Ernst Valenta
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| Ernst Valenta | |
|---|---|
 Memorial to "The Fifty" at Stalag Luft III listing "F. O. Valenta G. W.", center right |
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| Born | October 25, 1912 Svébohov, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | March 31, 1944 (aged 31) Poland |
| Nationality | Czech |
| Other names | Arnost, Wally |
| Occupation | Aviator |
| Known for | One of "The Fifty" |
Ernst Valenta (Czech pronunciation: [ˈarnoʃt ˈvalɛnta]; born October 25, 1912, Svébohov near Zábřeh, Austria-Hungary, nowadays Czech Republic, died March 31, 1944 in vicinity of Halbau, Germany, present day Poland) was a Czechoslovak member of the Royal Air Force murdered by the Gestapo in March 1944.
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[edit] Capture
Valenta's final flight was a mission in a Vickers Wellington Mk.IC, operated by No. 311 Squadron RAF, a Czechoslovakian manned bomber squadron. He departed from the airport at East Wretham on February 6, 1941 for a mission to Boulogne. He was force-landed and his aircraft was captured intact at an unknown location. The Wellington was later flown by the Luftwaffe at its Experimental and Test Facility at Rechlin.
[edit] The great escape
Valenta was one of 50 men killed following a mass escape from Stalag Luft III prisoner of war camp in World War II.[1] The camp was located in Sagan (now Żagań) in Poland.
Reportedly, he was amongst early pairs of escapees from the tunnel during the escape attempt of March 24, 1944. Recaptured in the Gorlitz area and last seen alive on March 31, 1944, he was amongst a group of ten RAF officers in the charge of Oberregierungsrat Walter Scharpwinkel.
Fifty of the recaptured escapees were murdered by the Gestapo on Hitler's orders.[citation needed]
| Nationalities of the 50 executed |
 21 British |
 6 Canadian |
 6 Polish |
 5 Australian |
 3 South African |
 2 New Zealanders |
 2 Norwegian |
 1 Belgian |
 1 Czechoslovak |
 1 Frenchman |
 1 Greek |
 1 Lithuanian |
[edit] Other crew
- P/O 82541 F. Cigos, RAF PoW No.402
- Sgt 787198 P. Uraba, RAF PoW No.450
- P/O 82588 E. Busina, PAF PoW No.401
- Sgt 787232 G. Kopal, RAF PoW No.441
- P/O 82903 K. Krizek, RAF PoW No.407
[edit] References
- ^ Alan Burgess (2004). The longest tunnel: the true story of World War II's great escape. Naval Institute Press. p. 127. ISBN 9781591140979. http://books.google.com/books?id=sy3t5zLmXrYC&pg=PA127.
[edit] External links
- http://www.praha14.cz/MC/letci/valenta.html - a deatiled biography with photo (Czech)
