• Junker Ju 88

Date of birth:

May 25th, 1915 (Vienna, Austria)

Date of death:

March 24th, 2011

Nationality:

Austrian

After primary school in 1929, Franz Jilek started to work as an eletrotechnician. Due to the crisis and the unemployment, he ended up as a helper in agriculture. Between March and October 1935, Jilek served with the Österreichische Arbeitsdienst (Austrian Labor Service) where he was employed in the construction of the road between Kahlenberg and Leopoldsberg.
November 4th, 1935, he reported to the Bundesheer as a volunteer. He was allocated to 1.Kompanie / Heeres-Telegraphen-Abteilung (telegraph department) in Meidlingen where he was trained as a Kabel, Funk, Helioschreiber and Flaggensignaler (cable, radio, heliographist and flag signalman) and served as Signalhornist-Stabstrompeter (signal hornplayer- staff trumpeteer). After the Anschluss with Germany, Jilek was posted to the Luftnachrichten (Air force intelligence) in the rank of Obergefreiter. In 1938 he took a course as Fernschreiblehrgang (telexist) in Lübeck.
Following this, Jilek served during the Sudeten crisis and subsequently took a course as Bordfunker (airborne radio operator). In the invasion of Poland, Jilek served in the Bodenfunk-Leitstelle (ground radio control center) in Breslau-Schöngarten. After the campaign in Poland he took a conversion training for the Junkers Ju 87 in Flugzeugträger Stukastaffel I/186 (aircraft carrier Stuka squadron). Following the conversion of this unit to III./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 (dive bomber squadron), Jilek became the Bordfunker (radio operator) of Flugzeugführer and Adjutant des Gruppenführers Hauptmann Helmut Bode.
From May 10th, 1940 onwards, he took part in the battles for Belgium and France and subsequently in the Battle of Britain.
Following the Battle of Britain, his unit was tranferred to Romania from January 1941 onwards and he participated in the fighting for Yugoslavia, Greece and on Crete. This was followed by the battle for Russia from June 1942 onwards. After an aircraft accident in November 1942, from which he did not fully recover as late as July 1943, Jilek was declared unfit to fly and was posted to the Frontflieger-Sammelgruppe (front pilots-staging group) in Quedlinburg. After re-training he ended up in the Forstschutzen-kommando Klinger/Osche. In January 1944, Jilek was transferred to Luftgaukommando 17 to work as a teacher at the Segelflugschule (glider school) in Ebergassing. May 1st, 1944, after the arrival of the Soviets, Jilek was made a prisoner of war and was interned in Lager 263 (camp) in Orel. He was able to return home as late as November 1947.
January 31st, 1948, Jilek started his education at the Polizeischul (police school) Ross and wound up in the barracks in Ebersdorf. In 1952 he was posted to the Führungszug of Alarm-Abteilung 1. In 1972 and 1973 he served as Wagenkommandant. Suffering from arthrosis, Jilek was put on non-active on April 1st, 1973. He retired September 30th, 1975.
Franz Jilek passed away March 24th, 2011.

Promotions:
November 1st, 1940: Feldwebel;
March 1st, 1942: Oberfeldwebel.

Career:
1929 - 1933: Elektrotechniker;
1933 - 1934: Hilfsarbeiter Landwirtschaft;
March 1935 - October 1935: Österreichische Arbeitsdienst;
November 4th, 1935: Freiwilliger Bundesheer, Signalhornist/Stabstrompeter 1.Kompanie / Heeres-Telegraphen-Abteilung, Meidlingen;
?: Anschluss, Obergefreiter Luftnachrichten;
1938: Luftgaukommando 17;
?: Bordfunkerlehrgang;
1939: Kampfgeschwader 66, Neustadt, Poland campaign;
1939: Bodenfunk-Leitstelle Breslau-Schöngarten;
?: Flugzeugträger Stuka-Staffel I./186;
?: Bordfunker Gruppenführer Hauptmann Helmuth Bode III. / Sturzkampfgeschwader 77;
May 10th, 1940: Campaign in the West;
August 1940: Battle of Britain from Mesnil/Angort;
January 1941: Yugoslavia/Greece/Crete;
June 1941: Soviet-Union;
November 1942; injured in an accident with a Junkers Ju 88;
July 1943: Frontflieger-Sammelgruppe Quedlinburg;
?: Forstschützen-Kommando Klinger;
January 1944: Lehrer Luftgaukommando 17;
May 1st, 1944: PoW Camp 263, Orel;
November 14th, 1947: released;
January 31st, 1948 - April 8th, 1949: Polizeischule Ross;
1952: Alarm-Abteilung 1, Führungszug;
1972 - 1973: Funkstr.-Wagenkommandant;
1 april 1973: Non-active;
30 september 1975: Retirement

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• Photo 1: Dieter Rohrbeck
• - PATZWALL, K. & SCHERZER, V., Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941-1945, Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt, 2001.
  - PATZWALL, K. D., Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg, Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt, 2008.
  - Autobiography
  - Ehrenpokal
  - Verleihungsurkunde EK2, Fliegerschützen-Abzeichen, EK1, Frontflugspange Bronze, Silber, Gold, Verwundeten Schwarz, Ehrenpokal, Ostfront. Ärmelband Kreta
  - Besitzzeugnis Krimschild
  - Glückwunsch Fernschreiben DKiG
  - Beförderungs Urkunde Feldwebel, Oberfeldwebel