Alois Šiška

Alois Šiška (15 May 1914 – 9 September 2003) was a Czechoslovak pilot. He flew for No. 311 Squadron RAF, a Czechoslovak bomber squadron during World War II. Šiška and his crew crashed in the North Sea; half died before they drifted to enemy-occupied land. The survivors became prisoners of war. He was a decorated veteran and a member of the Guinea Pig Club, an association that focused on the treatment, rehabilitation and socialization of airmen who suffered serious injuries in the war.

Early life Šiška was born in Lutopecny near Kroměříž in 1914. His family had a small farm, and he was one of three children. However, he became an apprentice locksmith and later a mechanical engineer. He then joined the Bata Aviation Factory in Otrokovice. He would later earn a reward of 5000 crowns for his improvement proposal for the Zlin Z-XII aircraft, but he preferred pilot training. In September 1936, aged 22, he passed the pilot tests for tourist aircraft. He entered military service and decided to become a military pilot. He mastered combat training, served in aviation units and in September 1938 was at the field airport in Ivanovice among the prepared crews. The planes dropped parcels full of resources, but due to the rough sea, the crew members did not dare go into the water to retrieve the packages. Due to poor health and no help in sight, Šiška and the crew members contemplated suicide He was briefly recalled to military service in 1968, but released in 1970 due to health issues. He was completely rehabilitated in 1989 and was allowed back to Prague. On 3 May 1995, he was appointed major general.

Šiška authored the book No Response KX-B.

He died in Prague on 9 September 2003.

A list of all his awards/medals:

Order of the White Lion, Class I military group Order of the White Lion, III. Class Military Group, awarded September 28, 2003, in memoriam Order of Milan Rastislav Štefánik, III. class awarded 1991 Cross of Merit of the Minister of Defense of the Czech Republic I. degree Czechoslovak War Cross 1939–1945 (four awards) Czechoslovak Medal for Valor before the enemy Czechoslovak Military Medal of Merit, 1st Grade Order of the Red Star