Three Bk-534 was modified for service on the German aircraft carrier to-be, Graf Zeppelin. They were fitted with spools for catapult launching and a folding hook for arrested landings. The aircraft were tested from 1940 to 1941 but they were not suited for the rough handling of arrested landings. The airframe structure was not designed to withstand the concentrated loads of arrested landings, the A-frame hook got pulled out from the fuselage on several occasions and the carrier-borne career of the Bk-534 ended even before the German carrier project was abandoned.

In Luftwaffe use, the Avias was used as trainers. Among unit using these aircraft was I/JG 51, which used them for two months from July 1939 at Bad Aibling.
The Avias were also used as night fighters by 3/JG70 and 3/JG71 based at Friedrichshafen for a short period between July 1939 and the beginning of 1940 before the units were re-equipped with Bf 109s.

Avia Bk-534s during service at Jagdfliegerschule 4 (Fighter Training School) in Fürth, Germany in 1941.
Picture kindly provided by Thomas Hampel.

Avia Bk-534s during service at Jagdfliegerschule 4 (Fighter Training School) in Fürth, Germany in 1941.
Picture kindly provided by Thomas Hampel.

Avia Bk-534s during service at Jagdfliegerschule 4 (Fighter Training School) in Fürth, Germany in 1941.
Picture kindly provided by Thomas Hampel.

The towing-gear equipped B-534s were initially allotted to the DFS230 Staffel/1-10. In occupied France they served for training before being moved within the framework of the Lastenseglarstaffel to the Eastern Front, where they served as the tugs for the DFS230A troop/cargo gliders, supplying encircled ground troops (probably at Demyansk).

Towing-gear equipped B-534s were also used by Erganszungsgruppe (S) 1 from Langendiebach near Hanau during 1942-3. Erg.Gr. (S) 1 ('S' for Schlepp - towed) was a training Gruppe giving primary and operational training for assault glider pilots. Training was mainly conducted on the DFS230 glider. For glider towing duties however the unit used a wide variety of types, including German Arado Ar65s and Heinkel He46s, Czech Avia B-534s and the larger Letov S-328 and at least 10 Gloster Gladiators.

Towing-gear equipped B-534.
© Jerry Boucher.
Picture kindly provided by Jerry Boucher from the VIRTUAL AIRCRAFT WEBSITE.
Click on the image to see it in full size.

Another rather different role for the Avias was as acting as Polish PZL-11 fighters in the "Kampfgeschwader Lützow" propaganda film!

Source:
Avia B-534 - Jirí Vraný, 1994 MBI, Praha, ISBN 80-901263-6-7
Iron Cross Gladiators: The Story of the Gloster's Luftwaffe Service - Andrew Thomas & Peter Green kindly provided by Andrew Thomas.
Graf & Grislawski: A Pair Of Aces - Christer Bergström with Vlad Antipov and Claes Sundin, 2003 Eagle Editions Ltd., Hamilton, USA, ISBN 0-9721060-4-9