Abstract
Jindřich Kostrba was born on 22 October 1883 in Kutná Hora, Bohemia. Shortly before the outbreak of the First World War, he passed a course for air observers, and, from August 1914, he served with the Flik 8 on the Russian front.
In 1915, Kostrba's unit moved to the Italian front. In August, he was sent for pilot training.
On 18 February 1916, Kostrba took off and he shot down three Italian aircraft. After 62 combat sorties, Kostrba was appointed a commander of the Flik 23.
He scored 5 additional kills. However, he was ordered to Wiener Neustadt on 28 September 1916 to command the pilot school.
In 1917, he found himself in the infantry, at No. 73 regiment. As Kostrba was often ill, on 1 September 1918 he became the military police commander in Prague.
Already in autumn 1918, Kostrba joined the Czech Maffia. On 28 October, it was mostly thanks to him that the Austro-Hungarian army units did not intervene against Czech demonstrations and the proclamation of the Czechoslovak Republic.
The first steps towards establishing the Czechoslovak air force were taken by Kostrba already several days before the coup. Kostrba established the first Czechoslovak combat aviation unit at Uherské Hradiště.
In February 1919, Kostrba was recalled from his air force command and he was posted back to infantry. Kostrba attempted to reverse his reassignment to the infantry, but his efforts were in vain.
He did not manage to return to aviation until 1922. First, he served as a flying instructor, then as commander of an experimental flight.
Kostrba died in an air accident on 24 September 1926.