Otto Smik

Otto Smik DFC (20 January 1922 – 28 November 1944) was a Czechoslovak pilot of Slovak-Russian Jew origin who became a fighter ace in the Royal Air Force. He joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in July 1940 and was in training until the end of 1942. Between March 1943 and June 1944 he shot down 13 Luftwaffe fighter aircraft probably shot down one more and shared in the shooting down of two others. In July 1944 he shot down three V-1 flying bombs. He became the highest-scoring Slovak fighter ace in the RAF.

In October 1944 Smik survived being shot down behind enemy lines in the Netherlands, successfully evaded capture and returned to Allied-held territory. In November 1944 the RAF promoted him to Squadron Leader and put him in command of No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF. On 28 November he was shot down again over the German-held territory in the Netherlands and was killed.

Early life Smik was born in Borjomi, a spa town in the Georgian SSSR. His father Rudolf Smik was a Slovak from Tisovec who had served in the Royal Hungarian Honvéd in the First World War, been captured by the Imperial Russian Army and interned at Borjomi as a prisoner of war.

Smik's mother Antonina (née Davydova) was the daughter of a Russian Army officer (of Jewish origin) who had guarded Rudolf Smik. After the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk Rudolf and Antonina were married and the couple lived in Borjomi On 17 June he shot down another Fw 190 near Caen. Also he and another 310 Squadron pilot, F/O František Vindiš, shared in shooting down another one. On 26 October 2010 a bust of Smik was unveiled at the headquarters of the "Combined Wing of General Otto Smik, Sliač". There is an annual air show at Sliač. Since 2012 it has included a "Best display Smik Trophy".

In Bratislava there is a bronze plaque commemorating Smik designed by the sculptor Milan Struhárik. In March 1992 a plaque was unveiled at the farm at Blooksteed in the Netherlands where Smik crashed and died.

Three streets are named after Smik: "Otto Smikstraat" in Zwolle, "Smikova" in the Černý Most suburb of Prague and "Smikova" in Bratislava.

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