Moonlight Flyer

Please note that it is an English edition of John Gellner's story published in Czech already in 2009 as "Letec po hvězdách".

From the publisher's press release:

The unique diary of a Czechoslovakian navigator who served with No. 311 (Czechoslovak) Bomber Squadron during the Second World War

  •   This previously unpublished diary gives a unique insight into the life of an airman during his first two years of the Second World War
  •   Many of the unpublished photographs are from the only Czechoslovakian squadron within RAF Bomber Command
  •   Complete biographies of all thirty-seven Allied observer students trained in the first air observer course run by the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan in Canada 

One   of   the   many   wartime   airmen   who   documented   his   day-to-day experiences  in  a  diary  was  RCAF  navigator  John  Gellner.  Prior  to  the outbreak of the Second World War, Gellner was a lawyer practising in the Czechoslovak town of Brno. With the outbreak of war in Europe, he fled to Canada  and  trained  as  an  air  observer  on  the  first  course  of  the  fledgling British  Commonwealth  Air  Training  Plan.  Gellner  began  his  operational tour with No. 311 ‘Czechoslovak’ (B) Squadron flying the venerable Vickers Wellington. It did not take long for Gellner’s  abilities to shine, especially as an  instructor  in  astronavigation.  For  his  role  in  the  attack  on  the  heavy cruiser  Prinz Eugen,  Gellner  received  the  coveted  DFC.  After  thirty-seven operations over France and Germany, he was selected for pilot training in Canada. During his post-war service with the RCAF, he had a distinguished career as an administrative officer, retiring in 1958. Now a civilian, Gellner turned  to  writing  and  became  one  of  Canada’s  most  knowledgeable  and sought after aviation and military affairs journalists.

  • Hardback: 256 pages
  • Illustrations: 66 B&W photos + 2 B&W maps
  • Publisher: Fonthill Media
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1781555095
  • ISBN-13: 978-1781555095
  • Product Dimensions: 156 x 234 mm

 

The book is available at the publisher's e-shop Fonthill Media and also at other e-shops worlwide.

The book is available also as an electronic book -  Kindle Edition.

Reviews on Amazon.com.

I am proud that my latest book has been announced in the newspaper of the Czech and Slovak Community in Toronto.

It is called Nový domov and the article can be found online in the Issue 15/2016 on page 10. Please be patient as this is direct link to the full PDF (4 MB).

 

 


News

15/11/2018 21:33

Talk about Sgt Otakar Janůj

Short info with few photos has been added into section Talks about the talk "Sgt Otakar Janůj, 311 Squadron wireless operator" given at Municipal Library of Prague, Opatov Branch, on 15. 11. 2018  

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05/11/2018 12:48

Invitation to talk on 15.11.2018 added

Invitation to talk on 15.11.2018 in Prague-Opatov library added to main page. Theme - Czechoslovak airmen in the RAF with alignment on 311 Squadron and mostly on Wireless Operator Sgt Otakar Janůj.

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02/11/2018 17:19

Page "Poslední let Wellingtonu T2624" - updated

Page of book Poslední let Wellingtonu T2624 has been updated - added link to Slavičínský zpravodaj where an article about Otakar Jnůj has been published.

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02/11/2018 16:04

Photo appeal page updated

Thanks to help of this website visitors we were able to obtained photos of 3 Czechoslovak airmen whose faces were uknown to us and the list has been shortened. If you can help us with some more photos of airmen from the list please contact us on the...

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01/11/2018 08:41

Riders in the Sky 1945 - details

The Book "Riders in the Sky 1945" included in new B-24 kit by Eduard has been released, more details on separate page Riders in the Sky 1945

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