Izidor Kovárik (29 March 1917 – 11 July 1944) was a

fighter pilot A fighter pilot or combat pilot is a Military aviation, military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, Air-to-ground weaponry, air-to-ground combat and sometimes Electronic-warfare aircraft, electronic warfare while in the cockpit of ...

in the

Czechoslovak Air Force The Czechoslovak Air Force (''Československé letectvo'') or the Czechoslovak Army Air Force (''Československé vojenské letectvo'') was the air force branch of the Czechoslovak Army formed in October 1918. The armed forces of Czechoslovakia c ...

(1938–1939) and

Slovak Air Force The Slovak Air Force, known since 2002 as the Air Force of the Armed Forces of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic (), is the aviation and air defense branch of the Military of Slovakia, Slovak Armed Forces. Operating 15 aircraft and 18 helicopters fro ...

(1939–1944) who became a

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

on the Eastern Front in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He became Slovakia's second-highest scoring fighter ace, shooting down 28 Soviet aircraft and probably one more. He was killed in an aircraft accident in 1944.

Early life

Kovárik was born in 1917 in

Kopčany Kopčany ( or ; ) is a municipality and village in the Trnava Region of Slovakia. It lies near the border with the Czech Republic. History The oldest historical records to mention Kopčany date from 1392. However, the village is much older. In t ...

, a village in what was then the

Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen The Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen (), informally Transleithania (meaning the lands or region "beyond" the Leitha River), were the Hungarian territories of Austria-Hungary, throughout the latter's entire existence (30 March 1867 – 16 ...

, near the border with

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

. Kovárik joined the Czechoslovak Air Force in April 1938, and was posted to flying school at

Spišská Nová Ves Spišská Nová Ves (; ; ) is a town in the Košice Region of Slovakia. The town is located southeast of the High Tatras in the Spiš region, and lies on both banks of the Hornád River. It is the biggest town of the Spišská Nová Ves Distric ...

in eastern

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

SVZ service

In March 1939

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

partitioned Czechoslovakia and made the

Slovak Republic Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's ...

client state A client state in the context of international relations is a State (polity), state that is economically, politically, and militarily subordinated to a more powerful controlling state. Alternative terms for a ''client state'' are satellite state, ...

. Kovárik continued his training with Slovakia's new air force (SVZ) and qualified in November 1939. In December he was posted to the 11th Fighter Squadron, which was equipped with Avia B-534 fighter

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

s. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, Slovakia joined the war on the German side. Kovárik's squadron remained stationed near

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

until November, when it was posted to

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. In October 1942 he flew a Praga E-241 as a courier pilot. Ondřej Ďumbala, leader of the 13th Fighter Squadron, noted Kovárik's talent and recommended him for further training. In November and December 1942 Kovárik was trained to fly the German Messerschmitt Bf 109E monoplane fighter. He shot down his first Soviet aircraft in January 1943. By March he had shot down 11 aircraft, been shot down once but survived. Germany awarded him the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

Second Class. Kovárik later flew missions over the

Kuban River The Kuban is a river in Russia that flows through the Western Caucasus and drains into the Sea of Azov. The Kuban runs mostly through Krasnodar Krai for , but also in the Karachay–Cherkess Republic, Stavropol Krai and the Republic of Adygea. ...

and

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

. He had won 28 confirmed victories by July 1943, when he was recalled to Slovakia. In February 1944 he began to be trained on the more modern Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6.

Death

In April 1944 Kovárik was posted to Sliač Airbase in central Slovakia as a flying instructor. On 11 July he was training a young pilot, Ladislav Ciprian, in a

Gotha Go 145 The Gotha Go 145 is a German World War II-era biplane of wood and fabric construction used by ''Luftwaffe'' training units. Although obsolete by the start of World War II, the Go 145 remained in operational service until the end of the War in Eu ...

biplane. When the aircraft was at an altitude of one of its port wings broke. Both Kovárik and Ciprian baled out, but the cords of their

parachute A parachute is a device designed to slow an object's descent through an atmosphere by creating Drag (physics), drag or aerodynamic Lift (force), lift. It is primarily used to safely support people exiting aircraft at height, but also serves va ...

s became caught in the aircraft's rudder. The Gotha crashed east of

Zvolen Zvolen (; ; ) is a city in central Slovakia, situated on the confluence of Hron and Slatina rivers. It is famous for several historical and cultural attractions. It is surrounded by Poľana mountain from the East, by Kremnické vrchy from the ...

, killing both men.

Achievements and awards

Kovárik was Slovakia's second-highest-scoring fighter ace of the Second World War. Only Ján Režňák won more victories than he. Kovárik was awarded Nazi Germany's second-highest decoration: the

German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repeated acts of bravery or military leade ...

in Gold. He was also awarded the '' Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe'', Iron Cross First Class and

Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe The Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe () was a World War II German military decoration awarded to aircrew and certain other Luftwaffe personnel in recognition of the number of operational flights flown. It was instituted by '' Reichsmarschall'' ...

in addition to his earlier Iron Cross Second Class. The Slovak Republic awarded him its ''Za Zasluhy'' ("For Merit") medal, second and third class, War Victory Cross Order sixth class and ''Pamätný odznak Za ťaženie proti ZSSR'' ("Commemorative medal for the struggle against the USSR") first class.

References

This article incorporates CC-BY-SA text from translation of Izidor Kovárik in Slovak Wikipedia o
8 November 2017

Notes

Bibliography

External links

* – short film of Ján Režňák and Izidor Kovárik being awarded the

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kovarik, Izidor 1917 births 1944 deaths People from Trnava District Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Iron Cross (1939), 1st class Recipients of the Iron Cross (1939), 2nd class Slovak aviators Slovak collaborators with Nazi Germany Slovak military personnel of World War II Czechoslovak military personnel killed in World War II World War II flying aces