2018 - Niue 40 $ Set of Four Silver Coins Czechoslovak Pilots RAF - Significant Events - Proof

The traditional sets of four gold coins of the Czech Mint annually give tribute to our "heavenly riders", who are heroes serving in the British Air Force RAF during World War II. The features of the Czechoslovak wings, their most famous aircraft and the renowned flying aces appeared on them in the past years. The coins commemorate significant events in 2018.

The first deployment of the 310th fighter wing in the Battle of Britain, the emergency landing of the KX-B airplane, the Stonewall operation that sank the german blockade breaker SS Alsterufer, together with the triumphant return of the Czechoslovaks to their homeland have been immortalized in pure gold.

What was the fate of the airplane with the call sign "KX-B"? The members of the Wellington bomber serving at the 311th czechoslovak bomber wing set out on their own sixth air strike at the end of December 1941. The Wilhelmshaven port situated in northern Germany became their aim. Heavy anti-aircraft gunfire supported by dozens of headlamps prevented local docks and Wellington was hit despite all the efforts of the pilots. Still, it was able to fly and headed back to England. However, the situation worsened halfway between the Netherlands and Great Britain, when the aircraft lost its engine and became completely uncontrollable. The crew managed an emergency landing on the surface of the turbulent North Sea only with the best of efforts. Only five of the six men were in the lifeboat called dinghy. The soaked airmen were fighting in a small boat for six days and six nights. There were only three of them on the sea coast of the Netherlands at the beginning of 1942. However, their tribulations did not end. They survived their death in Nazi captivity again ...

Four commemorative coins were traditionally made by the academic sculptor Zbynek Fojtu. The reverse sides of the coins present the war scenes when Czechoslovak fighters shoot a German bomber over the cliffs of Dover; the crew of the KX-B aircraft fights for life on sea surface; bomber Liberator attacks the German blockade breaker and sinks it; Czechoslovak airmen return from exile and land in Prague. The composition of the common obverse side is based on necessities of the Niue island, which provides the Czech Mint with a foreign license to coin its own commemorative coins). These are the profile and the name of the emperor Elizabeth II., the year of the issue 2018, together with the nominal value of 10 DOLLARS (NZD). On the obverse side there is also an inscription that presents four years tied to individual reverse sides.

An attractive wooden etui whose lid is decorated with thematic engraving and a booklet with a professional account of the military historian PhDr. Lubor Vaclavu build integral parts of the set.