Air defense of Czechoslovakia. In the early post-war years, the Czechoslovak army was armed with a bizarre mixture of anti-aircraft weapons of Czech, German and Soviet production.
The troops had 7, 92 mm machine guns equipped with anti-aircraft sights: German MG-34 and MG-42 and Czech ZB-26, ZB-30, ZB-53, captured from the Germans and remaining in the warehouses of the Zbrojovka Brno enterprise. In addition, the infantry units operated Soviet 7, 62-mm machine guns SG-43 on a Degtyarev wheeled machine, which made it possible to fire at air targets. The 12, 7-mm DShK machine gun became the means of air defense of the battalion link. Protection against air strikes of infantry and tank regiments was provided by batteries of German captured 20-mm rapid-fire artillery mounts: 2.0 cm Flak 28, 2.0 cm FlaK 30 and 2.0 cm Flak 38, as well as Soviet 37-mm machine guns 61- TO. It is reliably known that the protection of Czechoslovak airfields from low-altitude bombing and assault strikes until the second half of the 1950s was provided by quad 20-mm mounts 2, 0 cm Flakvierling 38. In anti-aircraft artillery brigades and regiments formed to cover strategically important objects, Soviet 85-mm guns got along with the German 88-mm anti-aircraft guns. Machine guns of 7, 92-mm and 20-mm machine guns were sent to warehouses in the mid-1950s, and 88-mm anti-aircraft guns remained in service until the early 1960s.
12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun mounts
Already in the late 1940s, in Czechoslovakia, which had a developed arms industry and highly qualified personnel, they began to create their own anti-aircraft weapons systems. Soon after the end of hostilities, the designers of the Zbrojovka Brno company, based on the developments obtained during the years of the German occupation, created the ZK.477 heavy machine gun. In parallel with the tests of the ZK 477, the 12.7 mm Vz.38 / 46 machine gun was launched into production, which was a licensed version of the Soviet DShKM. Externally, the modernized machine gun differed not only in a different form of the muzzle brake, the design of which was changed in the DShK, but also in the silhouette of the receiver cover, in which the drum mechanism was abolished - it was replaced by a receiver with two-way power supply. The new power mechanism made it possible to use the machine gun in twin and quad mounts. Since the fine-tuning of the ZK.477 took time, and it did not have cardinal advantages over the DShKM, work on it was curtailed.
As you know, Czech enterprises have made a very significant contribution to equipping the Wehrmacht and the SS troops with armored vehicles. In particular, half-track Sd.kfz armored personnel carriers were produced at Czech factories. 251 (better known in our country by the name of the manufacturer's company "Ganomag"). In the post-war period, this armored personnel carrier was produced in Czechoslovakia under the designation Tatra OT-810. The vehicle differed from its German prototype with a new air-cooled diesel engine manufactured by the Tatra company, a completely enclosed armored body and an improved chassis.
Armored personnel carrier OT-810
In addition to armored personnel carriers intended for transporting infantry, specialized modifications were produced: carriers of various weapons and tractors. Large-caliber Vz.38 / 46 machine guns were installed on some of the vehicles on a special pedestal that allowed for a circular attack, thus obtaining an impromptu anti-aircraft machine-gun self-propelled gun.
BTR OT-64, armed with a machine gun Vz. 38/46
Later, a vehicle of a similar purpose with a turret 12, 7-mm machine gun was created on the chassis of an OT-64 wheeled armored personnel carrier. In the 1970-1980s, such armored personnel carriers in the armed forces of Czechoslovakia were used to transport the crews of the Strela-2M MANPADS. In the mid-1990s, armored personnel carriers with turret heavy machine guns served as part of the Czech peacekeeping contingent in the territory of the former Yugoslavia.
One of the first models adopted by the Czechoslovak army in the post-war period was the 12.7 mm Vz.53 quad mount. The ZPU had a detachable wheel travel and weighed 558 kg in the firing position. Four 12.7 mm barrels fired up to 60 bullets per second. The effective range of fire against air targets is about 1500 m. In terms of range and reach in height, the Czechoslovak Vz.53 was inferior to the Soviet quadruple 14.5 mm ZPU-4. But the Vz.53 was much more compact and weighed approximately three times less in transport position. She could be towed by an all-wheel drive car GAZ-69, or in the back of a truck.
ZPU of Czechoslovak production Vz.53 in the exposition of the Cuban museum, dedicated to the events at Playa Giron
In the second half of the 1950s, the ZPU Vz.53 was tested in the USSR and earned high marks. The Czechoslovak 12.7-mm quadruple unit was actively exported in the 1950s-1960s and took part in many local conflicts. For its time, it was quite an effective weapon capable of successfully fighting low-altitude air targets.
Cuban calculation of ZPU Vz.53
In the course of repelling the landing of anti-Castro forces on Playa Giron in April 1961, Cuban ZPU Vz.53 crews shot down and damaged several Douglas A-26В Invader bombers. Czechoslovak quadruple machine gun mounts were also used in the Arab-Israeli wars, and a number of them were captured by the Israeli army.
Czechoslovak 12, 7-mm anti-aircraft gun Vz.53, an exhibit of the Israeli museum Batey a-Osef
In the Czechoslovak armed forces, quadruple 12, 7-mm anti-aircraft guns Vz.53 were used in the air defense of the battalion and regimental level until the mid-1970s, until the Strela-2M MANPADS were replaced.
30-mm anti-aircraft guns
As you know, during the Second World War, Czech factories were a real forge of weapons for the German army. Simultaneously with the production, the Czechs created new types of weapons. On the basis of the twin 30-mm installation 3.0 cm Flakzwilling MK 303 (Br), designed by order of Kriegsmarine by Zbrojovka Brno engineers, in the early 1950s, a towed double-barreled anti-aircraft gun M53 was created, also known as the 30-mm anti-aircraft gun ZK.453 arr. 1953 g.
Towed 30-mm anti-aircraft gun ZK.453
The automatic gas engine provided a rate of fire of up to 500 rds / min for each barrel. But since the anti-aircraft gun was powered from hard cassettes for 10 shells, the real combat rate of fire did not exceed 100 rds / min. The ammunition load included armor-piercing incendiary tracer and high-explosive fragmentation incendiary shells. An armor-piercing incendiary tracer projectile weighing 540 g with an initial speed of 1,000 m / s at a distance of 500 m could penetrate 55 mm steel armor along the normal. A high-explosive incendiary projectile weighing 450 g left a barrel 2363 mm long with an initial speed of 1,000 m / s. The firing range at air targets is up to 3000 m. The artillery part of the installation was mounted on a four-wheeled cart. At the firing position, she was hung out on jacks. The mass in the stowed position is 2100 kg, in the combat position 1750 kg. Calculation - 5 people.
Anti-aircraft gun ZK.453 covers the radar P-35
Towed anti-aircraft guns ZK.453 were reduced to batteries of 6 guns, but if necessary, they could be used individually. The main disadvantage of the ZK.453, like the Soviet ZU-23, is its limited capabilities in poor visibility conditions and at night. She did not interface with the radar fire control system and did not have a centralized guidance station as part of the battery.
Comparing the ZK.453 with the 23 mm ZU-23 Soviet-made, it can be noted that the Czechoslovak installation was heavier and had a lower combat rate of fire, but the effective firing zone was about 25% higher, and its projectile had a great destructive effect. ZK.453 30-mm twin mounts were used in the military air defense of Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Romania, Cuba, Guinea and Vietnam. In most countries, they have already been removed from service.
Paired towed 30-mm ZK.453 installations had low mobility and a relatively low combat rate of fire, which did not allow them to be used for anti-aircraft cover of transport convoys, motorized rifle and tank units. In order to eliminate these shortcomings, the Praga PLDvK VZ self-propelled anti-aircraft gun was adopted in 1959. 53/59, which received in the army the unofficial name "Jesterka" - "Lizard". The wheeled ZSU weighing 10,300 kg had good cross-country ability and could accelerate along the highway to 65 km / h. In store down the highway 500 km. Crew of 5 people.
ZSU PLDvK VZ. 53/59
The base for the ZSU was the Praga V3S three-axle four-wheel drive vehicle. At the same time, the ZSU received a new armored cabin. The armor provided protection against rifle-caliber small arms bullets and light shrapnel. Compared to the ZK.453, the artillery part of the SPG has been changed. To increase the combat rate of fire, the power supply of the 30-mm anti-aircraft guns was transferred to box magazines with a capacity of 50 rounds.
The artillery unit of the ZSU PLDvK VZ. 53/59
The aiming speed of the paired 30-mm anti-aircraft gun was increased due to the use of electric drives. Manual guidance was used as a backup. In the horizontal plane, there was the possibility of circular shelling, vertical guidance angles from -10 ° to + 85 °. In case of emergency, it was possible to fire on the move. Effective rate of fire: 120-150 rds / min. The rate of fire and ballistic characteristics remained at the level of the ZK.453 setup. The total ammunition load in 8 stores was 400 rounds. With one loaded magazine weighing 84.5 kg, replacing them for two infectious agents was a difficult procedure that required significant physical effort.
The artillery mount with the help of special guides, cables and a winch could be transferred to the ground and used permanently at prepared positions. This expanded tactical capabilities, and made it easier to camouflage the anti-aircraft battery when operating on the defensive.
Due to the simplicity, reliability and good operational and combat qualities of the ZSU PLDvK VZ. 53/59 was popular among the troops. Until the mid-1970s, the Czechoslovak self-propelled "Lizards" were considered a completely modern air defense system and, under the designation M53 / 59, were popular on the world arms market. Their buyers were: Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Cuba, Yugoslavia and Zaire. Most of the M53 / 59 was delivered to Yugoslavia. According to Western data, by 1991, 789 ZSUs were delivered to the Yugoslav army.
Self-propelled anti-aircraft guns M53 / 59 were used by the warring parties during the armed conflicts that erupted in the territory of the former Yugoslavia. Initially, the Serbian army used a 30-mm SPAAG for firing at ground targets. Due to the significant density of fire and the high initial velocity of 30-mm shells that pierced through the brick walls of houses, and the ability to fire on the upper floors and attics, anti-aircraft guns became indispensable in urban battles.
These anti-aircraft guns were especially actively used during the hostilities in Bosnia and Kosovo. After the very first military clashes, the characteristic sound of their firing had the strongest psychological effect on the enemy soldiers: the M53 / 59, invulnerable to light small arms fire, easily dealt with infantry and lightly armored vehicles that did not take shelter.
In the mid-1990s, ZSU M53 / 59 were considered hopelessly outdated, and Western military analysts did not take them seriously when planning air strikes on Serbia. In the course of repelling the bombing of Serbia and Montenegro by NATO forces in 1999, ZSU M53 / 59 were involved in air defense. The air forces of NATO countries actively used electronic warfare, making it difficult to use radar stations. But the M53 / 59 did not have centralized control systems with radar detection. Therefore, electronic warfare means against them were useless, and a well-prepared calculation could effectively destroy low-flying air targets, having detected them visually. According to official Serbian data, 12 cruise missiles and one drone were hit by the fire of the ZSU M53 / 59. The only manned aircraft shot down on June 24, 1992 was the Croatian MiG-21.
In the Czech Republic, the last ZSU PLDvK VZ. 53/59 were decommissioned in 2003. There are still approximately 40 SPGs in storage in Slovakia. Also, wheeled ZSU survived in the armed forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Serbia. In Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia in the late 1980s, attempts were made to create a short-range air defense missile system based on an anti-aircraft self-propelled gun, equipped with missiles with a thermal homing head: K-13, R-60 and R-73.
To increase the flight speed of the missiles at launch, they had to be equipped with additional accelerating solid-propellant boosters. After testing, the serial construction of improvised self-propelled anti-aircraft missile systems in Czechoslovakia was abandoned. In Yugoslavia, 12 air defense systems were built with PL-4M missiles - modified R-73E air-to-air missiles. Engines from aircraft NAR S-24 were used as additional upper stages. Theoretically, the PL-4M missile defense system could hit a target at a distance of 5 km, an altitude reach of 3 km. In 1999, four PL-4Ms were launched at night against real targets in the vicinity of Belgrade. Whether it was possible to achieve the hit is unknown. One launcher was located on the territory of Kosovo, where two A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft were fired from it during daylight hours. The pilots of American aircraft timely noticed the launch of the missile defense system and avoided defeat by using heat traps.
Wheeled ZSU PLDvK VZ. 53/59 were well suited for escorting transport convoys and anti-aircraft cover for objects in the rear. But due to weak armor and insufficient maneuverability, they could not move in the same battle formations with tanks. In the mid-1980s, the ZSU BVP-1 STROP-1 was created in Czechoslovakia. The base for it was the BVP-1 tracked infantry fighting vehicle, which was the Czechoslovak version of the BMP-1. According to the requirements of the military, the vehicle was equipped with an optoelectronic search and sighting system, a laser rangefinder, and an electronic ballistic computer.
ZSU BVP-1 STROP-1
During tests carried out in 1984, during daylight hours, it was possible to detect a MiG-21 fighter at a distance of 10-12 km and determine the distance to it with high accuracy. The ZSU BVP-1 STROP-1 used a remotely controlled artillery unit from the PLDvK VZ. 53/59. The range of opening fire was 4 km. Effective firing range 2000 m.
Thus, the Czechs tried to cross the latest electronics with anti-aircraft guns, which traced their ancestry to the 30mm cannons used by the Germans during World War II. It is worth recalling that in the USSR since 1965, the ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" with a detection radar entered the troops, and in 1982 the Tunguska anti-aircraft missile and gun system entered service with the Soviet Army. The use of anti-aircraft artillery assault rifles with external box-loaders by that time was an anachronism, and quite predictably, the BVP-1 STROP-I ZSU was not adopted.
In 1987, work began on the STROP-II anti-aircraft missile and artillery system. The vehicle was armed with a turret with a Soviet double-barreled 30-mm cannon 2A38 (used in the armament of the Tunguska and Pantsir-S1 air defense missile systems) and missiles with the Strela-2M TGS. The 7.62 mm PKT machine gun was also paired with the cannons.
ZRAK STROP-II
The basis for the STROP-II air defense missile system was a lightly armored wheeled platform known as the Tatra 815 VP 31 29 with an 8x8 wheel arrangement. The same chassis was used to create the 152mm VZ self-propelled guns. 77 Dana. The fire control system was the same as on the STROP-I ZSU. However, during the tests, which began in 1989, it turned out that the horizontal guidance drive of the massive turret gives an unacceptable error, which affects the firing accuracy. In addition, the choice of the Strela-2M missiles was due to the fact that this MANPADS was produced under license in Czechoslovakia. But by the end of the 1980s, this complex with an uncooled IR seeker no longer met the requirements for modern air defense systems. In its current form, the STROP-II air defense system did not suit the military. The future of the mobile complex was influenced by the Velvet Revolution and the rupture of military-technical cooperation with Russia.
After the divorce from the Czech Republic, the Slovak version was presented - ZRPK BRAMS. The chassis and artillery unit remained the same, but the fire control system and control equipment were created anew. The vehicle did not have a radar, it was supposed to use an optoelectronic system to search for targets and guidance, consisting of a television camera with powerful optics, a thermal imager and a laser rangefinder - providing an acceptable detection and tracking range of air targets for the weapons used. In addition, instead of two frankly outdated Strela-2M missiles, twin Igla-1 missiles were placed in the rear of the tower, on the sides of the ball with guidance system sensors. In order to ensure stability, when firing, the machine is fixed with four hydraulic supports.
ZRPK BRAMS
ZRPK BRAMS is capable of hitting targets with cannon fire at a distance of up to 4000 m, anti-aircraft missiles - up to 5000 m. Vertical aiming angles of weapons: from -5 ° to + 85 °. A car weighing 27,100 kg accelerates on the highway to 100 km / h. Cruising range of 700 km. Crew of 4 people.
In the 1990s-2000s, the armed forces of Slovakia, due to financial constraints, could not afford to purchase new anti-aircraft missile-gun systems. In this regard, the BRAMS air defense missile system was offered only for export. The car was repeatedly demonstrated at arms exhibitions, but potential buyers were not interested. Simultaneously with the Slovaks, the Czechs tried to breathe new life into the anti-aircraft complex based on the Tatra 815 chassis. Instead of a turret with a 30-mm 2A38 cannon and MANPADS, the new STYX anti-aircraft self-propelled gun was to receive a paired 35-mm Swiss-made Oerlikon GDF-005 artillery mount. However, the matter did not progress beyond the layouts.
57 mm anti-aircraft guns
During the Second World War, it became clear that for anti-aircraft artillery there was a "difficult" range of altitudes from 1500 m to 3000. Here the aircraft turned out to be inaccessible for small-caliber anti-aircraft guns, and for the guns of heavy anti-aircraft artillery this height was too low. To solve the problem, it seemed natural to create anti-aircraft guns of some intermediate caliber. The German concern Rheinmetall AG has released a small batch of 50-mm anti-aircraft guns 5-cm Flak 41. But, as they say, the gun "did not go", during operation in the army, major shortcomings came to light. Despite the relatively large caliber, the 50mm shells lacked power. In addition, the flashes of shots, even on a sunny day, blinded the gunner. The carriage in real combat conditions turned out to be too cumbersome and inconvenient. The horizontal aiming mechanism was too weak and worked slowly. In March 1944, the Czech designers of Skoda were tasked with creating a new 50-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun based on the artillery unit of the 30-mm installation 3.0 cm Flakzwilling MK 303 (Br). According to the specified TTZ, the new 50-mm anti-aircraft gun was supposed to have a firing range of 8000 m, the initial velocity of the projectile - 1000 m / s, and the mass of the projectile - 2.5 kg. Later, the caliber of this gun was increased to 55 mm, which was supposed to give an increase in range, reach and destructive power of the projectile.
In the post-war period, work on the creation of a new anti-aircraft gun continued, but now it was designed for a 57 mm caliber. In 1950, several prototypes were presented for testing, differing in the power supply system and carriages. The first prototype of the gun, indexed R8, had a platform with four folding beds and a removable wheelbase. The R8 anti-aircraft gun weighed almost three tons. The 57-mm anti-aircraft guns were powered from a metal tape. The second R10 prototype, which had a similar projectile delivery system, was mounted on a carriage designed like the 40mm Bofors L / 60 anti-aircraft gun, so it weighed a ton more. The third prototype R12 was also mounted on a two-axle wheeled vehicle, but the shells were fed from a 40-round magazine, which increased its mass by 550 kg compared to the R10. After the tests, requirements were put forward to increase the horizontal firing range to 13,500 meters, and the ceiling had to be at least 5,500 meters. Also, the military noted the need to improve the reliability and quality of the assembly of the guns, as well as to increase the aiming speed. The barrel survivability resource was supposed to be at least 2000 shots. The platform of the gun was supposed to be removable, and the calculation of the gun had a shield cover that protected from rifle bullets of rifle caliber and shrapnel. The total mass of the anti-aircraft gun with the platform was not supposed to exceed four tons.
The refinement of the 57-mm anti-aircraft gun dragged on, and after unsuccessful military tests in 1954, the question arose about stopping further refinement. By that time, a fairly successful 57-mm anti-aircraft gun S-60 was mass-produced in the USSR, and the prospects for a Czechoslovak anti-aircraft gun, which also had unique unitary shots that were not interchangeable with Soviet 57-mm projectiles, were vague. But the leadership of Czechoslovakia, after eliminating the main defects, to support its own arms industry in 1956, initiated the serial production of the R10 guns, which were put into service under the designation VZ.7S. Anti-aircraft 57-mm guns entered the 73rd artillery anti-aircraft regiment in Pilsen, and the 253rd and 254th anti-aircraft anti-aircraft regiments of the 82nd air defense artillery division in Jaromir.
57 mm anti-aircraft gun VZ.7S
The automatics of the gun worked due to the removal of powder gases and a short stroke of the barrel. The food was supplied from a metal tape. For guidance, an electric drive was used, powered by a gasoline generator. The ammunition load included unitary shots with fragmentation tracer and armor-piercing shells. The mass of the projectile was 2.5 kg, the muzzle velocity was 1005 m / s. Rate of fire - 180 rds / min. The mass of the gun in the firing position is about 4200 kg. Calculation - 6 people. Travel speed - up to 50 km / h.
Comparing 57-mm anti-aircraft guns of Czechoslovak and Soviet production, it can be noted that the VZ.7S was slightly superior to the C-60 in terms of the initial projectile velocity, which gave a longer direct firing range. Thanks to the belt feed system, the Czechoslovak anti-aircraft gun was faster. At the same time, the Soviet S-60 anti-aircraft gun demonstrated better reliability and cost significantly less. From the very beginning, the S-60 battery included a gun aiming station, which ensured greater efficiency of anti-aircraft fire. As a result, only 219 VZ.7S guns were assembled at the ZVIL Pilsen enterprise, which until the early 1990s were used in parallel with the Soviet S-60.
Simultaneously with the development of the towed 57-mm anti-aircraft gun R10, its self-propelled version was created in Czechoslovakia. The T-34-85 tank was used as a chassis. From 1953 to 1955, several modifications of the ZSU were created. But in the end, the Czechs preferred the Soviet twin ZSU-57-2 based on the T-54 tank, which were in service until the second half of the 1980s.
Medium caliber anti-aircraft guns
At the end of the 1940s, Czechoslovakia had up to one and a half hundred medium-caliber anti-aircraft guns: 85-mm anti-aircraft guns KS-12 model 1944 and 88-mm 8, 8-cm Flak 37 and 8, 8 cm Flak 41. However, based on From the experience of using German anti-aircraft artillery against Allied bombers, Škoda engineers in 1948 began designing a 100-mm anti-aircraft gun with an increased muzzle velocity and an increased rate of fire. The new artillery system, which received the factory designation R11, had much in common with the German anti-aircraft gun 8, 8 cm Flak 41. The gun carriage, barrel design, recoil mechanisms and a number of other details were taken from the German gun. To increase the combat rate of fire, store food was used, which made it possible to make 25 rounds / min. An impressive rate of fire for this caliber was combined with excellent ballistic performance. With a barrel length of 5500 mm (55 calibers), the muzzle velocity was 1050 m / s. The R11 gun was superior to the KS-19, which had a barrel length of 60 calibers. So the 100-mm anti-aircraft gun KS-19 could fire 15 shells per minute, with an initial speed of 900 m / s.
100-mm anti-aircraft gun R11
Despite the superiority in a number of parameters over the Soviet anti-aircraft gun KS-19, it was not possible to bring the Czechoslovak 100-mm anti-aircraft gun R11 to mass production. And the point was not only that the prototype of the gun gave a lot of failures during testing and required a lot of revision. Surely the specialists of the Skoda company would be able to cope with the main technical problems and tighten the artillery system to the required level of operational reliability. After the establishment of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, for the sake of political and economic dividends, the new leadership of the country decided to curtail a number of ambitious programs to create a number of models of armored vehicles and artillery pieces, focusing on heavy weapons and Soviet-made equipment. As a result, Czechoslovakia received several dozen 100-mm KS-19M2 anti-aircraft guns, which were in operation until the early 1980s, after which they were transferred to storage.
100-mm anti-aircraft gun KS-19
Unlike the 85-mm anti-aircraft guns model 1944, for which firing data was issued from the outdated PUAZO-4A, the fire control of the KS-19M2 anti-aircraft battery was carried out by the GSP-100M system, designed for automatic remote guidance in azimuth and elevation angle of eight or less guns and automatic input of values for setting the fuse according to the data of the anti-aircraft targeting radar. The aiming of the gun was carried out centrally, using servo hydraulic drives.
In addition to the already mentioned 85-, 88- and 100-mm anti-aircraft guns of Soviet and German production, 130-mm KS-30 anti-aircraft guns were supplied to Czechoslovakia to arm anti-aircraft artillery regiments intended to protect strategically important stationary objects.
130-mm anti-aircraft gun KS-30 in the Leshany Museum near Prague
With a mass in a combat position of 23,500 kg, the gun fired 33.4 kg with fragmentation shells that left the barrel with an initial speed of 970 m / s. The firing range at an air target - up to 19500 m. The 130-mm anti-aircraft gun had a separate-case loading, with a combat rate of fire up to 12 rds / min. The guns in the anti-aircraft battery were guided automatically using the tracking drives, according to the data from the anti-aircraft fire control device. The response time of remote fuses was also set automatically. Target parameters were determined using the SON-30 gun guidance station.
Compared to the KS-19 anti-aircraft guns, produced in the amount of 10151 copies, the 130-mm KS-30 was released much less - 738 guns. Czechoslovakia was one of the few countries (besides the USSR) where the KS-30 anti-aircraft guns were in service. Currently, all 130-mm anti-aircraft guns are out of service. Several copies have been preserved in Czech museums.
