Czechoslovak airmen in the 1939 Polish campaign

Following the occupation of Czech lands and before the outbreak of World War II, hundreds of Czechoslovak airmen and infantrymen traveled to neighboring Poland. By the end of August 1939, approximately 675 to 690 airmen had arrived in Poland.

While nearly 500 of these airmen were transported by ship to France to establish a base for foreign resistance, about 190 airmen—roughly 28% of the total—remained in Poland. The Czechoslovak Foreign Military Group had been established in Krakow on April 30, 1939.

Initially, Polish authorities were hesitant to host armed Czechoslovak units to avoid provoking Nazi Germany. However, as the international situation worsened in August 1939, Poland expressed interest in military specialists, particularly pilots. Lt. Col. Ludvík Svoboda noted that a portion of the airmen remained in the Polish Army to provide instructional duties and support the Polish Air Force in exchange for asylum and organizational support.