Former member of WWII Czech bomber squadron dies aged 90

One of the last members of the Czech 311 bomber squadron which formed part of the Royal Air Force during WWII has died at the age of 90. Group Captain Jan Wiener died at a Prague hospital on Wednesday. Mr. Wiener joined the squadron formed from Czechs who escaped to Britain after the fall of France in 1940. He returned to Czechoslovakia after the war but was imprisoned by the communist authorities after they gained power in 1948. Mr. Wiener emigrated to the US in the 1960’s. He returned home in 1989 and was active in Civic Forum. He later lectured in Czech and Czechoslovak history at New York University in Prague and authored several history books. He was honoured for service to his country by president Václav Havel in 2001.

Author: Chris Johnstone