Description
He was in the Army Air Corps as an Air Mechanic and Crew Chief for about a year. He became qualified to enter Aviation Cadet Training and was later commissioned as Second Lt. and received his pilot's wings.
On Feb. 4, 1944, he and his B-17 crew were shot down over Holland on a bombing raid to Frankfurt, Germany. He and his crew were captured when they had to crash land near Eindhoven, Holland. Mr. Stehlik and his crew were taken to an interrogation center in the very same city they were to bomb the day before. After 11 tense days at the interrogation center, Stehlik's crew was sent to Stalag Luft I at Barth, Germany. He was held as a POW until liberation by Russian troops on April 30, 1945.
Links
- http://www.ww2pow.info/index.php?page=directory&rec=117772
- http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=124224789
- https://www.fold3.com/page/84572434-irvin-f-stehlik
Photos
Irvin Frank Stehlik
Personal information
| Gender | Man |
| Date of Birth | 04/24/1919 |
| Date of Death | 08/18/1997 |
| Place of Birth | Wilber, Saline County, NE |
| Place of Death | Wilber, Saline County, NE |
| Immigration | Grandchild to at least one Czech-born grandparent. |
| Could speak Czech | Not identified |
| Parents | Joseph Stehlik and Mary (Nemec) Stehlik (later remarried Otto Kvasnicka) |
Military information
| Area of War | Europe |
| Rank | 2Lt. |
| Branch | Air force |
| Detail of Service | 401st Squadron, 91st Bombardment Group |
| Prisoner of War |