Slovak Insurgent Air Force

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The Slovak Insurgent Air Force (in Slovak: Slovenské povstalecké letectvo) was a Pro-Allied air unit which fought against Axis forces in Slovakia and participated in Slovak National Uprising in autumn 1944.

[edit] History

The Slovak National Uprising, organized by Slovak military resistance, began in unfavourable conditions on August 29. In first few days insurgents lost major airfields in Piešťany, Spišská Nová Ves, Poprad, Vajnory near Bratislava and Trenčín. But they kept large area in censtral Slovakia with airfield Tri Duby (today called Sliač) and temporary an airstrip near Zolná. All military aircraft of the insurgents' air force formed a recon-bomber unit, called Combined Squadron. It consisted of 4 biplane fighters Avia B-534, 3 older light bombers Letov Š-328 and two Bf 109G-6. They were later reinforced by few other Bf 109 and one Focke-Wulf Fw 189, which escaped from eastern Slovakia to the Soviets in Poland, after the insurgents in eastern Slovakia were surrounded and disarmed by Germans. Other airplanes reported in hands of rebels was two Klemm Kl 35, some Heinkel He 72 Kadett amongst two Savoia-Marchetti S.M.84 medium bombers, captured during combats. Insurgents had trouble supplying their air force. There was especially lack of ammunition for German MG in Bf 109.

Soviets provided great help for uprising on 17 September 1944, when they moved 1st Czechoslovak Fighter Air Regiment under lead of cpt. František Fajtl. This unit flying Lavochkin La-5FN and Lavochkin La-7 was formed from among skilled fighter pilots - particularly Czechoslovak volunteer veterans from RAF. Insurgent pilots flied 923 sorties and destroyed 40 Axis planes. They also provided many recon flights and attacks on ground targets. The activity of air forces in Slovakia at the end of 1944 was often disrupted by poor weather and low clouds, which made flights in mountainous central Slovakia very risky. Units provided air cover for uprising from airfields Zolná and Tri Duby until 25 October 1944. At these days last insurgent airfield Tri Duby was threatened by artillery fire and advance of German troops.

As the Uprising has been overrun by Germans in the end of October 1944, the commander-in-chief of the insurgent army Rudolf Viest, ordered all valuable Air Forces to withdraw from central Slovakia to safer airfields, secured by Red Army in Poland. Most of insurgent pilots then joined 1st Czechoslovak Combined Air Division, which took part in liberating Poland and Czechoslovakia at the beginning of 1945.