More Than a Name - Mission 263

Our mission at Aviator Brew Hub is "to use craft food and beverages to connect people with their History, Purpose, Potential, and Others"

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Our Mission 263 Czech Lager is more than just a random name for a beer. It is an homage to the men of the Army’s 15th Air Force, 2nd Bombardment Group who bravely flew in the Battle the White Carpathians which took place in the skies over Czechoslovakia on August 29, 1944.

On that fateful day, the bomber group was assigned to strike oil refineries in use by occupying Nazi forces. Tragically, the mission was compromised from the start. Information had been leaked and the Luftwaffe was ready and waiting to intercept the American bomb group. To add to the calamity, the Allied fighter escorts did not arrive at the scheduled rendezvous point. The bomber group flew the mission entirely without fighter escort and was met enroute by an enemy force of more that 100 fighter aircraft. While they were able to hit their targets, their losses were extreme.

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The American bomber group was decimated. One of the four bomber squadrons assigned to that mission was lost entirely. Of the 101 American casualties on that mission, 41 would perish. Another 57 became prisoners of war by the Nazis. These American airmen offered up their futures to help free people they never knew and would never meet.

During the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, one particular provost outlawed the displaying of flowers as a means of demoralizing the people. Decades later, wreaths of flowers are used throughout many towns specifically to acknowledge the American servicemembers who restored hope and beauty to the nation. 

Today, descendants of those airmen and locals alike remain committed to keeping the memory alive. Some continue to meet annually at a memorial erected in Vyskovek, Czech Republic to honor the bravery and noble sacrifice of the men who flew Mission 263.

We honor these airmen, their families, and the rescuers of the downed airmen. Their faithfulness, commitment to duty, and willingness to endure in the face of sheer terror and certain demise should never be forgotten.

~David Elwell, co-owner, Marine, military aviation enthusiast