Eduard Prchal
| Eduard Maximilian Prchal | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
January 1, 1911 Dolní Břežany |
| Died | December 4, 1984 (aged 73) St. Helena, California |
| Allegiance | Czechoslovakia |
Eduard Maximilian Prchal (January 1, 1911 — December 4, 1984) was a Czech pilot and sole survivor of a 1943 plane crash that killed the Polish Prime Minister.
Eduard Prchal was born into a family of cabinet makers. After completing his secondary education he worked for a brief period as a car sales representative. In October 1930, he was required to do military service; with help of his uncle, a colonel, he applied successfully to the Czechoslovak Air Force. His basic flying training ended in October 1931, and he was posted to an observation squadron based at Hradec Králové. Prchal was soon recognised as being a skilled pilot. In 1932 he graduated from flying training as an operational military pilot, and in 1934 he completed night flying training. Prchal served in the army until May 1937, then joined the Baťa shoe company as a commercial pilot.
On June 22, 1939, soon after the German occupation of Czech lands, Prchal illegally crossed the border into Poland and a week later arrived in France. There he joined the French Foreign Legion as the alternative to deportation. At the outset of World War II, Prchal joined the French Armee de l'Air and made three "kills" during the Battle of France. Two days after the French capitulation, he flew from Bordeaux to Bayonne and boarded a ship to England, where he joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and later was posted to the 310th Czechoslovak Squadron. He destroyed three enemy aircraft by himself and shared in the destruction of three more. On March 1941, Prchal was posted as an instructor to train fighter pilots. At this time, he volunteered for training to become a night fighter pilot. Eventually he was transferred to Transport Command and repeatedly flew to Gibraltar and Malta. His role was also to fly VIP passengers to the Middle and Far East.
Eduard Prchal is now remembered chiefly as the pilot in the crash of the B-24 at Gibraltar in July 1943 which killed the commander-in-chief of the Polish Army and Prime Minister of the Polish Government in Exile Władysław Sikorski, and 15 others. The seriously injured Prchal was the only survivor. He resumed piloting VIPs in September 1943, making long-haul flights until the end of the Second World War.
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