Czech Forces Purged of Men Who Fought with Westerners

Grey River Argus, 22 February 1949, Page 5

Czech Forces Purged of Men Who Fought with Westerners

(Rec. 9.5) LONDON, Feb. 21 “Reports reaching Vienna indicate that the Czech Air Force is now, undergoing a political purge which is, if anything, more severe than a purge which is being, simultaneously, applied to the Czech Army, says the “Daily Telegraph’s” correspondent at Vienna.

As with the army, an emphasis is being laid on the “Western” officers and men,' these being those who served with the British and the United States forces during the war. It is estimated that the Czech Air Force in 1945 contained about four hundred officers who were trained and who served with the R.A.F. but to-day there are only about fifty of these on the active list. The remainder have fled to the west, have been dismissed, or have been put on “sick leave.” , ~ The only “Western officers left are those professing to be enthusiastic Communists;.