Jan Ambrus

2024-11-27T16:27:16Z

82.78.85.10:

{{more citations needed|date=November 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
|name= Ján Ambruš
|image=Ján Ambruš (Letectví, no. 5, 1937).png
|caption=
|nickname=
|birth_date= {{Birth date|1899|05|19|df=yes}}
|death_date= {{Death date and age|1994|01|02|1899|05|19|df=yes}}
|birth_place= Gorna Mitropolia, [[Kingdom of Bulgaria|Bulgaria]]
|death_place= [[Chicago, Illinois,]] USA
|placeofburial= [[Slávičie údolie cemetery]], Bratislava
|allegiance= [[File:Flag of Austria-Hungary (1867-1918).svg|22px]] [[Austria-Hungary]] [[File:Flag of the Czech Republic.svg|22px]] [[First Czechoslovak Republic|Czechoslovakia]] [[File:Flag of France.svg|22px]] [[French Third Republic|France]] [[File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg|22px]] [[United Kingdom]] [[File:Flag of the Czech Republic.svg|22px]] [[Third Czechoslovak Republic|Czechoslovakia]]
|branch= [[Royal Hungarian Honvéd]] 
[[Czechoslovak Army]] 
[[Czechoslovak Air Force]] 
[[French Air Force]] 
[[Royal Air Force]] 
Czechoslovak Air Force
|serviceyears= 1918–48
|rank= [[Brigadier general|Brigadier-General]]
|servicenumber= 81883 (RAF)
|unit= [[No. 310 Squadron RAF]] 
[[No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF|No. 312 Squadron RAF]]
|commands= No. 312 Squadron RAF
|battles=
{{tree list}}
* [[Second World War]]
** [[Battle of France]]
** [[Battle of Britain]]
{{tree list/end}}
|awards= [[Milan Rastislav Stefanik Order]], 3rd class 
[[Czechoslovak War Cross 1939–1945|Czechoslovak War Cross]] 
''Československá medaile Za chrabrost před nepřítelem'' 
''Československá medaile za zásluhy'', 1st Class 
''Pamětní medaile československé armády v zahraničí'' 
[[Order of the British Empire#Current classes|Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] 
[[1939–1945 Star]] with [[Battle of Britain]] clasp 
[[Defence Medal (United Kingdom)|Defence Medal]] 
[[War Medal 1939–1945]]
[[Order of the Crown (Romania)|Order of the Crown]], 5th Class
|relations=
|laterwork= [[design engineer]]
}}

'''Ján Ambruš''', [[Order of the British Empire#Current classes|OBE]] (19 May 1899 – 2 January 1994) was a [[Slovaks|Slovak]] [[aerobatics]] and [[fighter pilot]]. He flew with the [[French Air Force]] in the [[Battle of France]] and the [[Royal Air Force]] in the [[Battle of Britain]]. After the Communist takeover of [[Third Czechoslovak Republic|Czechoslovakia]] he escaped and settled in the US, where he worked as a [[design engineer]].

==Early life==
Ambruš was born on 9 May 1899 in Gorna Mitropolia (Горна Митрополия) in the [[Pleven Province|Plevenska Oblast]] of northern [[Kingdom of Bulgaria|Bulgaria]]. His parents belonged to a [[Czechs and Slovaks in Bulgaria|Slovak community]] that was invited to settle in Bulgaria after its [[Liberation of Bulgaria|liberation from the Ottoman Empire]] in 1878.{{citation needed|date= August 2023}}

In the [[World War I|First World War]] Ambruš studied at the [[Kingdom of Hungary|Hungarian]] [[Ludovica Academy|Ludovica Military Academy]] in [[Budapest]].{{citation needed|date=March 2019}} He graduated in 1919 after the founding of the [[First Czechoslovak Republic]] and was commissioned into the [[Czechoslovak Army]] as an officer.<ref name=Valka>{{cite web |url= http://en.valka.cz/topic/view/35783/Ambrus-Jan-K- |title=Ambruš, Ján |date=7 January 2011 |publisher=Valka |language=cs }}</ref>

In 1925 Ambruš transferred to the [[Czechoslovak Air Force]]. He became a successful pilot who won awards at aerobatic competitions, including at [[Vincennes]] in 1934, and at the [[1936 Summer Olympics]]. In 1938 he commanded the Czechoslovak Air Force Test Group in Prague{{citation needed|date=March 2012}} and flew the [[Tatra T.101]] on its record-breaking flight from [[Prague]] to [[Khartoum]], [[Anglo-Egyptian Sudan|Sudan]].<ref name=Aeroplane0412>{{cite magazine |title=Moravian Silverwing. The rebirth of Tatra's Khartoum Flyer |first1=Stefan |last1=Degraef |first2=Edwin |last2=Borremans |magazine=[[Aeroplane (magazine)|Aeroplane]] |issue=April 2012 |pages=28–32 |publisher=Kelsey Publishing |location=Cudham |issn=0143-7240}}</ref>

==Second World War==
In 1939 Ambruš was made a squadron commander in Prague. He escaped the [[German occupation of Czechoslovakia]] ''via'' [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] to [[French Third Republic|France]], where he worked for the [[Czechoslovak government-in-exile]] and then fought in the [[Battle of France]]. When [[Armistice of 22 June 1940|France capitulated to Germany]] Ambruš was [[Operation Aerial|evacuated by ship]] from [[Bordeaux]] to [[Falmouth, Cornwall|Falmouth]] in England.{{citation needed|date= August 2023}}

Ambruš was commissioned into the [[Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve]] as a [[Pilot officer|Pilot Officer]]. On 12 July 1940 he was posted [[No. 310 Squadron RAF]] at [[Duxford Aerodrome|RAF Duxford]] in [[Cambridgeshire]]. He converted to the [[Hawker Hurricane variants#Hurricane Mk I|Hawker Hurricane Mk I]] fighter in August 1940 at No. 6 [[List of Royal Air Force Operational Training Units|Operational Training Unit]] at [[RAF Sutton Bridge]] in [[Lincolnshire]]. He was then posted back to Duxford to the newly formed [[No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF]], and on 10 September took command as [[Squadron leader|Squadron Leader]].{{citation needed|date= August 2023}}

On 11 October Ambruš led a patrol of several Hurricane Mk I fighters that helped a [[Flight (military unit)|flight]] from [[No. 611 Squadron RAF]] to shoot down a ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' [[Dornier Do 17#Dornier Do 17Z: The main variant|Dornier Do 17 Z-3]] of I/[[Kampfgruppe]] 606 between [[Prestatyn]] in Wales and [[Chester]] in England. The other 312 Squadron pilots who took part in the victory were Josef Jaške, Josef Keprt, Frank Tyson and [[Alois Vašátko]].<ref name=Šafařík>{{cite web |url= http://aces.safarikovi.org/biography/cz/cz/ambrus.html |last=Šafařík |first=Jan Josef |title=Ján K. Ambruš |work=Air Aces |language=cs |date=7 April 2010 }}</ref>

Two days later Ambruš again led a flight of three Hurricane Mk I fighters on patrol. The other two pilots in the flight were Harry Comerford and [[Josef Stehlík]]. Over the [[Irish Sea]] Ambruš mistakenly led the flight to attack two [[Bristol Blenheim#Variants|Bristol Blenheim Mk IF]] [[light bomber]]s of [[No. 29 Squadron RAF]]. One Blenheim, L6637, code letters RO-S, crashed into the sea off [[Point of Ayre]] on the [[Isle of Man]] and not far from the [[Morecambe Bay]] [[Lightvessel|light ship]]. All three of its were killed. The other Blenheim, L7135, code letters RO-S, survived with minor damage and returned safely to [[RAF Ternhill]] in [[Shropshire]] with its crew unharmed.<ref name=Šafařík/>

On 17 December as a result of the [[friendly fire]] incident Ambruš was relieved of his command of 312 Squadron. He was transferred to the Inspectorate-General of the Czechoslovak Air Force in London, where he worked until the end of 1941. In 1942 he was promoted to [[Wing commander (rank)|Wing Commander]] and posted to [[Canada]], where he was Air Attaché at the Czechoslovak Embassy in [[Ottawa]] till the end of war.{{citation needed|date= August 2023}}

==Post-war life==
After the war Ambruš returned to [[Third Czechoslovak Republic|Czechoslovakia]] was made commander of the 4th Aviation military wing.

After the Communist [[1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état]] Ambruš escaped to the UK. He emigrated to the United States and settled in [[Chicago]]. He worked as a design engineer, planning for highways, airports, air-pollution control systems and chemical plants.

In 1985 Ambruš moved to the Bohemian Home for the Aged in Chicago. He died there on 2 January 1994.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.chicagotribune.com/1994/01/25/gen-jan-ambrus-94-was-a-hero-of-czech-air-force/ |last=Heise |first=Kenan |title=Gen. Jan Ambrus, 94 |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=25 January 1994 }}</ref> After his death his remains were taken to [[Slovakia]] and buried in the [[Slávičie údolie cemetery]] in [[Bratislava]].<ref name=Valka/>

==Honours and awards==
Czechoslovakia, France, Britain and [[Kingdom of Romania|Romania]] all awarded medals to Ambruš. His decorations include:<ref name=Šafařík/>
:[[File:TCH Rad M-R-Stefanika 3tr BAR.svg|60px]] [[Milan Rastislav Stefanik Order]], third class
:[[File:Czechoslovak War Cross 1939-1945 Ribbon.png|60px]] [[Czechoslovak War Cross 1939–1945]]
:[[File:TCH CS Medaile Za chrabrost pred nepritelem BAR.svg|60px]] ''Československá medaile Za chrabrost před nepřítelem'' ("Bravery in Face of the Enemy")
:[[File:TCH CS voj med Za zasluhy hvezda ribbon.svg|60px]] ''Československá medaile za zásluhy, 1. stupně'' ("Medal of Merit, First Class")
:[[File:TCH CS voj pametni medaile (F-VB) BAR.svg|60px]] ''Pamětní medaile československé armády v zahraničí'' ("Commemorative Medal of the Czechoslovak Army Abroad") with France and Great Britain bars
:[[File:Order of the British Empire (Military) Ribbon.png|60px]] [[Order of the British Empire#Current classes|Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE)
:[[File:1939-45 Star & Battle of Britain clasp.png|60px]] [[1939–1945 Star]] with Battle of Britain [[Medal bar|clasp]]
:[[File:Defence Medal BAR.svg|60px]] [[Defence Medal (United Kingdom)|Defence Medal]]
:[[File:Ribbon - War Medal.png|60px]] [[War Medal 1939–1945]]
:[[File:ROM Order of the Crown of Romania 1932 Knight BAR.svg|60px]] [[Order of the Crown (Romania)|Order of the Crown]], Fifth Class

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
*{{cite book |last=Brown |first=Alan |year=2000 |title=Airmen in Exile, The Allied Air Forces in WWII |place=Stroud |publisher=[[The History Press|Sutton Publishing]] |isbn=0-7509-2012-2}}

==External links==
*{{cite web |url= https://fcafa.com/2013/03/01/the-bata-raf-airmen/ |last=Nash |first=John |title=The Bata RAF Airmen |work=Free Czechoslovak Air Force |date=1 March 2013}}
*{{cite web |url= https://fcafa.com/2011/02/13/they-flew-to-freedom-1948/ |title=They Flew to Exile 1948 |work=Free Czechoslovak Air Force |date=13 February 2011}}
*{{cite web |url= https://fcafa.com/2013/12/06/aviation-training-in-czechoslovakia-1919-1939/ |title=Aviation training in Czechoslovakia 1919 – 1939 |work=Free Czechoslovak Air Force |date=6 December 2013}}
*{{cite web |url= https://fcafa.com/2015/01/25/british-medals-awarded-to-czechoslovak-airmen-in-ww2/ |title=British Medals awarded to Czechoslovak airmen in WW2 |work=Free Czechoslovak Air Force |date=25 January 2015}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ambrus, Jan}}
[[Category:1899 births]]
[[Category:1994 deaths]]
[[Category:American people of Slovak descent]]
[[Category:Aviation record holders]]
[[Category:Czechoslovak military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Czechoslovak emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:The Few]]
[[Category:Czechoslovak Royal Air Force pilots of World War II]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:People from Pleven Province]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Milan Rastislav Stefanik Order]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Romania)]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force pilots of World War II]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Czechoslovak War Cross]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force wing commanders]]

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Jan Ambrus