A German Spy In RAF Uniform | The Czech Hurricane Pilot Who Betrayed The Allies

No video

A German Spy In RAF Uniform | The Czech Hurricane Pilot Who Betrayed The Allies

Рет қаралды 127,791

Күн бұрын

🕵️‍♂️ I’ve stumbled upon a story so chilling and enigmatic, it’s compelled me to delve into the darkest corners of WWII history. A Czechoslovakian pilot, who flew in a Hurricane, hid a sinister secret - but what could it be? 🌪️✈️
🔍 Every piece of evidence I uncover drew me deeper into a labyrinth of deceit, loyalty, and unimaginable betrayal. Who really was this mysterious pilot? A hero, or a traitor whose actions still echo through the annals of Czech history? Each revelation is more shocking than the last. 😱
📽️ I invite you to join me on this journey, where every twist and turn will leave you on the edge of your seat, breathless and craving for more. Subscribe and hit the bell icon to follow each step of this harrowing exploration. You won’t believe the truth when it’s finally unveiled... 🔔
You can also check out this new book about the topic: amzn.to/3tr86ZT
💗 If you'd like to support my channel please follow this link for more details: calibanrising....
You can also now find me on Patreon: / calibanrising
🧥 Want to get a great deal on an authentic leather flying jacket? Check out the range from Legendary USA here: calibanrising....
🎁 Grab one of my unique WW2-themed designs. great on t-shirts, hoodies or mugs: bit.ly/3GLPNBJ
📰 You can also support me by subscribing to one of these great aviation magazines: calibanrising....
💰 Want to start an online business with KZfaq?
This KZfaq channel is no accident and the success I've had so far was no mere fluke, it's all been planned out and executed in a very meaningful way. However, I can't take credit for knowing how to do all that, I had to learn and I learned from the best!
Listen to my advice for building a successful KZfaq channel: • How Does Phil From Cal...
📕 Welcome to my channel where I share my love of history and aviation. I first fell in love with military aviation when reading Biggles books as a boy, then I studied history at university. I like finding interesting stories and sharing them with others.
I also followed this passion into the real world and managed to get a Private Pilot's Licence on 10th May 2014.
🕹️ My gaming equipment for getting footage:
Joystick: amzn.to/2TP6h40
Rudder Pedals: amzn.to/38c3YAx
Elevator Trim: amzn.to/3oQWNn8
Head Tracking: amzn.to/34Qpvwd
3D print your own gaming controls
Get an Enders 3 Pro like me: amzn.to/3dFXts3
Go over to authentikit.org/
Wishlist: amzn.to/385dXHD
⏱️ Timestamp:
0:00 intro
Images: other than where stated, images used in the video have been found on commons.wikime...
#aviationhistory#history

Пікірлер: 233

@CalibanRising 8 ай бұрын

Liked the video? Keep the good times rolling by buying me a pint! 🍺 Tip with a Super Thanks or via PayPal: bit.ly/47p3xNT - Your support means a lot! Also check out my new channel membership.

@LudwigBeefoven 10 ай бұрын

I have never heard of that story before. It makes that story even more interesting to learn about.

@markhindmarsh2811 10 ай бұрын

I never realised there was active spies in Britain (just ones under British control such as Garbo) at the time , let alone a pilot. A most interesting tale

@EllieMaes-Grandad 10 ай бұрын

This is early in the war, before XX got into its stride . . . ?

@johnburns4017 10 ай бұрын

Well he never gave any info to the Germans while he was in the UK. He just took a plane to them.

@JeffMathias 10 ай бұрын

The Russians thoroughly infiltrated the Brits. But German foreign intelligence was wretched.

@offshoretomorrow3346 9 ай бұрын

There weren't any 'active' - just some failures. An astonishing fact.

@specialandroid1603 9 ай бұрын

They also alerted Germany to forthcoming RAF bombing raids giving details of the intended target etc. And they told Germany about the location of Auxiliary Fire Fighters in London schools which led the bombing by Germany of a number of schools with many deaths. The story of German spies during the war and the impact they had has not yet been told in full.

@ericmiddleton8367 10 ай бұрын

Fascinating story as I used to live not far from RAF Usworth (pronounced ‘Uzzworth’ not ‘Yousworth’) which is now the Nissan site. RAF Ouston (pronounced ‘Ooston’) is now Albermarle Barracks with the airfield still intact and being visible when flying into Newcastle Airport (the site of former RAF Woolsington).

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the corrections....never trust Google for pronunciation help!!!

@user-xh3lz9xt4l 10 ай бұрын

Thank you for submitting the corrections I was about to do the same thing.

@Ulani101 10 ай бұрын

What would the Usworth pilots think about a Japanese company building a factory where they did?

@linmal2242 10 ай бұрын

@@Ulani101 Old enemies, new friends and the reverse; China was a sort of friend or allie during WW2, now everybody's threat ! Ditto Ruzzia.

@AlistairGale 10 ай бұрын

And how does one pronounce “Woolsington” ?

@womble321 10 ай бұрын

Thing is why would a 1930s hurricane be of value they got hold of several after the fall of France. Belgium had full. Licence production rights and held manufacturers plans. Not exactly secret was it?

@AlexS-zr2nb 10 ай бұрын

Well if the Belgians engineers disposed of the technical package before they fell into german hands or parts of the technical package it would make getting your hands on as many planes as possible a top priority for the Germans

@Eric-kn4yn 10 ай бұрын

To see latest upgrades to type continuos improvements mk 1 spit to mk 25

@pauldurkee4764 10 ай бұрын

That's what I thought, in 1941 the germans were introducing the FW190, by that stage the hurricane would be obsolete in the european theatre.

@warriorgaming1604 9 ай бұрын

Cause the early models were beating Germans Germans wanted one to reverse engineer and use for training pilots on counter measures and France and Belgium destroyed their plans

@stevekaczynski3793 9 ай бұрын

The Hurricane was obsolescent by this time, and harboured few technological secrets. Hurricanes in both Belgian and Yugoslav service had fallen into German hands. By 1942 RAF pilots tended to find it distinctly second-rate though it still saw valuable use as a fighter-bomber.

@tomaskoupil5994 10 ай бұрын

I knew about this story, but only that it happened and a Czech pilot defected in 41. But I never new any more details about it and about how the pilot ended up. So thank you for the effort, very interesting story indeed. Btw, next time I'll be in Trebsin, I'll have a look around, there might be a plaque in his honour, or dishonour. Cheers

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Thanks! I think there is a good book about it in Czech (Prototyp zrady: životní příběh Augustina Přeučila).

@ivancho5854 10 ай бұрын

I hope that you do a follow up video in 2030 when his files are opened up to the public. I just discovered your channel and I'm very pleased. Thank you. 👍

@Ulani101 10 ай бұрын

Unless those files are mysteriously 'lost' or destroyed in an equally mysterious fire, along with many other files that historians would like to get hold of.

@JohnSmith-pl2bk 10 ай бұрын

Already done old chap eh wot... Can't have the truth embarrass the great of the land with the titles to go with them. @@Ulani101

@JohnDoe-tx8lq 10 ай бұрын

Betraying the local civilians who helped after he landed... may he burn in hell. He didn't need to do that, he could have stayed the night, then gone on his way, continued his spying or whatever crap he wanted.

@krismurphy7711 10 ай бұрын

AMEN. All they did was try to help "him."

@Eric-kn4yn 10 ай бұрын

He was a nazi loyalist wanted a nazi Europe

@cruchot555 10 ай бұрын

One may say that he betrayed the Allies the same way the Allies betrayed Czechoslovakia in September 1938.

@SuperchargedSupercharged 10 ай бұрын

Great story, thank you for sharing this one with us.

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@BernasLL 10 ай бұрын

This deserves a movie, what a story!

@bryansmith1920 10 ай бұрын

I finally get why you specify his want to be a Airline Pilot, Tech skills required to manage airplane over distance to save company fuel costs, where perfect knowledge to achieve his flight,

@willhovell9019 10 ай бұрын

Czeckoslovak not Czech . There were also Slovak pilots in the RAF. Many people in the 1st Czeckoslovakian Republic were German speakers , and even Prague was a majority German speaking City at one time.

@Occident. 10 ай бұрын

That's because Prague was built by the Germans. It was a German city. They built every town in what is now Czechia.

@SC0RCH3er 10 ай бұрын

@@Occident. Of course, good ol´ Germans, thats why "Prague" (=Praha) name comes from an old slavic word (and it has no other name version in german unlike the german towns in Bohemia)...because it was a german city, makes total sense. Bringing nationalities into medieval states does not work well, people both czech and german, both rich and poor, both aristocracy or not were subject to a king.

@albinprzyby5897 9 ай бұрын

Přeučil was born on 3 July 1914 in the village Třebsín in Benešov, Central Bohemia.

@KP-viking88 10 ай бұрын

Ive heard of this story before, well worth the watch

@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935 10 ай бұрын

The Hurricane II’s Merlin XX had a two SPEED, single stage supercharger.

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the correction.

@easternpromises7991 6 ай бұрын

I was reading a Czech comic about airmen fleeing Czechia to fight Nazis from France and later from Britain. There’s a scene where two Luftwaffe members talk about a Polish ship headed to France, with Czech airmen on board. One Nazi asks the other how does he know. The other answers “We have our people amongst them.” That line finally makes sense!

@Ob1sdarkside 10 ай бұрын

An amazing story, one that most of us would never know! You could write an amazing book, I'd love to read it

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

There is a very good book out there already, but it's in Czech. Not sure if there is an English translation.

@user-cp1jg5ut3t 10 ай бұрын

Very interesting story! Thank you!

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for listening

@RandomDeforge 7 ай бұрын

it is so tragic that his betrayal also cost the lives of the civilians that tried to help him

@julianmhall 10 ай бұрын

Fascinating story Phil. As he was Czech two possibilities come to mind; A) He had family in Czechoslovakia and was being threatened by the Nazis that they would be killed unless he cooperated, so he got to Britain and worked for them under duress. B) He willingly offered his services to the Nazis and promised to work for them when he got to the UK. Either is possible but I'd like to think A is more likely. However his application to the Luftwaffe makes B sound more probable. That being said his application was prior to WWII, so he may have changed his tune after they became the enemy. Curious that he supposedly passed on information to another agent for Berlin. I've only ever heard that we caught and turned /every/ agent Germany sent, so who would he have reported to? Also given that he was at several Maintenance Units, why was German appreciation of British ability to repair aircraft so bad?

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

It would be nice to give Preucil the benefit of the doubt and say that he was forced into this treason, but that's not the impression I got from the original research. But you never know, there might be a key document missing somewhere. There are certainly British intelligence documents from the time that aren't open to the public yet. So there could be an unknown German agent involved, possibly even a double agent. If it were the latter, then the 'right' information might not have been passed on to Berlin.

@julianmhall 10 ай бұрын

@@CalibanRising I'd be interested in his family links.. any wife in Czechoslovakia (although of course he married in England), parents, siblings, and what happened to them? It could be the official documents concentrate on his military career and neglected that part of his life.

@michaelhart7569 10 ай бұрын

@@CalibanRising What I don't understand is how he managed communications after going to France. Given the convoluted path, it doesn't seem like the original intention was for him to spy in the UK. That being said, how did he go about contacting a German spy in the UK?

@monkeyeagle1921 9 ай бұрын

Love the (ironic?) replacement of swastikas with the KZfaq logo!😂

@bryansmith1920 10 ай бұрын

Bravo young man well done, A tale of deceit well told,

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching.

@abbcc5996 10 ай бұрын

are you 123 years old?

@Brian----- 10 ай бұрын

Very interesting story. An ordinary, straightforward traitor.

@Brian----- 10 ай бұрын

Emil Hácha betrayed the same country, more infamously. And for America, there were infamous traitors, Tokyo Rose and Axis Sally and others (American women from L. A., Portland, Me., New York etc.) For Britain there was John Amery. Who knows why this pilot did what he did, when so may of his people suffered so much for their liberation?

@peteralderson1483 10 ай бұрын

RAF Usworth is now the home of the Nissan factory in Washington. Their is a aircraft museum there as well. It has a Vulcan bomber

@mreyes2575 10 ай бұрын

Very interesting story even more so that I live near where this the chap made a forced landing Houghton-le-Spring this is just down the road..

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

What is the terrain like around there? I know the area where he landed in Belgium, so I'd be interested in how easy it would be to land near Houghton-le-Spring.

@mreyes2575 10 ай бұрын

@@CalibanRising Hello the few hills and dips few built up areas and and plenty of countryside and farms fields so the could of been a good few places to land back then saying that the were plenty of Pits and a large Coke Works is the area too.... I was told of a German bomber crash landed near Eppelton Pit after trying to bomb said Coke Works this is near the small town of Hetton-le-Hole were I live

@googleisshittoss 9 ай бұрын

A fascinating piece of History..thank you

@Cromwelldunbar 9 ай бұрын

A most excellent document and superbly researched and vocally delivered! Thanks a million for all your dedication and efforts in your research!

@CalibanRising 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@JohnSmith-pl2bk 10 ай бұрын

History is written by the victors. The British authorities would have suppressed the knowledge that he was indeed married to a British woman "Damned inconvenient old chap..... let's not go there eh wot...." He deserved what he got in the end...just a pity he wasn't found out earlier....

@stephenclayton1546 10 ай бұрын

Very good storey inded

@waynevaughan9325 10 ай бұрын

Brilliant vid. Great story well researched.make a few more.

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching Wayne, I appreciate it!

@trevorwilliams6815 10 ай бұрын

Strange tale to say the least.

@fredyellowsnow7492 7 ай бұрын

One thing I'd like to correct - Chamberlain wasn't a fool, and could see Hitler was a loon, arming up for the next war. Chamberlain came back waving that paper for public consumption, but behind the scenes he was desperately trying to get UK fighter and arms production up ready for the forthcoming conflict.

@64MDW 9 ай бұрын

It's so comforting to have KZfaq protect our delicate sensibilities by blotting out or covering over the swastikas. I don't know if I could handle it if they didn't. Thank you, KZfaq...really. I feel so protected.

@raymondyee2008 10 ай бұрын

Damn how did we not know about this?

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Almost certainly the air ministry knew about this at the time. I'm sure that with each new file that is opened to the public more stories will emerge.

@tricky1992000 10 ай бұрын

The fact he moved around (posted) so much suggests that he was a decisive individual who wound people up the wrong way. I bet he was impulsive and not very agreeable and prone to irrational and angry moves.

@Eric-kn4yn 10 ай бұрын

Moved around to gather intel

@Allan_aka_RocKITEman 7 ай бұрын

@CalibanRising >>> Great video...👍

@Somemaysayso 10 ай бұрын

Excellent thanks. Ouston is pronounced ooston. Relief airfield for Acklington.

@janlindtner305 10 ай бұрын

The ways of the Lord are unsearchable. Damn good story👍👍👍

@krismurphy7711 10 ай бұрын

I don't think Jesus or God had much to do with this....though They should have. I've followed, researched, viewed WWII history since I was a kid. I ALWAYS wonder about where there was Devine Intervention and when there was not.....ALWAYS WISH GOD HAD BEEN ON THE SIDE OF THE ALLIES AND PREVENTED THE SLAUGHTER OF 50-60 million people. Why couldn't Hitler had died during WWI.... or Mussolini in some political gang shooting....or Tojo dying from some bad fish!!!

@rbilleaud 10 ай бұрын

I don't think a Hurricane Mk I would have been of much use to the Luftwaffe. There was nothing particularly remarkable about it, no technology that would have been any use at that point. A Spitfire maybe, and certainly later a Mustang or Mosquito.

@grahamcook9289 10 ай бұрын

The more I think about it I suspect he had been turned by MI6 into a double agent. The lost at sea cover story and the improbability of flying direct that must have needed an unaccounted for fuel stop somewhere in England. Crash landing in Belgium was probably a navigation error and his intended ditch site would have almost certainly been in Germany. If not planned by the Germans, but by the British, the ditching would be preferable to being attacked attempting to land on a luftwaffe field. Also ditching would have meant being found by German civilians who would have turned him over to the German authorities. Unfortunately he landed in Belgium and instead was aided by Belgium civilians which complicated the issue and lead to unintended victims. Perhaps he had no choice but to give them up as he was trying to convince his German captors that he was a German agent. This just leaves his post war trial and execution by the Czechs. If he was indeed a British double agent, why didn’t the British intervene on his behalf? Perhaps it was more expedient that British secrets went to the grave with him. That could explain why his file is still sealed. Always remember perfidious Albion. The British did questionable things, especially with the RAF. The case of the bombing of the prison in Amiens and the raid on the Shelhaus in Copenhagen come to mind.

@EllieMaes-Grandad 10 ай бұрын

* why didn’t the British intervene on his behalf * Rancour about those unintended victims, perhaps? The bloke gave them up to benefit himself.

@colinmiles6871 10 ай бұрын

Very interesting, but please pronounce RAF station names properly.

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Thanks Colin. I'll do better next time!

@daayoungs4326 10 ай бұрын

You're doing great! Colin - where's your KZfaq video?

@jimjim2953 10 ай бұрын

can I get little youtube decals to put on 1/72 german planes? Also its a single stage two speed supercharger.

@seeker1432 10 ай бұрын

The Traitor got around different airfields. He could name names, Places. Stores, Aircraft quantity. His knowledge was more important for sure.

@jeremypayler6631 10 ай бұрын

Brilliant yet again

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching Jeremy!

@zen4men 10 ай бұрын

========= First Class! =========

@HotSpace2007DaveB 10 ай бұрын

An interesting video. Thank you.

@Skipper.17 10 ай бұрын

Love these stories.

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Glad to hear it!

@liampotts8867 10 ай бұрын

Hi i work at the former raf usworth in washington uk and we knew a story about the czech spy but we never knew which hurricane it was very intresting to know and for anyone who like ghost tgis man is a ghost at the museum or if anyone like aviation pls visit us at the north east air museum in washington uk thanks

@robertwoodroffe123 10 ай бұрын

Shows ! Even though you have to trust ! In the end you can’t

@scottessery100 10 ай бұрын

What happened to the ffl in Marseilles as it was Vichy

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

I don't know specifically, but I'd imagine that those who remained continued their garrison duties in North Africa.

@LukeBunyip 10 ай бұрын

Wow Beer's in the fridge

@_Clem_H_Fandango_ 5 ай бұрын

I love how they used the play button to cover the swastikas. All content makers should use that.

@roykliffen9674 10 ай бұрын

18:19 "[he] never made landfall in the Netherlands." If he was circling Vlissingen, he DID make landfall in the Netherlands as Vlissingen is a Dutch Town.

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Two mistakes here, the other one is that I should have said "landed".

@hawnyfox3411 10 ай бұрын

^^^ Yeah, I caught that, long before I'd finished the video & even before I'd scrolled or even read the 1st-comments Back in Sept' 1992, my neighbour & I went to Holland via France, then Belgium on our 1,000cc M/cycles We reached Vlissingen at the crack of dawn & had to stop (toll booth) for the Vlissingen Ferry crossing I remember flirting with the (very, very) pretty Toll operator (naturally Dutch) who spoke superb English, asking about our powerful bikes & stating "I'm a biker myself" whilst we were both chatting her up - (she was GORGEOUS !!) Also, back then, the Euro' hadn't even yet been invented, so we paid her in Dutch Guilders BTW, Caliban Phil ; Lifelong Hawker Hurricane fan here, but I'd never heard of this story before... Many, many thanks for showing the graves (& names) of those SUPERB Belgian patriots, who paid so dearly !! Lastly, I know The Ardennes well, having stayed there countless times & driven thru it some 50+ times too Near where the scumbag/traitor landed, the major town of "La Roche" is really stunning Both sides of the river(banks) there are TWO WW.II memorial tanks out on permanant display One is a T.26 (M.26) Pershing, the other (on the cliff) is an M.10 "Achilles" of the Northamptonshire Yeomanry So many historic AND beautiful places to visit in the Ardennes region, esp' with strong WW.II connections...

@user-mg6vl2vf8q 10 ай бұрын

Vlissingen is Holland and it's near the Belgium border! You got your facts upside-down!!!

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the correction, I blame my fact checker on this one. Phil is an idiot!

@Legolasicek 10 ай бұрын

Woah that was interesting!

@tommercer3226 10 ай бұрын

Very good video. Very educational. But why cover over the swastikas on the uniforms and the aircraft. I'm thinking that's part of history to be as authentic as can be.

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching. I totally agree with you but I had to edit this video 5 times and launch an appeal to pass the KZfaq censor.

@ianpattison841 10 ай бұрын

Fantastic, new to me, well researched and superbly narrated thank you.

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@jackray1337 7 ай бұрын

The jab at KZfaq made me laugh (31:24). It's also sad that YT wouldn't allow showing the symbol of the bad guys while saying the bad guys were bad.

@CalibanRising 7 ай бұрын

Yeah. I had to edit this video so many times to get it through. Thankfully the AI censor seems to be nicer recently.

@macdodd 9 ай бұрын

Nice story, never heard of this one. My only criticism is your pronunciation of 2 RAF bases, 1) RAF Ousten where I stayed for a week & flew from every day is pronounced OOstin & not OWsten & 2) Lynham is pronounced LIenam, not Linam

@CalibanRising 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for the corrections.

@martinafitzgerald1610 10 ай бұрын

He was a snake 🐍 Those poor people who helped him. No good deed goes unpunished....

@egnbigdave 9 ай бұрын

There must have been suspicions - my Grandad was based with Polish squadrons, and there was a lot of investigation into the posibility of this happening. Prehaps he ran as he suspected he was going to be caught (probably why his records are sealed, and he was kept away from up to date aircraft)

@johnhehir508 9 ай бұрын

Amazing to think Neville Chamberlain landed at Heston aerodrome,now part of a service station on The M4 motorway ,And a housing estate🤔🙊🙉🙈🕊️🕊️

@Steve-bi2wo 10 ай бұрын

Like the story and your style I subscribed Steve in beautiful Clearwater florida!!!

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Thanks and welcome

@bratwurstdimsum 9 ай бұрын

Good documentary and fascinating - I didn’t know though KZfaq was a symbol of nazi Germany. In my opinion you should never censor out history in a historical documentary. It lessens the enormous work you have put into this.

@CalibanRising 9 ай бұрын

Unfortunately it seemed to be the only thing that got it through the KZfaq censors this time. I also removed all images of Adolf before getting it through. Might have just been buggy AI though.

@HootOwl513 10 ай бұрын

Interesting that the You Tube Red Rectangle w/ White Triangle [=PLAY Button] {at Frame 9:18) has supplanted the Hakenkreutz as a Fascist symbol. Also, I'm amused by the photo of the actuality [0:19] with the squadron code: A0PA [where the 0 represents the UK roundel]. In the US, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots' Association is an organization representing General Aviation pilots, and they use the AOPA acronym. Of course your video game model shows it as PA0A on both sides.

@timgosling6189 10 ай бұрын

I remember this story from when it was publicised about 20 years ago, giving the lie to the belief that no German agents had operated undetected in Britain, and it's nice to hear it again. But I'd be wary of using the German pronounciation of the Polish capital; there are still some sore memories! When Preucil crossed into Poland it would still have been 'Krak-uff', not the German 'Krakau' (Krak-ow) or indeed the later Russian 'Krak-off'. I'll let you off with 'Danzig', which still carried the Germanic name at that time until returning to 'Gdansk' after WWII. Fortunately, the intelligence he provided must have been generic and tactical at best, somewhat hindered by his avoidance of front-line ops. Fortunately also, Luftwaffe use of any such intelligance was often hindered by the perversity of its high command. Incidentally, Ousten is pronounced 'Oo-sten' and Lyneham is 'Line-am'. Be careful about the relationship between altitude and specific fuel consumption. For a piston-prop aircraft the reduced air density with altitude reduces engine power and aerodynamic efficiency, offsetting the increased TAS for a given IAS; basically you get more miles per gallon at low level. Especially as he had been dogfighting before staging the engine failure I'm pretty sure he would have refuelled. Altogether I find him an iniquitous character who thoroughly betrayed his countrymen, as well as those Poles and French who helped him and paid with their deaths. He fully deserved his end.

@offshoretomorrow3346 9 ай бұрын

He didn't succesfully pass information from the UK - unless you know better.

@Eltanin25 9 ай бұрын

He even betrayed a fellow traitor Viliam Gerik, who had a change of heart and wanted to escape the Gestapo and get back to Czechoslovakian troops or at least cooperate genuinly with the resistance. Gerik was later sent to Dachau, freed by Americans, he returned voluntarily to Czechoslovakia, reported at army headquaters and cooperated fully with the investigation. Nevertheless he was hanged the same as genuine traitors Karel Čurda nad Augustin Přeučil. Some of the soldiers back then and some of the historians now consider it to be a too hard punishment given his situation, youth and attempt on redemption, but the court clearly saw it differently.

@CalibanRising 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for this extra information, it's fascinating.

@ivanjednobiegowiec7656 9 ай бұрын

I'm not so convinced Poland used Gdańsk (Danzig), nominally free city under protectorate of League of Nations, but de-facto aching towards German enclave to ship Czechoslovaks to France. I bet they used newly built port in Gdynia. Happy to be proven wrong though... Cheers! I.

@Falkriim 10 ай бұрын

Very interesting video

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@jamesellis2784 10 ай бұрын

The wolfs hour. . Mccameron .

@cameronduff884 10 ай бұрын

Robert R McCammon...

@jamesellis2784 10 ай бұрын

@@cameronduff884 SWANSONG..

@TheBonBonxD 10 ай бұрын

Could it be possible that the RAF purposely removed his name from some of the records?

@rogerpattube 10 ай бұрын

Amazing to make this without once using the word ‘defection’ or ‘defector’! Edit: oh no 33:50 ‘defected’!

@benababiodanso2885 10 ай бұрын

What a villain he was😮

@julianmhall 10 ай бұрын

Hi Phil.. given Preucil's alleged flightpath essentially down the eastern coast of England if he /was/ at 15-20,000 feet surely he would have been picked up on RDF? Granted CH towers only look out to sea but surely the Observer Corps would have reported him, and/or 12 and 11 Groups would have challenged him in their airspace? I think it's impossible that nobody challenged what to them was an unidentified aircraft in wartime. Do any records exist of radio or RDF contact with an unknown aircraft on the day he disappeared? Campion's recollection is curious. Surely Preucil spoke /some/ French as he was European and they learn more languages than we do in the UK, or assuming the pilot was Preucil, did he only pretend not to understand?

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

I don't know the exact AIR file, but I'd imagine there would be a daily report from sector or group controls about interceptions. Apparently nothing was found by the original researchers...but that doesn't mean it isn't there. I'd imagine that even if Preucil was intercepted and challenged over the R/T, he could have claimed to have been a ferry pilot/lost or simply not answered. If he were flying close enough to land to be seen by the OC, would they bother about a lone Hurricane? There's certainly a lot of unanswered questions here.

@WgCdrLuddite 7 ай бұрын

If his IFF was working, the RDF operators would have known that it wasn't an enemy aircraft.

@julianmhall 7 ай бұрын

@@WgCdrLuddite Not if he was inland so RDF wouldn't pick him up.

@WgCdrLuddite 7 ай бұрын

@@julianmhall The video clearly shows his estimated path from off West Hartlepool to Belgium is all over the North Sea.

@julianmhall 7 ай бұрын

@@WgCdrLuddite 'Estimated' not actual. Also as you said in your last comment 'if' his IFF was working, and why would it be if he was flying to Germany?

@grahamcook9289 10 ай бұрын

Maaate, Vlissingen is most definitely in the Netherlands and not in Belgium.

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Right, missed that, thanks for the correction.

@grahamcook9289 10 ай бұрын

@@CalibanRising Yes, interesting you missed that as you also claim to have learnt to fly in Belgium. Hmmmm.... Now let me see, what else doesn't stack up in your narrative? I suspect that if you were a spy you would soon crack under interrogation, especially if it was by the Gestapo in Prague during the Nazi occupation. Their brutality was particularly vicious and without mercy, both before and after Heydrich's assassination, Hitler's Deputy and anointed successor, the Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia, as well as the man who put Hitler's rather vague 'Final Solution' into murderous practice at the infamous Wansee Conference. The Czech traitor definitely deserved to hang.

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

@@grahamcook9289 lol. We Waloons (even the plastic kind) don't usually make it up to Flanders that often. Plenty of sky towards France. 😁

@Free_Ranger_CT110 10 ай бұрын

Incredible story, what happened to the Hurricane?

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

I believe it was lost due to Allied bombing.

@Free_Ranger_CT110 10 ай бұрын

@@CalibanRising ah OK thanks.

@mabbrey 10 ай бұрын

w/d cali

@lkjh861 10 ай бұрын

[4:52] Love your channel and not to be a nitpicker, but that gun shown shooting is a modern Glock 15/17 ~ that's a bit like telling about the cannons of Napoleon, but showing an M1A1 "Long Tom" 155 mm from WW2. When talking about WW2 always go with a Colt 1911 (US), Walther P38 (German) or Tokarev TT-33 (USSR) ~ those a probably the three most iconic guns from WW2, never can go completely wrong with those for 'generic gun ambiance'.

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the suggestion. I just had to go with what I could get this time.

@Mark-Mcloud 10 ай бұрын

Thank you for a interesting and partly sad tale. He deserved his punishment and I am sure was well aware of what would happen to him if and when he was captured. I only mention von Braun because he was spoken of. Maybe if the pilot had the same solicitor as Braun he would of been released as well. I mean the yanks would only of released Braun if he was innocent of hanging British pow’s not because he had a lot of useful information that could put the yanks on the moon. The yanks wouldn’t want that over a friendship with England the only country that burnt their White House to the ground lol. That always make me smile

@jimsnow8004 10 ай бұрын

A British raid staged from what is now Canada resulted in the burning of the building, which was painted white after repair.

@Outlier999 9 ай бұрын

Von Braun used slave labor, but he was never in charge of hanging anyone. Are you actually so naive as to believe that the Russians, French, and British didn't use ex-Nazis for a variety of purposes?

@allanokeeffe9499 9 ай бұрын

In retaliation for American troops burning Government buildings in Toronto.

@StephenDawson-ih5mm 9 ай бұрын

RAF Usworth in Sunderland is now the site of the Nissan car factory. Steve U.K.

@Siddich 10 ай бұрын

...you say there was a guy, who gave up flying a hurricane for getting 10.000 RM? Wow...that is stupid...

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Yes, this was his biggest crime 😄

@getevennow 10 ай бұрын

He should have known about the Radar ?

@warriorgaming1604 9 ай бұрын

His handler cleared it and French airfields were constantly under bombing raids

@inh92 10 ай бұрын

Censorship with the KZfaq logo 😂

@xys7536 10 ай бұрын

Anyone know the title of british documentary about counter espionage during ww2 it was on Netflix major something or about a major

@xys7536 10 ай бұрын

KZfaq use to run Germany during ww2 i never knew😉

@razvanursache9493 10 ай бұрын

Make an episode about Romanian WW2 pilots and planes.

@mrnexus8seven949 10 ай бұрын

Interesting story but I am irked that you failed to pronounce some elementary names such as "RAF Linam also in Wiltshire" (at 12:00) ... written phonetically - I was based there in the 70s and it is RAF Lyneham, pronounced "Lie nam". Come on, you should be able to do the proper pronunciation on these places, it's part of the essence of the film after all. On another note, why is historical German insignia supressed? These points really disappointed me in honesty.

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the correction. I've had a speech disorder since I was a kid, so still get tripped up sometimes. As for the blocked out Hakenkreuz, there's a reason it's been covered up with the KZfaq logo.... Thanks for watching.

@mrnexus8seven949 10 ай бұрын

@@CalibanRising Fair enough on the wording but the swastika should not be covered. It isn't on other videos, this is stupid censorship which id like to think isn't your choosing. In any case, keep up the video work, interesting stuff regardless of my personal feelings.

@madrafboy 10 ай бұрын

Same with Ouston, pronounced OO ston not Ow ston and US worth not Urs worth.

@remko2 9 ай бұрын

Vlissingen is not in Belgium ...

@CalibanRising 9 ай бұрын

thanks for the correction

@rebel4029 9 ай бұрын

Somehow I share a name with two aces mentioned in the beginning but I also share the birthday of Augustin 😂

@conceptalfa 10 ай бұрын

👍👍👍

@mmiYTB 10 ай бұрын

This pretty sums up what I know about the Přeučil from the book that was published in Czech Republic. Btw the flight of Czechoslovak biplanes in the beginning have later wartime Slovak state markings, not prewar Czechoslovakia.

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Busted! I used footage from a previous video for that scene, and as you said, it was about the Slovak Air Force during WW2.😉

@geordiedog1749 10 ай бұрын

Could he have been ordered to try and pretend to be a downed pilot to uncover resistance units?

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

This is the suggestion researcher Philip Pain (RAF Ouston Research) had. For this you'd have to assume Preucil landed at a German airfield, made contact with a handler, and then 'crash' landed in the right area. Alternatively he was told to do this when leaving the UK. Very possible, but no evidence for it so far.

@geordiedog1749 10 ай бұрын

@@CalibanRising thank you. Great video btw. A new one on me. The German attempts to infiltrate the uk were often so bad that our security services thought they were doing it on purpose to hide more ‘serious’ attempts. One spy turned up with his shirts made in Hamburg (or something like that).

@davidjones332 10 ай бұрын

Highly unlikely. Force-landing in failing light is a very good way of getting yourself killed. He could have achieved the same result more convincingly by bailing out and claiming his aircraft had been shot up. Even then, he would still have had to find a way of giving his resistance minders the slip and contacting the Germans.

@whiskey_tango_foxtrot__ 10 ай бұрын

An interesting character who would be hailed as a hero if the roles were reversed.

@grahamcook9289 10 ай бұрын

What, even though suspected of the murder of an innocent young woman and directly involved in the death of innocent Belgium civilians, whose only crime was to try to help what they thought was an Allied airman. The guy was definitely a psychopath. No hero on any side.

@gerardojereza7076 9 ай бұрын

he must have been a sudeten german

@racheltaylor6578 9 ай бұрын

He married a British woman and then abandoned her.

@Retroscoop 10 ай бұрын

Interesting, but could have been told more to the point, with far less unnecessary details. I was almost expecting we also would learn what cars he drove, which beers he preferred, what was his favorite author and female singing trio, the Boswells or the Andrews Sisters. 10-15 minutes max, with only the core of this fascinating story would have had 639 234 thumbs up by now.

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the feedback.

@robertewing3114 10 ай бұрын

You refer to the Munich Agreement but present the Anglo-German Declaration shown at Heston, two entirely different documents from Munich, and you failed to discern the meaning of either, the meaning of the PMs statement at No. 10, and Churchills criticism. In fact you miss the PMs air-craft with the Declaration, no clutching etc, rather the publicity planned and related to his secretary, fully related in biography of 1961. Stick to the failure you know about, the Czech hurricane pilot, the PM was no failure.

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the correction Robert.

@robertewing3114 10 ай бұрын

@@CalibanRising My apologies it was not exactly a good example of courteous correction, and I should have deleted the dash between air and craft in order to be more clearly referring to the PMs actions. And I am most grateful for your kind and courteous response, the facts concerning the famous piece of paper are not well known, and that is the fault of the specialist historians in the political field, not yours, and I am concerned with helping to correct that failure. My best wishes for all your future work, and if you would like to help I would be delighted to send the necessary few quotations for a short video presentation. Cheers.

@MothaLuva 10 ай бұрын

You think, by covering the swastikas they’ll go away from history..?

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Nope. But I know KZfaq will NOW allow this video to be monetized...

@andraslibal 10 ай бұрын

Anyone doing anything against the British: infamy, treachery, cold blooded opportunism. Also the British doing this to everyone else: gallantry, heroism and valour.

@CalibanRising 10 ай бұрын

Thank you for this useful input.

@leodesalis5915 9 ай бұрын

Wow its almost like a country supports its own actions in a war while condemning the enemy, this is such a cutting and intelligent observation, you should be very proud of noticing this totally unimaginable and obscure situation, give yourself a round of applause.

@thesep1967 10 ай бұрын

1:00 Aha, because the plane was displayed in Berlin, in had to be flown there! Sure. No way you can transport a plane over land. Clickbait BS.

@HootOwl513 10 ай бұрын

Not necessarily. A lot of aircraft were delivered in big crates, to be assembled in-theater.Especially single seat fighters. If the wings are detached at the wing roots, the fuselage can be lifted by crane onto a flatbed, and the wings lashed on each side. Flatbed rail car or flatbed truck, take your pick. All roads lead to Berlin, in this period.

@Eric-kn4yn 10 ай бұрын

@@HootOwl513me 109 could be transported no wings on its undercarriage

@HootOwl513 10 ай бұрын

@@Eric-kn4yn No doubt. Around the airfield at least. But to go the distance from a field in Belgium to Berlin, a flatbed is the most expeditious way. To fly to Berlin, they would have to repair the broken prop, probably rebuild the engine, and give a thorough gong thru the other systems to make it airworthy. Once in Berlin would they have bothered to re-install the broken prop? Parts for an enemy plane would be rare.