An owl crest and a Czech motto — "Always prepared." No. 68 Squadron RAF was a British night fighter unit, but an entire flight was manned by Czechoslovak airmen. This solid wood emblem captures the symbol of those who guarded Britain's night skies. Choose your size, wood and finish.
An owl's head on the crest. A Czech motto. The night sky over Britain.
No. 68 Squadron RAF was formed in January 1941 at Catterick as a night fighter unit. From the summer of that year, a strong Czechoslovak element served within the squadron — up to eight crews made up entirely of Czech and Slovak airmen who formed their own flight. In total, twenty-three Czechoslovak pilots and sixteen radar operators passed through the unit. Their night missions over England, the North Sea and the English Channel had one purpose — to stop Luftwaffe bombers before they reached British cities.
The squadron's crest bears an owl's head — a symbol of the nocturnal hunt — and the Czech motto "Vždy připraven" (Always Prepared), officially recognised by Air Chief Marshal Charles Steele in 1944. Czechoslovak crews in No. 68 Squadron achieved twenty-one confirmed kills, three probables, and shot down three V-1 flying bombs. Over the course of the war, they flew 4,095 operational hours across 1,905 combat sorties. Among them stood Miloslav Mansfeld — a night fighter ace who, as a Beaufighter and later Mosquito pilot, commanded the squadron's "A" Flight.
Each piece is milled from solid wood, capturing every detail of the crest — from the owl's feathers to the motto inscription. After milling comes hand sanding, choice of finish and final treatment. Natural, stained or hand-painted — configure yours in the options above.
We are helping the WAR VETERANS who have proudly carried our national flag on their shoulders and put their health and lives on the line for our safety, enduring separation from their families and the stress of combat.
We are a small non-profit that accumulates not money, but volunteer hours. And we have the strength to help even those soldiers who have not been deployed. We don't turn away police officers, firefighters, customs officers, and prison guards, whose deployments and problems tend to be similar.
An owl crest and a Czech motto — "Always prepared." No. 68 Squadron RAF was a British night fighter unit, but an entire flight was manned by Czechoslovak airmen. This solid wood emblem captures the symbol of those who guarded Britain's night skies. Choose your size, wood and finish.
