284:
39:
171:
who achieved five aerial victories during the Battle of France. He later served as commander of No. 312 Squadron of the United
Kingdom's Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain, and as deputy commander of the 1st Czechoslovak Fighter Air Regiment during the Slovak National Uprising.
349:
The following year, Klán and his family left
Czechoslovakia, eventually settling in the United States where he anglicized his name to John Kent. As John Kent, Klán worked for a government services firm and, then, for
681:
676:
548:
323:
Following the conclusion of hostilities, Klán returned to the reconstituted
Czechoslovakia. He married on 11 August 1945. In 1948, he was made
378:
214:
Klán was engaged to Václava—daughter of the popular Czech romance novelist Vlasta Javořická—in 1939, shortly before the dissolution of the
661:
581:
671:
445:
506:
308:
666:
365:
by
Czechoslovakia. An effort in the later 1990s by Czech aviation enthusiasts to have Klán posthumously invested into the
304:
219:
105:
343:
656:
241:
478:
Bartušek, Petr (2017). "Vlasta Javořická: Životní osudy spisovatelky a její rodiny v kontextu "Vítězného února"".
354:
as a sales manager variously posted to the company's offices in Brazil, Argentina, and
Switzerland. He retired to
336:
276:
230:
Klán left the Czech lands for Poland in May 1939 and, from there, to France where he briefly served in the
208:
200:
245:
215:
287:
A Hawk 75 in the livery of the Groupe de Chasse II/5, with which Klán served during the Battle of France
523:
362:
312:
94:
366:
248:, on 23 April 1940, Klán became the first Czech pilot to register an aerial victory against the
556:
332:
404:
Klán "served the United States government in sensitive positions in Europe and South
America".
196:
66:
283:
231:
176:
151:
651:
646:
259:
236:
8:
262:. He became a fighter ace after achieving an additional four aerial victories during the
617:
590:
399:
324:
502:
307:. He later moved to the USSR where he was made deputy commander of the Soviet-backed
204:
267:
263:
135:
355:
300:
140:
83:
351:
296:
292:
640:
612:
38:
328:
168:
125:
164:
115:
311:, which provided combat aviation support to insurgent forces during the
250:
207:
before transferring to the newly formed air wing of the
Czechoslovak
327:
and assigned as military attaché to the
Czechoslovak embassy in the
180:
450:
255:
346:, Klán was dismissed from the armed forces in February 1949.
299:
and volunteered with Czech and Slovak expatriates serving the
331:. He later returned to Czechoslovakia to take command of the
682:
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France)
203:. He entered service with the aviation corps of the
369:was rejected by authorities of the Czech Republic.
342:Due to changing political conditions following the
218:and the establishment of the German-administered
163:(22 January 1911 – 10 December 1986) was a Czech
638:
677:Czechoslovak military personnel of World War II
295:, Klán made his way to the United Kingdom via
379:List of World War II aces from Czechoslovakia
179:, Klán moved to the United States during the
549:"Departure Abroad – via the USSR and France"
361:In 1991, Klán was posthumously promoted to
199:and graduated from the military academy in
266:, for which he would be invested into the
37:
575:
573:
477:
282:
439:
437:
435:
433:
431:
429:
427:
425:
423:
421:
175:The son-in-law of the romance novelist
639:
579:
521:
496:
473:
471:
469:
443:
570:
515:
444:Burian, Vladislav (30 January 2011).
309:1st Czechoslovak Fighter Air Regiment
418:
397:According to a paid obituary in the
605:
466:
305:No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF
220:Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
106:No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF
13:
524:"Fighters With No Chance to Fight"
337:České Budějovice Military Airfield
14:
693:
446:"Válečný stíhací pilot Jan Klán"
274:(knight) and decorated with the
242:Groupe de Chasse II/5 La Fayette
672:Knights of the Legion of Honour
225:
541:
522:Fojtík, Jakub (30 July 2019).
490:
391:
187:. He died in Tucson, Arizona.
1:
499:P-36 Hawk Aces of World War 2
411:
344:1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état
333:Czechoslovak Army Air Command
318:
190:
7:
667:People from Tucson, Arizona
372:
246:Toul-Croix de Metz Airfield
216:First Czechoslovak Republic
183:and anglicized his name to
10:
698:
662:People from Havlíčkův Brod
501:. Bloomsbury. p. 34.
589:(PhD thesis) (in Czech).
147:
131:
121:
111:
101:
90:
73:
53:
45:
36:
23:
657:World War II flying aces
384:
313:Slovak National uprising
258:and the first to down a
497:Persyn, Lionel (2012).
367:Order of the White Lion
16:Czech pilot (1911–1986)
580:Polley, Ivana (2012).
557:Royal Air Force Museum
288:
303:, briefly commanding
286:
232:French Foreign Legion
195:Jan Klán was born in
260:Messerschmitt Bf 109
613:"Kent, John Joseph"
234:before joining the
30:Chevalier de France
621:. 13 December 1986
618:Arizona Daily Star
591:Charles University
583:Návrat do emigrace
480:Theatrum Historiae
400:Arizona Daily Star
325:lieutenant colonel
289:
240:. Flying with the
508:978-1-78200-849-1
358:, where he died.
205:Czechoslovak Army
158:
157:
69:, Austria-Hungary
689:
631:
630:
628:
626:
609:
603:
602:
600:
598:
588:
577:
568:
567:
565:
563:
553:rafmuseum.org.uk
545:
539:
538:
536:
534:
519:
513:
512:
494:
488:
487:
475:
464:
463:
461:
459:
441:
405:
395:
268:Legion of Honour
264:Battle of France
177:Vlasta Javořická
152:Vlasta Javořická
136:Legion of Honour
80:
77:10 December 1986
63:
61:
41:
21:
20:
697:
696:
692:
691:
690:
688:
687:
686:
637:
636:
635:
634:
624:
622:
611:
610:
606:
596:
594:
586:
578:
571:
561:
559:
547:
546:
542:
532:
530:
520:
516:
509:
495:
491:
476:
467:
457:
455:
442:
419:
414:
409:
408:
396:
392:
387:
375:
356:Tucson, Arizona
321:
301:Royal Air Force
277:Croix de Guerre
270:at the rank of
228:
193:
154:(mother-in-law)
141:Croix de Guerre
138:
86:, United States
84:Tucson, Arizona
82:
78:
65:
64:22 January 1911
59:
57:
32:
27:
26:
17:
12:
11:
5:
695:
685:
684:
679:
674:
669:
664:
659:
654:
649:
633:
632:
604:
569:
540:
514:
507:
489:
465:
416:
415:
413:
410:
407:
406:
389:
388:
386:
383:
382:
381:
374:
371:
352:Piper Aircraft
320:
317:
297:French Algeria
293:Fall of France
237:Armée de l'air
227:
224:
192:
189:
156:
155:
149:
145:
144:
133:
129:
128:
123:
119:
118:
113:
112:Known for
109:
108:
103:
99:
98:
92:
88:
87:
81:(aged 75)
75:
71:
70:
55:
51:
50:
47:
43:
42:
34:
33:
28:
24:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
694:
683:
680:
678:
675:
673:
670:
668:
665:
663:
660:
658:
655:
653:
650:
648:
645:
644:
642:
620:
619:
614:
608:
593:. p. 154
592:
585:
584:
576:
574:
558:
554:
550:
544:
529:
525:
518:
510:
504:
500:
493:
485:
481:
474:
472:
470:
453:
452:
447:
440:
438:
436:
434:
432:
430:
428:
426:
424:
422:
417:
403:
401:
394:
390:
380:
377:
376:
370:
368:
364:
359:
357:
353:
347:
345:
340:
338:
334:
330:
326:
316:
314:
310:
306:
302:
298:
294:
285:
281:
279:
278:
273:
269:
265:
261:
257:
253:
252:
247:
243:
239:
238:
233:
223:
221:
217:
212:
210:
206:
202:
198:
188:
186:
182:
178:
173:
170:
166:
162:
153:
150:
146:
143:
142:
137:
134:
130:
127:
124:
120:
117:
114:
110:
107:
104:
100:
96:
93:
89:
85:
76:
72:
68:
56:
52:
48:
46:Other name(s)
44:
40:
35:
31:
22:
19:
623:. Retrieved
616:
607:
595:. Retrieved
582:
560:. Retrieved
552:
543:
531:. Retrieved
527:
517:
498:
492:
483:
482:(in Czech).
479:
456:. Retrieved
449:
398:
393:
360:
348:
341:
329:Soviet Union
322:
290:
275:
271:
249:
235:
229:
226:World War II
213:
197:Německý Brod
194:
184:
174:
169:World War II
160:
159:
139:
126:World War II
122:Battles/wars
97:(posthumous)
79:(1986-12-10)
67:Německý Brod
29:
18:
652:1986 deaths
647:1911 births
533:21 February
209:Gendarmerie
165:fighter ace
116:Fighter ace
641:Categories
454:(in Czech)
412:References
319:Later life
291:After the
191:Early life
60:1911-01-22
528:Aerospace
272:Chevalier
251:Luftwaffe
244:based at
185:John Kent
148:Relations
49:John Kent
625:13 April
597:13 April
562:13 April
458:13 April
373:See also
181:Cold War
161:Jan Klán
102:Commands
25:Jan Klán
363:colonel
256:Hawk 75
254:in the
201:Hranice
95:Colonel
505:
132:Awards
587:(PDF)
451:Deník
385:Notes
627:2024
599:2024
564:2024
535:2024
503:ISBN
460:2024
91:Rank
74:Died
54:Born
339:.
335:'s
280:.
211:.
167:of
643::
615:.
572:^
555:.
551:.
526:.
484:20
468:^
448:.
420:^
315:.
222:.
629:.
601:.
566:.
537:.
511:.
486:.
462:.
402:,
62:)
58:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
