A simple ceremony has been held on the South Devon coast to honour a Czech fighter ace who was killed during a wartime dogfight more than 80 years ago.

On June 23 1942, Wing Commander Alois Vasatko was lost in his Spitfire off Start Point.

During a ferocious dogfight his aircraft collided with a German Focke-Wulf 190 and crashed into the sea. His body was never recovered.

Now the incident has been commemorated with a special plaque and a bench donated by Stokenham Parish Council, placed at the closest location on the coast to the point where the Spitfire went down.

Wing Commander Vasatko, who was 33, was one of the RAF’s most senior Czechoslovak officers. He commanded the three fighter squadrons – 310, 312 and 313 – known as the Czech Fighter Wing, operating within the RAF from bases including Exeter, Bolt Head, Harrowbeer and Culmhead in Devon.

The memorial has been erected by the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. It was designed in conjunction with local landowner Lady Newman and built by local stonemason Andy Dunn.

It features a QR code plate at the base of the plinth which visitors can scan for more information.

Originally a pre-war Czechoslovak Army officer turned fighter pilot, Alois Vasatko escaped following the German invasion, first to Poland and then to France. There, flying briefly with the French Air Force before the 1940 Blitzkrieg and France’s surrender, he achieved his first victories against the Luftwaffe.

Arriving in Britain, he and fellow Czechoslovak airmen were formed into Czech squadrons within the RAF, joining the fight in the latter stages of the Battle of Britain during which he continued to build an impressive combat record.

Later based in the South West, the Czech squadrons played a vital role in defending Plymouth and Portland naval bases, as well as shipping in the Channel, while also carrying out bomber escort missions and offensive sweeps over occupied France.

On the day of the dogfight 36 Spitfires of the Wing formed up over Start Point to escort six bombers attacking the German airfield at Morlaix in northern Brittany. Intercepted on the return journey, a fierce engagement followed.

Seven Spitfires were lost, including that of Vasatko. A German pilot, whose own aircraft was lost but who survived thanks to British Air Sea Rescue, later confirmed he had collided with a Spitfire during the battle.

“The ceremony was a fitting tribute,” said Jerry Bird of the RAF Exeter Remembrance organisation. “It was truly a privilege to take part.”

The memorial was unveiled jointly by His Excellency Václav Bartuska, the Czech Ambassador to the UK, and Robert Newman, whose family owns the land on which the memorial stands.

The gathering also included families of Czech airmen and ground crew, representatives from the Czech Republic Ministry of Defence as well as military attachés and Royal Navy officers.

The day concluded with a buffet at the Cricket Inn, Beesands.