Silver Half Ounce 2018 Czechoslovak Airmen - KX-B Landing, Coin from Niue - detailed information

Niue, a sovereign state in free association with New Zealand, uses two official legal tender currencies. The New Zealand Dollar is the circulation currency for daily transactions, while the government also authorises legal tender coins in the Niue Dollar currency for collector's purposes.

A number of mints issue a large variety of commemorative, bullion and collector coins under the authority of Niue. These coins are dedicated to historical or general popular culture themes not related to Niue itself. Many of them are in standard bullion sizes, based on the troy ounce - such as the half ounce of silver format (abbreviated as 1/2 oz Ag, where "Ag" comes from the Latin word for silver, Argentum).

This coin was issued as part of a four-coin set commemorating Czechoslovak airmen who fought as part of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II, and marks emergency landing of the KX-B airplane.

The Mint says about it:
The 2018 coins in the set commemorate significant events: the first deployment of the 310th fighter wing in the Battle of Britain, the emergency landing of the KX-B airplane, the Stonewall operation that sank the German blockade breaker SS Alsterufer, together with the triumphant return of the Czechoslovaks to their homeland. On the obverse side of each there is an inscription marking all dates related to the individual reverse sides.

What was the fate of the airplane with the call sign KX-B? The Wellington bomber serving at the 311th Czechoslovak bomber wing set out on its sixth air strike at the end of December 1941, targeting the Wilhelmshaven port in northern Germany. Heavy anti-aircraft gunfire supported by dozens of searchlights protected the docks, and the Wellington was hit. Still, it was able to fly and headed back to England. However, the situation worsened halfway between the Netherlands and Great Britain, when the aircraft lost its engine and became completely uncontrollable. The crew managed an emergency landing on the surface of the turbulent North Sea. Five of the six men made it to the lifeboat, and spent six days and six nights in it. Only three of them made it to the sea coast of the Netherlands at the beginning of 1942. They later survived Nazi captivity.