Born in 1918, Miroslav Standera flew against the Nazis with the French air force in 1940, and was seriously injured during a dogfight. After France’s fall, he joined the Royal Air Force and flew with No 312 Squadron during the Battle of Britain before moving on to twin-engine fighter-bombers making night-time raids over France and Germany.
After the 1948 Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia, Standera fled again to Britain to escape persecution of those who had served in Western forces during the war. He rejoined the RAF and retired in 1955. Following his military career, he worked as a silversmith in Britain, then in 1983 resettled in Bavaria in Germany. He returned to his homeland in 1994.
Standera passed away on February 19, aged 95.
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