speak.
As with the other wartime airmen, the public
showed great interest in him. After the talk, Mr.
Koller surprised everyone by saying he wanted
to take a picture of the audience. At his advanced
age, he nimbly climbed onto a chair and immor-
talized the astonished crowd with his camera.
Many similar encounters have created a per-
sonal connection to the town of Kovářská and the
air battle for veterans, their families, residents
from both the Czech and German sides of the
The 80th anniversary event was well atten-
ded. By some estimates, attendance exceeded
4,000 visitors.
During the ceremony at the
Fallen Airmen’s Memorial, the
names of all those who perished
in the battle were read in alpha-
betical order, without distinction
of nationality. The names were
read by family members of air-
men shot down or participating
in the battle.
Pictured at right is John Gately,
whose father participated in
the battle as a tail gunner in
the crew of Lt. Bennett and
was among the lucky ones
who returned to base that day.
INFO Eduard
9
October 2024