Monument to RAF Czechoslovak squadrons Prague - Ruzyně, War memorial at Ruzyně Airport district, Czech Republic.
The Monument to the 70th Anniversary of the Return of Czechoslovak RAF Squadrons stands in a small park by Terminal 3 of Václav Havel Airport Prague in Ruzyně. Its core is a reinforced-concrete structure about 2.5 m high, four vertical pylons joined by a shared horizontal top, clad entirely in polished granite with inward-bevelled edges. The outline suggests a triumphal arch or an open door back to the homeland.
The memorial was unveiled on 24 August 2015 in a small park by the old Ruzyně airport terminal (Terminal 3). It marks the return on 13 August 1945 of Czech and Slovak airmen of the four Czechoslovak RAF squadrons — 310, 311, 312 and 313 — more than three months after the war's end. The design is by architect Martin Zajíček of Slaný, and the Society of Patriots of Slaný led the project.
The memorial's glass panel bears sandblasted silhouettes of two Spitfire fighters, the type flown by the Czechoslovak squadrons. The four squadron insignia are mounted on the pylons, and the inscription reads "NÁVRAT ČESKOSLOVENSKÝCH PERUTÍ RAF – SRPEN 1945". The design by architect Martin Zajíček was promoted by the Společnost patriotů Slaného.
The memorial is located in the Ruzyně district and is easily accessible by public transportation, particularly bus routes serving the airport area. Parking is available nearby for those arriving by car.
The memorial's front bears the insignia of all four Czechoslovak RAF squadrons: 310 and 312 Fighter Squadrons, formed at Duxford on 12 July and 5 September 1940, 311 Bomber Squadron, formed at Honington on 29 July 1940, and 313 Fighter Squadron. A pilot's badge sits above the inscription "NÁVRAT ČESKOSLOVENSKÝCH PERUTÍ RAF – SRPEN 1945".
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