Czech-born Austro Hungarian ace Jindřich (Heinrich to his Austrian comrades) Kostrba scored his eighth and last victory on this day in 1916. In November he took command of Flik 2, but scored no more kills. In September 1918 he went home to Prague and became chief of police there. He was part of the bloodless coup that led to the formation of the independent Czechoslovakia on October 28, 1918. Kostrba then helped create the Czech Air Corps. He commanded this for a year before being removed due to political differences with his superiors.
In 1921 Kostrba returned to the Air Corps as a squadron leader, where he served for five more years. In 1926 he announced his retirement and plans to become the director of the new Czech State Airline. A week before his announced retirement he was leading a group of Yugoslavian aircraft from Prague to Warsaw. During the takeoff, at an altitude of 30 feet, one of the other aircraft collided with his, killing Kostrba and the two crewmen of the other plane.
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“Never do anything you can't take back.”
—Rocky Russo
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