Taussig, Kurt

     
Příjmení:
Surname:
Taussig Taussig
Jméno:
Given Name:
Kurt Kurt
Jméno v originále:
Original Name:
Kurt Taussig
Fotografie či obrázek:
Photograph or Picture:
Hodnost:
Rank:
kapitán Flight Lieutenant
Akademický či vědecký titul:
Academic or Scientific Title:
- -
Šlechtický titul:
Hereditary Title:
- -
Datum, místo narození:
Date and Place of Birth:
28.08.1923 Teplice-Šanov /
28.08.1923 Teplice-Sanov
Datum, místo úmrtí:
Date and Place of Decease:
19.09.2019 Londýn
19.09.2019 London
Nejvýznamnější funkce:
(maximálně tři)
Most Important Appointments:
(up to three)
- pilot 225. perute RAF - pilot of No. 225 Squadron RAF
Jiné významné skutečnosti:
(maximálně tři)
Other Notable Facts:
(up to three)
- dieťa z transportu organizovaného sirom Nicolasom Wintonom
- donedávna predposledný žijúci pilot RAF z územia Československa
- Nicolas Winton´s "child"
- until recently, the penultimate living RAF pilot from Czechoslovakia


Související články:
Related Articles:

Zdroje:
Sources:
https://fcafa.com/?s=taussig
www.iwm.org.uk
www.mzv.cz
www.armyweb.cz
URL : https://www.valka.cz/Taussig-Kurt-t225457#627315 Version : 0
     
Příjmení:
Surname:
Taussig Taussig
Jméno:
Given Name:
Kurt Kurt
Jméno v originále:
Original Name:
Kurt Taussig
Všeobecné vzdělání:
General Education:
DD.MM.RRRR-DD.MM.RRRR
DD.MM.RRRR-DD.MM.RRRR
Vojenské vzdělání:
Military Education:
DD.MM.RRRR-DD.MM.RRRR
DD.MM.RRRR-DD.MM.RRRR
Důstojnické hodnosti:
Officer Ranks:
DD.MM.RRRR kapitán
DD.MM.RRRR Flight Lieutenant
Průběh vojenské služby:
Military Career:
DD.MM.RRRR-DD.MM.RRRR 225. peruť RAF
DD.MM.RRRR-DD.MM.RRRR No. 225 Squadron RAF
Vyznamenání:
Awards:
Poznámka:
Note:
Číslo RAF - 163112 - RAF N° - 163112
Zdroje:
Sources:
Herčút, Milan: Spitfiry nad bojištěm. Příběh československého pilota R.A.F. F/Lt. Kurta Taussiga, ISBN 978-80-87567-95-1
https://fcafa.com/?s=taussig
www.iwm.org.uk
www.mzv.cz
www.armyweb.cz
URL : https://www.valka.cz/Taussig-Kurt-t225457#627316 Version : 0
Kurt Taussig's funeral will take place on Wednesday, September 25, 2019 at 2:30 p.m. at the Golders Green Crematorium in London.


Source:
www.armyweb.cz
URL : https://www.valka.cz/Taussig-Kurt-t225457#627317 Version : 0
Kurt Taussig was born in today's Dubská Street in Teplice-Šanov to Emil and Irma Taussig as the second child on August 28, 1923. His older brother Erich was born on March 1, 1921 and younger brother Karl on June 2, 1925.

He first began his school years at the German boys' folk school "Knaben-Volkschule" in his place of residence, from 1929 to 1934 he continued his studies at the State German Realka "Deutsche Staats Realschule", also in Teplice-Šanov. After racial attacks at the school on Kurt and other students of Jewish nationality, his parents transferred him from the school year 1937/1938 to the State burgher school with Czech as the language of instruction, where Kurt could easily continue his studies. During the economic crisis of the early 1930s, his father Emil Taussig was forced to sell his business, but he managed to find a job as a business traveler with blinds.

In June 1938, Kurt Taussig began teaching with Herbert Heller, the owner of an optics store in Most. After the resignation of the Czechoslovak border to Germany in September 1938, Taussig's family decided to leave Teplice and traveled to Svojetín, where Emil Taussig came from. But soon they left for Prague together with other refugees. After a short stay in the capital, they received an offer for accommodation in the Hořalka summer camp near Čerčany in the Benešov region.

After the occupation of the territory of Bohemia on March 15, 1939 by the Wehrmacht, the soldiers invaded the Hořalka camp and took all the adult men to an unknown place. However, Kurt's brother Erich managed to escape and hid in the surrounding forests. After a few days, the men gradually began to return to camp. In April 1939, the entire camp was moved to Beroun.

Erich Taussig, who was hiding in Prague at the time, managed to secure a chance for his two younger brothers Kurt and Karel to survive. He contacted people from "The British Committee for Refugees From Czechoslovakia - Children Section" - Children's Section of the British Committee for Refugees from Czechoslovakia. They left Prague on June 2, 1939 in the fifth children's transport together with another 121 children. In total, the English stockbroker Nicholas Winton and his colleagues managed to save 669 children in eight transports from Prague. The transport with Kurt and Karl led through Germany to the Netherlands, where their train journey ended in the port of Hoek van Holland at the Nieuwe Waterweg canal.

The children from the transport happily disembarked in the English port of Harwich, from where they were taken by train to London to Liverpool Street Station. There they were taken over by foster parents. Before any child could be placed in the transport, they had to have a travel visa to enter the UK, a medical certificate and proof that they would have a new home ready. In addition, a deposit of £ 50 had to be paid for each child, which was a considerable amount at the time. Miss Mabel Jessie Hillier, the principal of the girls' school at Barrow-in-Furness, became the guarantor for Kurt and Karel. The children found a home in the family of William Dean, chief draftsman in the design department of the local company Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering, Ltd., and his wife Winifred, a French and Latin teacher at a local school. The advantage for Kurt and Karel was that their foster parents partially mastered German and helped them to get to know the new environment faster.

After Kurt's sixteenth birthday, with the help of Miss Hillier, Kurt worked in a garden center in Ulverston. Shortly after completing the 17th year Kurt needed to be accepted into the Royal Air Force, at the end of 1940, Kurt began to correspond with the institutions that would allow him to fulfill his dream of becoming a pilot. But the answer was negative opinions. Shortly before the age of eighteen, Kurt addressed a letter to the Czechoslovak Air Force Inspectorate in Great Britain, where he wanted to find out about the possibility of joining the Czechoslovak Air Force.On October 7, 1941, Kurt applied for admission to the Czechoslovak Air Force to the Ministry of National Defense (MNO) in London. The Ministry of National Defense requested an opinion on the request of the Czechoslovak Air Force Inspectorate. AVM Karel Janoušek commented negatively on the application on October 18, 1941 due to the fact that Kurt Taussig was not an aviation specialist and described him as unsuitable for ancillary service due to ignorance of the Czech or Slovak language .

After almost a year, Kurt reported again at the Combined Recruit Center (CRC) in Preston[/url], Lancashire. Here he completed an entrance interview, a classification (intelligence) test, and medical examinations. A few days after a successful interview and tests at the CRC, Kurt received a letter from the RAF explaining the only obstacle to his joining the RAF Volunteer Reserve. As a citizen of Czechoslovakia, he had to obtain permission from the President of the Republic Edvard Beneš for service in the RAF. On December 27, 1941, Kurt immediately wrote a request for permission to serve in the RAF to the Czechoslovak military and air attaché Lt. Col. Josef Kalla. From Josef Kalla's office, the request traveled through the Ministry of National Defense to the President's Military Office, with a positive recommendation from the NGO to join the RAF Volunteer Reserve. Permission to enter was granted by President Edvard Beneš on January 21, 1941, and Kurt Taussig received this permission on January 30, 1941.

For more tests in No. 2 Kurt attended the Recruit Center in Cardington on March 24, 1942. After their successful completion, he joined the RAF in the rank of AC2 - Aircraftman 2nd Class with personal number 1624712. The following day, he went through demanding selection procedures for members of the aircrew before the commission in No. 4 Aviation Candidate Selection Board (ACSB). However, his entry into the RAF was postponed by the competent authorities for at least five months.

But on April 16, 1942, luck smiled on him when he was accepted into the newly formed organization Air Training Corps (ATC) - Air Training Corps. The Corps served as an organization for the preparation and training of cadets, future members of the RAF aged 16-18, or until the age before the cadet enters the service in the RAF. A/Cdre Sir John Adrian Chamier became commander of the ATC based at Montrose House, Stanmore CB, CMG, DSO, OBE. The entry of non-British ATC candidates was assessed and approved by the ATC Commander for the area on the recommendation of the Unit Commander. In the case of Kurt Taussig, it was A/Cdre William James Yule Guilfoyle, OBE, MC, ATC Commander for the Northwest region.

The training of cadets itself took place in evening courses and especially during weekends, until 1942 more or less theoretical and physical training, from 1943 the cadets gained the first aviation experience in the courses of gliding. After their completion, the cadets passed oral and written exams. After successfully completing them, they received a certificate of compliance with the necessary conditions for effective service. Kurt Taussig joined the local unit No. ATC. 80 Flight in Ulverston, Lancashire.

In the summer of 1942, Kurt left his job in horticulture due to persistent disagreements with the owner. He found a new location on a family farm in Leece, near Barrow-in-Furness. The change of job also meant a change of the ATC unit, which subsequently became No. 128 Squadron v Barrow-in-Furness. Kurt received a summons to the RAF on October 24, 1942.

He joined the RAF service at the receiving and sorting center - No. 1 Air Crew Reception Center (ACRC), Regent's Park in London. From there, after a few weeks, they sent him on December 24, 1942 to No. 5 Personnel Despatch Center in Blackpool, then moved on 18.01.1943 by train to the port of Liverpool. There he boarded the modern transport ship Dominion Monarch.The luxury ship for 525 passengers in peacetime became a means of transporting 3,556 people during the war. From Liverpool The Dominion Monarch sailed on January 21, 1943 as part of a convoy codenamed WS 26. He joined the Outer Hebrides to the KMF 8 convoy. The WS 26 convoy arrived on February 6, 1943 in the port of Freetown, where it replenished the supplies and fuel needed for the next voyage. The convoy arrived at the destination - port Durban in South Africa on February 25, 1943. After landing, air cadets headed to the Imperial Forces Transshipment Camp (IFTC) in Clairwood (29°54'49.29"S 30°59'04.21"E), about 4 miles south of Durban. There they waited for the next assignment. Together with other future pilots, Kurt set out on a train on March 26, 1943 to Southern Rhodesia.

On March 28, 1943, Kurt Taussig was assigned to the Initial Training Wing in Hillside, Bulawayo (20°09'41.54"S 28°35'09.45"E). The base originally served the needs of the army. The next day, Kurt was assigned to No. 3 Flight. He was promoted to the rank of LAC - Leading Aircraftman on July 5, 1943. He finished the final exams at 75.7% out of 100%. His next trip led to No. 27 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) in Induna, again in the Bulawayo area. The training took place on aircraft De Havilland D.H.82A Tiger Moth Mk.II. He completed the first reconnaissance flight on August 9, 1943 as part of the "A-Flight" on a D.H.82A (5601) with an instructor P/O Seddon. He completed his first solo flight on machine No. 7522 on September 4, 1943. He completed the final tests of the elementary course with success on 13 and 14 October 1943 on machines No. 7942 and 6431. During the training, he flew a total of 80 hours and 50 minutes. His abilities were evaluated at 64.1% out of a possible 100%. Kurt Tauusig's steps were decided to be imitated by his younger brother Karl, to whom President Edvard Beneš granted permission to join the RAF on June 27, 1943. However, he did not eventually join the RAF, but became a member of the British army. Served in the territory of Burma and Singapore. Training at No. 27 EFTS was terminated on 22.10.1943. However, Kurt was first transferred to the Initial Training Wing "Hillside Camp" until November 18, 1943. The next day he was assigned to No. 22 Service Flying Training School, RAF Thornhill Base. The training took place on machines North American Harvard. He completed his first flight on a Harvard Mk.I (5073) with the 2nd Squadron, "Flight X" with an instructor Sgt. Murnane to complete the first solo flight at Harvard Mk.I No. 7005 on October 28, 1943 after several more years.

During the training of flying in formation, Kurt's Harvard Mk.I No. 538, due to a strong gust of wind, collided on March 23, 1944 with the wing of the second, piloted by his friend Eric Pile. The impact lost about half a meter of the right wing and as a result the aircraft became unmanageable. With the loss of the Pitot tube placed on the missing part of the wing, some devices stopped working for him. The plane finally managed to stabilize and landed at the airport. After investigating the incident, he was unofficially praised for the way he dealt with the situation, which proved his piloting skills.

After the incident, he and several other students were selected as potential adepts for promotion to the rank of officer. During training at RAF base, Thornhill flew a total of 179 hours.

In the final evaluation, he received 67% of the 100% possible. He received pilot wings on April 21, 1944 and was also promoted to the rank of Sergeant. The next day, with an official order from the Air Ministry, he was promoted to the rank of Pilot Officer. As a citizen of Czechoslovakia, his promotion was confirmed by his performance. He also received a new personal number 163 112 by promotion.

Another job awaited him in North Africa. There, together with others, set out on a journey on April 26, 1944 through Northern Rhodesia, Congo, Tanzania and Kenya. From there to Cairo with stopover in Sudanese Khartoum and Wadi Halfa transported by air from RAF base Kisumu. In Cairo, he was assigned to No. 5 (Middle East) Air Crew Reception Center ((M.E.) ACRC), located on the premises of Heliopolis Palace Hotel. After a few weeks in Cairo, he was assigned to the Middle East School of Artillery (MESA) in the oasis Almaza, which stretches in the desert near Cairo. From there, after completing the course on June 27, 1944, he traveled by train to Squadron B of Training Unit No. 74 Operation Training Unit at RAF base Petah Tikva in Palestine. There he first completed a flight with an instructor, as well as a solo flight, on a Harvard aircraft. He was subsequently retrained to Hawker Hurricane Mk.I. He graduated on June 30, 1944 and the next day he completed his first flight. The next step occurred on July 17, 1944, when he completed his first flight with Supermarine Spitfire Mk.V. As part of the training unit, he was trained to handle the tasks of tactical reconnaissance, artillery observation and photographic reconnaissance. He finished training on August 17, 1944 and flew for a total of 72 hours and 45 minutes during it.

After a week's holiday spent in Alexandria, Kurt on 27.08.1944 reported again in the oasis Almaza, but already in transit resort 22 Transit Center Staff. On September 5, 1944, he was transported on board Dakota on the route Cairo - Marble Arch - Luqa to Bari in Italy. From Bari still completed a flight to Naples. From there he moved to the town of Portici, where the military personnel center was located. 3 Base Personnel Depot (BPD). There he waited for the next assignment. That was waiting for him at C detachman No. 4 Aircraft Delivery Unit (ADU) in Catania, Sicily, where he arrived on September 24, 1944. The day before, the unit was renamed No. 4 Ferry Unit (FU) under subordination No. 216 (Air Transport and Ferry) Group.

During his service with the unit, he flew aircraft Spitfire of various versions at various airports in Italy. A small change was the flight of the machine Hawker Hurricane Mk.IV RP (LF 509) to Canne Airport to 351. (Yugoslav) Squadron RAF. Last flight at No. 4 FU graduated 01.12.1944 in the cabin Spitfire LF Mk.IX (PV 152). He was transferred from Catania to unit No. 64 Staging Post at the base RAF Luqa, where he began performing the function of Briefing-Officer. At the end of December, he was moved again to No. 4 FU, to be transferred to 02.01.1945 to No. 56 Personnel Transit Center in Portici at Naples. On January 21, 1945, he appeared at No. 5 Refresher Flying Unit in Perugia. He completed training flights there as part of the renewal of pilot habits on aircraft Spitfire Mk.IX and Harvard Mk.IIB.

After completing his training on February 19, 1945, he reported to 225. Squadron at Peretola Airport in the suburbs Florence. There he was assigned to Squadron B and promoted to the rank of Flying Officer with retroactive effect from 22.10.1944. Right on the first reconnaissance flight, the squadron crashed with Spitfire LF Mk.IXE WU-X (MA 411). The reason was a stuck throttle, which made him have to land the plane at high speed. He completed the first operational flight as the number of the commander of Squadron B F/O Tufnella March 3, 1945 during a survey in the area of Vergato-Vignola - Modena - Reggio - Scandiano - Pievepelago - San Marcello.

225. Squadron moved on 16.04.1945 to Bologna to fly 29.04.1945 five Spitfires to Villafranca di Verona airport, because in Bologna there were low clouds and rainy weather.Kurt Taussig sat in one of the machines. On May 2, 1945, German troops capitulated in Italy. The last operational flight with the number 42, completed Kurt Taussig in the afternoon 05.05.1945 with the machine Spitfire LF Mk.IXE WU-U (PV 128) together with F/O Potts in the area Bolzano - Lake Garda - Lake Como.
The 225th Squadron moved on May 15, 1945 to a field airport in Tissane, near Risano. There, the squadron lasted until 13.08.1945, when it moved to Lavariana. After the arrival of Kurt Taussig, together with other pilots, they were assigned to the status of supreme pilots and on August 28, 1945, he was transferred to 112. Squadron, although at 225. Squadron continued to participate in the flight of aircraft to 380 Maitenance Unit. But on September 20, 1945, he was transferred again to 225. Squadron. The new seat of the squadron was to become Klagenfurt in Austria. As part of the squadron's operation at the new location, the unit's command sent Kurt and other members to Klagenfurt as a vanguard. The squadron in its new location survived the control and protection of the territory of Trieste and mapping of the territory of Austria until June 7, 1946, when it again moved to Tissana. Kurt Taussig, with a group of pilots led by Squadron Commander S/L Henderson, DFC flew from Klagenfurt to Tissana till 14.06.1946.

In Tissane, the squadron commander appointed him a "volunteer", whose task was to take care of three RAF recreational hotels in the city of Grado (45°40'54.14"N 13°25'04.10"E). During his time in the Kurt Castle, he was promoted to the rank of Flight Lieutenant with retroactive effect from April 22, 1946. After the end of the season, Kurt was approached by his superiors from Advanced Headquarters Italy to continue to run recreational facilities for RAF members. This time during the winter season at the facilities in Cortine d´Ampezzo. Kurt began to associate his future with further work in the RAF, so in June 1946 he applied for an extension of service in the RAF for six months. The deadline was to expire on October 1, 1946. The extension was approved on November 1, 1946, with the proviso that after the end of these six months, it will probably be demobilized. After dissolving his mother 225. Squadron moved it to 253. peruti, located in Trevise. However, he still stayed in Cortina d'Ampezzo and managed recreational facilities. Due to the success of managing the facilities in Cortina d´Ampezzo, he was offered hotel management in Venice. However, he had to apply for a short-term five-year commitment in the RAF. He was originally scheduled to interview Sir AVRence Darwall, commander of the AVM Advanced Headquarters in Italy, MC, CB, KCB, but in the meantime the commander was replaced by AC Archibald James Rankin, AFC, [ url=/topic/view/54546]OBE[/url]. However, in the past, Kurt had an incident with him when Kurt threw Rankin in tourist clothes from a recreational facility where civilians were not allowed to stay.

Kurt left Cortine d´Ampezzo and became a member of Squadron B of his home 253. Squadron. After a long break, he made his first flight in the 253rd Squadron on the Spitfire Mk.IXE SW-W. He completed his ninth year and at the same time the last year of his career on the Spritfire Mk.IXE SW-Y on April 24, 1947 during a ceremonial flight over the port Pula. The six-month extension of his service ended, and at the same time, after five years of service in the volunteer reserve of the RAF, he was awaiting demobilization and going into civilian life. He left the 253rd Squadron through No. 1 Release Embarkation Center v Milan ku No.101 Personnel Dispersal Center at RAF Warton base near the town of Warton, where he was released into civilian life on 06.05.1947.

With most of Kurt's relatives, including his parents, murdered, he decided to stay in the UK. He applied for British citizenship, which was granted to him on October 6, 1947. His younger brother Karl, who had acquired British citizenship almost a month earlier, had also made the decision before demobilization. The younger brothers were eventually joined by their eldest brother Erich, who managed to survive the war. He spent the war in prisons, concentration camps, on the run, to finally see the end of the war with the partisans.

In civil, Kurt first worked in a travel agency, mainly because of his language skills. After a while, he decided to help his brother and opened a joint electrical appliance store in London. After fourteen years, he became independent and established his own store with electronics and electrical appliances. In 1951, he married Annie Westhead, who bore him a son, Richard.

In 1992, together with his son Richard, a pilot of transport aircraft, he visited his native Teplice. During his life, Kurt maintained sensitive contacts with his former comrades-in-arms from 225. Squadron. The joint meetings ended by mutual agreement in 2012, due to their advanced age and state of health.

Kurt Taussig died in London 19.09.2019 at the age of 94.

Herčút, Milan: Spitfiry nad bojištěm. The story of the Czechoslovak pilot R.A.F. F/Lt. Kurta Taussiga, World of Wings, Cheb, 2016, ISBN 978-80-87567-95-1

Taussig, Kurt - Kurt Taussig pri stroji Spitfire LF Mk.IXE WU-S (EN 199), 225. peruť RAF, archív Kurta Taussiga

Kurt Taussig pri stroji Spitfire LF Mk.IXE WU-S (EN 199), 225. peruť RAF, archív Kurta Taussiga
Taussig, Kurt - Kniha Milana Herčúta mapujúca život Kurta Taussiga

Kniha Milana Herčúta mapujúca život Kurta Taussiga
URL : https://www.valka.cz/Taussig-Kurt-t225457#650616 Version : 0
Code designation and serial numbers of the Spitfires on which Kurt Taussig completed operational flights:


Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk.IXE
WU-A (PT 433)
WU-N (PL 388)
WU-Q (SM 136)
WU-S (EN 199) [* 1 *]
WU-T (PT 914)
WU-U (PV 128)
WU-V (PT 379)
WU-W (PT 420)
WU-X (MA 452)
WU-Y (RR 199)


Supermarine Spitfire HF Mk.IXE
WU-M (TA 808)


[~ 1 ~] The machine is today an exhibit of the Malta Aviation Museum



Herčút, Milan: Spitfires over the Battlefield. The story of the Czechoslovak pilot R.A.F. F/Lt. Kurt Taussig, World of Wings, Cheb, 2016, ISBN 978-80-87567-95-1
www.maltaaviationmuseum.com

Taussig, Kurt - Spitfire LF Mk.IXE EN 199 počas rekonštrukcie, Malta Aviation Museum

Spitfire LF Mk.IXE EN 199 počas rekonštrukcie, Malta Aviation Museum
URL : https://www.valka.cz/Taussig-Kurt-t225457#650701 Version : 0
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