01 Uniform of Infantry First Lieutnant Adolf Opálka, 1941

Paratroopers’ personal property was stored in the warehouses of Special Group D for the duration of their operational deployment. In case of death, it was handed over to a person of their choosing after the war. The items from Adolf Opalka’s estate were taken over by his sister Bozena Verostova and his stepfather Jan Verosta on 17 August 1945. In 1993, Marie Hlavacova Opalkova donated some of these objects to the collections of the History Institute of the Czechoslovak Army in Prague (unfortunately, the relationship between her and Adolf Opalka could not be established). The importance of such a valuable acquisition was emphasized by organising a festive meeting in the Museum of Resistance and the Army of the Czech Republic on the annual day of the paratroopers’ struggle on 18 June 1993.

Among the many items he left behind in the UK, along with his personal belongings, was an officer’s uniform. The open-collared jacket matches the cut of the British service uniform. It is made of olive green woollen fabric (called barathea) with an olive coloured cotton lining. The soft sewn-in epaulettes bear the rank insignia of a lieutenant (of the Czechoslovak type made in the UK). The jacket fastens with Czechoslovak gold buttons decorated with swords (made by T. W & W- Trelon, Weldon et Weil, Paris). Both sleeves of the uniform bear sleeve patches at the shoulder seams with the inscription CZECHOSLOVAKIA. There is also a British paratrooper badge sewn on the right shoulder.