Early Life and Wartime Service
František Burda was born in February 1915 in Osik, then part of Czechoslovakia. He began his military aviation career during the war in France, where he served with Groupe de Chasse I./4.
Combat in the RAF
Burda later relocated to Great Britain to continue his fight against the Axis powers. From October 15, 1940, he was a member of the 310th Squadron. During his service, he flew various aircraft including the Curtis Hawk H.75C.1 (No. 212, “red 3”), Hawker Hurricane Mk.I, Hawker Hurricane Mk.II, Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VB (AB257, NN-V), and Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VC (EP287, NN-X).
Throughout the war, Burda was credited with shooting down one enemy aircraft personally and one shared victory. His known victories include a shared kill of a Bf-109 on June 5, 1940, at 7:15 AM, while flying the H.75C.1, and a solo kill of another Bf-109 on June 6, 1940, at 8:00 PM, also in the H.75C.1.
Prisoner of War and Post-War Life
On February 27, 1943, František Burda was shot down and subsequently taken as a prisoner of war, enduring internment in several different camps. He was finally liberated in May 1945 at the war’s end. After the conflict, he returned to Czechoslovakia, where he remained until his death in 1988 at the age of 73.