Vilem Goth

Vilém Göth was born 22 April 1915 in Brno in the Moravian region of Czechoslovakia, the son of a professional soldier. His family were originally from Dačice, about 100 km from Brno but shortly after Vilém’s birth his family moved to Jihlava, about 80 km away.

For his secondary education he attended the grammar school at nearby Telc where he was noted for his athletic abilities and as a proficient piano player. He graduated on 15 June 1934, and immediately volunteered for military service.

For his basic training he was assigned to the 2 Air Regiment at Olomouc and on completion, in 1935 was posted to the Military Aviation Academy at Prostějov for training as an Air Observer. On passing his training course he was posted, at the rank of desátnik [Corporal] to the 5 Squadron of the 2nd Air Regiment at Brno for further intensive training.

Whilst there, on 25 June 1935, during a training flight as an aerial-observer in an Avia A-11 biplane, his aircraft crashed at 08:12 near the military firing range at Medlánky. Both Vilém and the pilot Bohuslav Czakon were seriously injured with Vilém having to be in a military hospital for eight weeks to recuperate; a small scar on his left cheek was a reminder of his lucky escape.

Despite this mishap his resolve to become a fighter pilot remained and in October requested to be transferred to Military Aviation Academy at Hranice for pilot training, which was granted and he commenced in November 1935. During this training period he had another lucky escape; on 15 October 1937, whilst on a training flight, his aircraft collided with another and Vilém was forced to parachute from his aircraft and received some minor injuries upon landing. Unfortunately, the pilot in the second aircraft was not so lucky and was killed.

Vilém graduated from his training course as a fighter pilot in November 1937 with the rank of of poručík (2nd Lt). He was then assigned to Piešťany airbase in Slovakia as a operational fighter pilot.

When the Germans occupied Czechoslovakia in March 1939, the Bohemia and Moravia regions became a German Protectorate and Slovakia became a German ‘puppet’ state. The Czechoslovak Air Force was disbanded and all personnel demobilized; as a Czech Vilém was returned to the German Protectorate. He had achieved 312 flying hours.

Amongst the now demobilised former members of the Czechoslovak military, rumours where being heard that Czechoslovak military units were being formed in Poland for the purpose of fighting for the freedom of their homeland. Vilém was one of many who responded to this news and investigated further, He was put in contact with plk Karal Bláha, who was the Jihlava contact for Obrana Národa [Defense of the Nation] an underground organisation formed since the German occupation to get military personnel to Poland. With their help and also the Sokol organisation, another patriotic organisation, Vilém with two friends, Karel Partl, and Adolf Zelený were instructed to travel to Ostrava and from there arrangements had been made to smuggle them over the border to Český Těšín, a region that had been part of Czechoslovakia but since the Munich Agreement had been annexed by Poland. This was planned for May but had to be aborted before they left for Ostrava as the escape route had been betrayed to the Gestapo.

The next attempt was in early June. With the help of Vilém father, the three and now new additions Zdeněk Skořepa and Leopold Havlík travelled to Ostrava. From there they went by taxi to a small village outside Ostrava where there was a railway freight depot, from where trains would take coal to Poland. On the night of 12/13 June, with the aid of patriotic Czechoslovak railway workers who were members of the escape organisation, they hid in one of the coal carriages of a train travelling to over the border to Szumbark, Poland. The carriage was empty and they had been warned by the railway workers to hide on the right-hand side in the carriage because at the border the Germans had searchlights that would shine down onto the train; the left inside of the carriage would be illuminated but the right would remain in shadow. After a while, the train stopped but they did not know where they were; on hearing German voices from men walking alongside the train they realised they were still in Czechoslovakia. The men were inspecting random carriages for escapers and so Vilém and his four comrades waited apprehensively to be discovered at any moment.

Sudenly the train began to move forward slowly and stopped again after about 2 km. Again they heard the sound of men walking alongside the railway carriages – only this time they were speaking Polish. There escape had been successful!

On alighting from the train, at Szumbark, they were surprised to discover that some 25 other escapees had also been hiding in the coal carriages of that train. One of the Polish railway workers advised them all to report to Szumbark Police Station and surrender themselves as there was more 

 chance of a favourable reception there, rather being picked up as they tried to make their way to Krakow.

This they did with the escapers initially held there until 19 June whilst the authorities made arrangements for them to get to Krakow.

Prior to their departure to Krakow Vilém and his four colleagues sent post cards with pre-arranged coded messages to let their famiiles in Czechoslovakia know that they had successfully arrived.

Initially they were taken to when they were taken to Cieszyn and then by train to Krakow, arriving on 21 June where they reported to the Czechoslovak Consulate. But, here they were to be advised that the rumours of Czechoslovak military units being formed in Poland were just rumours because the Polish authorities would not allow Czechoslovak military units to be formed on its territory for fear of provoking Nazi Germany.

Instead they learnt that the Czechoslovak authorities in Exile had negotiated with the French Government that the escaped Czechoslovak military would be permitted to travel to France. However there was a condition; as French Law did not permit foreign military personnel on its territory during peacetime, the Czechoslovaks would be required to enlist in the French Foreign Legion for a period of five years – but with the assurance that in the event of war being declared, the Czechoslovaks would be released from the legion and transferred into French military units. The alternative was that they would be sent back to Czechoslovakia, now a German Protectorate, where execution or deportation to a concentration camp would be the most likely outcome.

Vilém and his group, like all the other Czechoslovak escapers decided that the best choice was to go to France. Initially, they were at the ‘Dom Turystczny’, a cheap tourist hostel near the Czechoslovak Consulate which was now overfull with Czechoslovak escapers. On 30 June Vilem and his group were transferred to Maly Bronowice, a former Army camp from the Austro-Hungarian period and now used as a transit camp for escaped Czechoslovak military prior to their transfer to France. They left Maly Bronowice on 25 July when they were amongst a group of 188 Czechoslovak airmen and 190 Czechoslovak soldiers who left by train to Gdynia for onward travel to France. By now the Polish Authorities realised that conflict with Nazi Germany was now inevitable and just a question of when and began to make preparations for the defence of Poland; this included trying to stem the large number of Czechoslovak airmen and soldiers who were now being taken to France. At Gdynia, the departing Czechoslovak airmen were approached by Polish Officers who asked that they stay, and join the Polish Air Force – but would only offer them non-commissioned military rank which the Czechoslovak Officers refused to accept.

On 26 July, the Czechoslovaks that boarded the steam ship ‘Kastelholm’, which transported them to Calais, arriving on 31 July.

Initially Vilém and his fellow escapees were transferred to the Foreign Legions recruitment depot at Paris, whilst medical checks and the necessary arrangements were made for their enlistment into the Legion and transfer to the Legions training base at Sidi bel Abbes, Algeria.

These arrangements were still not completed by 3 September 1939 when war was declared and so Vilém was released from Legion service on 7 October to l’Armee d’Air and two days later was assigned to Centre d’Instruction de Chasse at Châtres airbase, near Paris, for re-training as a pilot on French MS 230 fighter aircraft, amongst his colleagues here were Emil Fechtner, Vaclav Bergman, Emil Foit, František Burda, František Hradil, Vladimír Zaoral and Karel Vykoukal all of whom were destined to become Battle of Britain pilots in England with Vilém. During this period of their training, Vilém and his fellow Czechoslovak airmen also attended École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr, the French Military Academy at St Cyr, about 400 km west of Paris.

By the time of the German invasion of France on 10 May 1940, Vilém was still undergoing his training at Chartres which was hastily completed. The rapid advance of the Germans caused most of the l’Armee d’Air units to be redeployed further west. For Vilém, now at the rank of Sergent, he was redeployed to Cazaux, about 800 km away in south-west France on 23 May but was not assigned to an operational unit.

With the capitulation of France, on 22 June, Czechoslovak airmen were released from l’Armee d’Air service and those at Cazaux were instructed to get to Bordeaux. About 70 km away, for evacuation by ship to Britain before the advancing German army reached the port. At Bordeaux, the Czechoslovak airmen, under the command of Staff Capitan Josef Schejbal, as well as Poles and other nationalities boarded the ship ‘Karanan’ for evacuation to Britain. They sailed on 19 June and arrived two days later at Falmouth.

After arriving at Falmouth. The Czechoslovaks were transferred to Cholmondeley, the Czechoslovak military transit camp near Chester for security vetting. Vilém was accepted into the RAF Volunteer Reserve, at the rank of P/O and initially transferred to the Czechoslovak airmen’s Depot at Cosford, near Wolverhampton. On 12 July, with other Czechoslovak pilots, he was posted to the newly formed 310 (Czechoslovak) Sqn, becoming one of its founder members. The squadron was based at Duxford, equipped with Hurricane Mk I aircraft and commanded jointly by S/Ldr Alexander Hess, the first Czechoslovak to command an RAF squadron, and S/Ldr George D.M Blackwood. After rapid re-training and some basic English lessons for the Czechoslovak pilots, the squadron was declared operational on 17th August and made its first operational patrol at 14:10 on 18th August.

Vilém completed his re-training and was passed for duties as an operational pilot. On the morning of 19 August, in Hurricane Mk I P3142, he made his first operational flight in the RAF; a short 30-minute uneventful patrol as leader of Blue section. Early that evening he was flying again.

By 18 October, when he was posted to 501 Sqn, he had flown a total of 24 operational patrols during the Battle of Britain with 310 Sqn, usually as no. 2 to Blue section leader F/O Jerrard Jefferies. Some days two or three operational patrols would be flown, usually lasting between 30 minutes to 95 minutes each. Sometimes the patrols would be as part of the Duxford Wing, including 19 and 242 Sqns. Often during these patrols formations of Luftwaffe aircraft would be sighted and intercepted. His most eventful day and when he achieved combat success was 7 September.

That day – the 60th day of the Battle of Britain – was to see a change in tactics used by the Luftwaffe. They were becoming increasingly frustrated by the resilience of the RAF and changed their tactics from attacks on RAF fighter airfields to direct assault on London in an attempt to bring RAF fighters into the sky where they could be overwhelmed by the superior numbers of Luftwaffe fighters

The Duxford Wing, led by the legendary legless pilot S/Ldr Douglas Bader, had taken-off at 16:45 after RAF radar had detected a large formation of Luftwaffe aircraft approaching the Thames Estuary for another attack on London. Fighter Command‘s Operations Room vectored the Duxford Wing to the Thames Estuary to intercept the Luftwaffe, the two adversaries meeting in the Thames Estuary over the Isle of Sheppey at about 20,000 feet.

In the resulting dogfight the squadron achieved 3 Me 110’s, 1 Me 109 and a He 111 as kills with claims for 3 Me 110’s as probable and 3 more Me 110’s as damaged. On that patrol Vilém was flying Hurricane Mk I NN-Y, V6643 and achieved combat success; he shot down 2 Me 110 over the Thames Estuary.

Vilém came with the sun behind him to attack the first Me 110, and coming towards from the right from about 400 yards he opened fire and continued firing until only 50 yards away and broke away from the attack. He saw the Me 110 giving off heavy smoke from around the cockpit area before it went into a steep dive towards the Thames Estuary. As Vilém broke away his Hurricane came under attack from another Me 110 and he felt his aircraft being hit. In the ensuing dog-fight, Vilém attacked the Me 110, silencing its gunner, and saw thick black smoke billowing from its left engine before it also went into a dive into the Thames Estuary.

However his own aircraft had been damaged with its glycol tank [engine coolant] being destroyed and he was over the Thames Estuary, white smoke began to billow from the engine and then it seized-up. He turned towards the coast and went into a shallow dive, making a belly-landing at Whitmans Farm, Purleigh. Essex at 17:30 – he escaped uninjured.

Another 310 Sqn pilot Sgt Josef Koukal was not so fortunate, his Hurricane was attacked of the Isle of Sheppey and the fuel tank ignited. Whilst he managed to bail-out he was badly injured with 72% of his body badly burnt which required two years of hospital treatment before he was able to fly again.

His last operational flight with 310 Sqn – his 24th – was on 11 October, a 64 minute uneventful Wing patrol with 19 and 242 Sqns at 20,000 feet. By this stage of the Battle of Britain, many of the RAF fighter squadrons were desperately short of pilots resulting in pilots being posted from other squadrons to fill the void. On 18 October, with fellow Czechoslovak pilot P/O Vladimír Zaoral, Vilém was posted to 501 Sqn based at Kenley, and also equipped with Hurricanes; it was however only to be a short posting.

On 25 October at 15:25 he was flying on an operational patrol in the Tenterden area, as ‘number two’ P/O Ken Mackenzie who was flying Hurricane, V6806, Vilém was flying in Hurricane Mk I P3903. Near Cranbrook, Mackenzie was manoeuvring his section to attack a formation of Me 109s, the two Hurricanes collided; Mackenzie managed to bail-out and parachute  to safety, landing uninjured near Goudhurst with his aircraft crashing in a field near Staplehurst. Vilém had been unable to bail-out, his Hurricane crashed at Bridgehurst Wood near Marden and was killed on impact. For P/O Ken Mackenzie it was a day of mixed emotions; that same day it was announced that he had been awarded the DFC.

P/O Vilém Göth was buried on 31 October at grave 141, section W, at the Old Ground at Sittingbourne cemetery, Kent.

S/Ldr Alexander Hess DFC was to say of Vilém that as a fighter pilot he had a reputation for being brave, calm, disciplined and reliable particularly in difficult conditions. As a person, he had been quiet with a friendly nature and an excellent exemplary officer.

On 25 January 1945, he was promoted in memoriam to the rank of štábního kapitána [Staff Captain] in the Czechoslovak Air Force.

On 31 August 1947 a memorial plaque was unveiled at his home in Dačice at no. 63 Švermova ulice.

After the Velvet Revolution in November 1989, Švermova ulice, Dačice, was renamed Göthova ulice in his commemoration.

At the RAF Rehabilitation Ceremony held in Prague 13 September 1991 he was promoted in memorium to the rank of plukovník [Colonel] in the Czechoslovak Air Force.