Flight Lieutenant Karel Jan ('Sudl') Vykoukal was a Czech airman of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve who died during the Second World War.
He was born on 20 December 1916, at Chotebor. Following Germany's occupation of Czechoslovakia, Vykoukal fled to Poland, and there presented himself to the Czech consulate in Krakow. When Poland too fell to Germany, he boarded a ship bound for France. Like many of his compatriots, he joined the French Air Force and escaped to Britain after the country's collapse in June 1940.[1]
In Britain, Vykoukal was commissioned into the RAF in July and in August was assigned to 6 Operational Training Unit. He joined the Hawker Hurricane-equipped 111 Squadron on 12 September, but transferred to 73 Squadron on the 25th.[1]
Vykoukal later converted to the Supermarine Spitfire, and was posted to 41 Squadron. On 21 May 1942, Vykoukal and Squadron Leader John Fee undertook a dawn shipping reconnaissance between Dieppe and Le Havre. While attempting to strafe some ships on the Seine estuary, Vykoukal's Spitfire (serial BL988) was shot down by flak.[1][2]
He has no known grave and is commemorated by the Runnymede Memorial.
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References[]
- Vykoukal, Karel Jan, cwgc.org. Retrieved 10 December 2015.