# Josef František
**Josef František** (7 October 1914, Dolní Otaslavice, Moravia – 8 October 1940, Ewell, Surrey) was a Czechoslovak fighter pilot who flew with the Polish No. 303 Squadron of the [Royal Air Force](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-air-force) during the [Battle of Britain](https://www.edgepedia.org/battle-of-britain) and became the battle's highest-scoring pilot, credited with 17 confirmed victories and one probable within 28 days.[1](https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/online-exhibitions/czechoslovak-squadrons-in-raf/osudy-life-stories-ch/) • [2](https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/blog/poles-and-czechoslovaks-in-the-battle-of-britain/) • [3](https://mzv.gov.cz/london/cz/vzajemne_vztahy_cr_a_spojeneho/osobnosti_cesko_britskych_vztahu/ceskoslovenska_stihaci_esa.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | 7 October 1914, Dolní Otaslavice (Prostějov district); 8 October 1940, Ewell, Surrey, in a crash of undetermined cause[1](https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/online-exhibitions/czechoslovak-squadrons-in-raf/osudy-life-stories-ch/) • [4](https://eehe.org.uk/25536/frantisek/) |
| Service | Czechoslovak Air Force from 1934; Polish Air Force 1939; No. 303 (Polish) Squadron RAF from 2 August 1940, flying Hawker Hurricanes[5](https://mzv.gov.cz/london/cz/aktuality/odhaleni_pomniku_pilotu_raf_josefu.html) • [6](https://battleofbritain1940.com/raf-ace-pilots/) |
| Battle of Britain score | 17 confirmed victories and 1 probable between 2 September and 30 September 1940; highest-scoring pilot of No. 303 Squadron[2](https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/blog/poles-and-czechoslovaks-in-the-battle-of-britain/) • [6](https://battleofbritain1940.com/raf-ace-pilots/) |
| Best day | 11 September 1940, three German aircraft shot down in one day[1](https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/online-exhibitions/czechoslovak-squadrons-in-raf/osudy-life-stories-ch/) |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Medal and Bar; Virtuti Militari; three times Krzyż Waleczny; Czechoslovak War Cross 1939; Croix de Guerre; 1939–1945 Star with Battle of Britain Clasp[7](https://biography.hiu.cas.cz/wiki/FRANTI%C5%A0EK_Josef_1914%E2%80%931940) |
| Burial | Northwood Cemetery, Middlesex, section H, grave no. 246[4](https://eehe.org.uk/25536/frantisek/) |
| Nickname | "Lone Wolf" (Osamělý vlk), for his habit of hunting enemy aircraft alone[8](https://reviews.ipmsusa.org/review/hurricane-ace-josef-frantisek-true-story) |
## Early life and Czechoslovak service
František was born in Dolní Otaslavice near Prostějov, the son of a carpenter and coachbuilder, and trained as a car mechanic before joining the Czechoslovak air force as a volunteer in 1934.[5](https://mzv.gov.cz/london/cz/aktuality/odhaleni_pomniku_pilotu_raf_josefu.html) • [4](https://eehe.org.uk/25536/frantisek/) After completing training in 1936 he was posted to the 2nd Air Regiment "Dr. Eduarda Beneše" based in Olomouc.[5](https://mzv.gov.cz/london/cz/aktuality/odhaleni_pomniku_pilotu_raf_josefu.html) His flying talent developed alongside a persistent lack of discipline: he was demoted for repeated indiscretions and at one point faced dismissal from the service.[5](https://mzv.gov.cz/london/cz/aktuality/odhaleni_pomniku_pilotu_raf_josefu.html) • [9](https://ipn.gov.pl/download/1/352233/303Instrukcjawz16web.pdf)
## Escape, Poland and France
When Germany occupied [Czechoslovakia](https://www.edgepedia.org/czechoslovakia) on 15 March 1939, František escaped to Poland and joined the [Polish Air Force](https://www.edgepedia.org/polish-air-force), one of 93 Czechoslovak airmen accepted into its ranks.[5](https://mzv.gov.cz/london/cz/aktuality/odhaleni_pomniku_pilotu_raf_josefu.html) • [2](https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/blog/poles-and-czechoslovaks-in-the-battle-of-britain/) During the German invasion of Poland in September 1939 he flew reconnaissance sorties, attacking German troops with hand grenades.[9](https://ipn.gov.pl/download/1/352233/303Instrukcjawz16web.pdf) • [10](https://www.battleofbritainmemorial.org/stories/sergeant-josef-frantisek/) After the September campaign he chose to remain with Polish forces rather than join the Czechoslovak air force being re-formed in exile, and served in France with Polish units under the Armée de l'Air, where he received the [Croix de Guerre](https://www.edgepedia.org/croix-de-guerre).[9](https://ipn.gov.pl/download/1/352233/303Instrukcjawz16web.pdf) • [11](https://www.cranston-military-prints.com/aircrew-history.php?AircrewID=8316) The details of his combat record in France remain uncertain.[6](https://battleofbritain1940.com/raf-ace-pilots/)
After the fall of France he reached Britain, landing at Falmouth on 21 June 1940.[4](https://eehe.org.uk/25536/frantisek/)
## The Battle of Britain
On 2 August 1940 František was assigned to [RAF Northolt](https://www.edgepedia.org/raf-northolt), at that time the base where No. 303 (Polish) Squadron was being brought into existence and fitted out with Hawker Hurricanes.[6](https://battleofbritain1940.com/raf-ace-pilots/) Although Czech by nationality, he flew with the Polish squadron and quickly gained a reputation for aggressive, independent flying: rather than holding formation, he often broke away to hunt enemy aircraft alone.[6](https://battleofbritain1940.com/raf-ace-pilots/) This habit, which the squadron's Polish comrades accommodated by giving him unofficial "guest" status, put other pilots at risk and brought several reprimands; the command chose to let him operate as a guest of the squadron rather than post him away.[9](https://ipn.gov.pl/download/1/352233/303Instrukcjawz16web.pdf) • [2](https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/blog/poles-and-czechoslovaks-in-the-battle-of-britain/)
His first confirmed victory came on 2 September 1940, a [Messerschmitt Bf 109](https://www.edgepedia.org/messerschmitt-bf-109).[12](https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/the-royal-air-force-museum-at-home/battle-of-britain-aircrew-31-aug-to-6-sep/) Between 2 September and 30 September he was credited with 17 confirmed victories, including numerous Bf 109s and German bombers, making him the highest-scoring pilot of No. 303 Squadron and one of the leading aces of the whole battle.[6](https://battleofbritain1940.com/raf-ace-pilots/) His best day was 11 September 1940, when he shot down three German aircraft.[1](https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/online-exhibitions/czechoslovak-squadrons-in-raf/osudy-life-stories-ch/) For his first five victories the squadron commander Ronald Kellett recommended him for the Distinguished Flying Medal, the highest combat award available in the RAF to non-commissioned officers; the medal was awarded on 17 September 1940 and he was decorated personally by the King on 1 October at RAF Northolt.[13](https://stratusonline.pl/historia/josef-frantisek/) • [6](https://battleofbritain1940.com/raf-ace-pilots/)
His squadron became the most successful Fighter Command unit of the battle, claiming 126 victories in 42 days, a figure later revised to about 79 enemy aircraft.[2](https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/blog/poles-and-czechoslovaks-in-the-battle-of-britain/)
## Death
On 8 October 1940 František took off from Northolt at 09:00 with eleven other Hurricanes on a patrol during which no enemy aircraft were encountered. On the return flight his Hurricane (R4175) broke away from the formation and was later found crashed at Ewell, near [Epsom](https://www.edgepedia.org/epsom) in Surrey, with František dead at the controls, aged 27.[11](https://www.cranston-military-prints.com/aircrew-history.php?AircrewID=8316) • [4](https://eehe.org.uk/25536/frantisek/) The cause of the crash was never determined.[8](https://reviews.ipmsusa.org/review/hurricane-ace-josef-frantisek-true-story) He was buried at Northwood Cemetery, Middlesex, in section H, grave no. 246, among the airmen of the Polish wing that operated from nearby RAF Northolt.[4](https://eehe.org.uk/25536/frantisek/)
## Commemoration
František is remembered in all three countries whose air forces he served. A memorial was unveiled at Priest Hill in Epsom, near the crash site, on 4 September 2022, attended by representatives of the Czech, Slovak, and Polish embassies and armed forces and a delegation from his home village of Otaslavice; the Polish Air Force Memorial Committee initiated the monument.[5](https://mzv.gov.cz/london/cz/aktuality/odhaleni_pomniku_pilotu_raf_josefu.html) The Czech military historian Jiří Rajlich published *Hurricane Ace: Josef František, The True Story* in 2010, regarded as the definitive study of his life.[4](https://eehe.org.uk/25536/frantisek/) The Czech docudrama *Osamělý vlk* ("Lone Wolf"), made with the cooperation of the Ministry of Defence and with the Military History Institute Prague as its expert guarantor, premiered in Prague on 25 August 2026 after a preview in Prostějov, the town closely tied to his legacy.[14](https://mocr.mo.gov.cz/informacni-servis/zpravodajstvi/osamely-vlk-mel-slavnostni-premieru--pribeh-legendarniho-pilota-josefa-frantiska-zhledli-prezident-a-ministr-obrany-265640/)
## References
1. [Sgt Josef František, DFM and Bar, Osudy – Life stories (Czech), RAF Museum](https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/online-exhibitions/czechoslovak-squadrons-in-raf/osudy-life-stories-ch/)
2. [Poles and Czechoslovaks in the Battle of Britain, RAF Museum](https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/blog/poles-and-czechoslovaks-in-the-battle-of-britain/)
3. [Československá stíhací esa, Embassy of the Czech Republic in London](https://mzv.gov.cz/london/cz/vzajemne_vztahy_cr_a_spojeneho/osobnosti_cesko_britskych_vztahu/ceskoslovenska_stihaci_esa.html)
4. [Frantisek, Josef DFM & Bar – Polish RAF Pilot, Epsom & Ewell History Explorer](https://eehe.org.uk/25536/frantisek/)
5. [Odhalení pomníku pilotu RAF Josefu Františkovi, Embassy of the Czech Republic in London](https://mzv.gov.cz/london/cz/aktuality/odhaleni_pomniku_pilotu_raf_josefu.html)
6. [Sergeant Josef František, RAF Ace Pilots, Battle of Britain Historical Timeline](https://battleofbritain1940.com/raf-ace-pilots/)
7. [FRANTIŠEK Josef 1914–1940, Biografický slovník českých zemí](https://biography.hiu.cas.cz/wiki/FRANTI%C5%A0EK_Josef_1914%E2%80%931940)
8. [Hurricane Ace: Josef Frantisek, The True Story, IPMS/USA review](https://reviews.ipmsusa.org/review/hurricane-ace-josef-frantisek-true-story)
9. [Josef František (1914–1940), Institute of National Remembrance, Poland](https://ipn.gov.pl/download/1/352233/303Instrukcjawz16web.pdf)
10. [Sergeant Josef Frantisek, Stories of The Few, Battle of Britain Memorial Trust](https://www.battleofbritainmemorial.org/stories/sergeant-josef-frantisek/)
11. [J. Frantisek – Aircrew Details, Aviation Directory, Cranston Military Prints](https://www.cranston-military-prints.com/aircrew-history.php?AircrewID=8316)
12. [Battle of Britain Aircrew, RAF Museum at Home](https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/the-royal-air-force-museum-at-home/battle-of-britain-aircrew-31-aug-to-6-sep/)
13. [Josef František – Czech, który został asem Dywizjonu 303, StratusOnline](https://stratusonline.pl/historia/josef-frantisek/)
14. [Osamělý vlk měl slavnostní premiéru, Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic](https://mocr.mo.gov.cz/informacni-servis/zpravodajstvi/osamely-vlk-mel-slavnostni-premieru--pribeh-legendarniho-pilota-josefa-frantiska-zhledli-prezident-a-ministr-obrany-265640/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Conflict and security › Military and security biographies › Air force officers and airmen*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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