Josef Frantisek of 303 Squadron in action BW version Metal Print

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During the Battle of Britain, one of the most successful Allied fighter pilots was Sgt Josef František, a Czech flying with 303 (Polish) Squadron RAF. My picture shows him in his Hawker Hurricane Mk I R4175, wearing the squadron code RF-R, during September 1940.

František had a reputation as an ill-disciplined 'lone wolf', but his aggression against German aircraft was unquestionable. His total of 17 victories was accrued in a remarkably short period, from when the squadron was made operational at the end of August until his death in a flying accident on 8 October 1940. He was the first foreign national to be awarded the RAF's Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM).

This depiction features a combat on 30 September, during which František brought down a Messerschmitt Bf 109E-1, "Yellow 3" of 6/JG27, flown by Herbert Schmidt. With his cockpit on fire, Schmidt eventually managed to bale out and land by parachute, badly burned. He later attributed his survival to the effor...

Photographer and digital artist based in the UK. Landscapes, cityscapes and seascapes - and photographically crafted aviation scenes under the Flight Artworks banner: catch up on Facebook or on Instagram. Please contact me or visit my website, flightartworks.com if you would like to license my photos, although a growing range is available via Alamy. Discussions about how my pictures are made are in my blog, Aerial Combat. On Instagram also at @gary.eason. On Twitter @flightartworks and @garyeason. CHANGES: As part of a constant quality improvement process please note that I review and sometimes replace or remove earlier works. COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Please respect the considerable time, effort and investment in equipment that goes...