Prof. Niles Bohrs flight from Bromma to Leuchars

[SES]

Hi,
On the night of 6 - 7 October 1943, the Danish Nobel Prize winner prof. Niels Bohr was flown from Sweden to the UK in a BOAC Mosquito registered G-AGGC.
Does anyone know the time of T/O and landing of the flight?
bregds
SES

[Stig Jarlevik]

SES

I suggest you put your question on this forum
http://forum3.sff.n.se/

Michael Sanz published a book about Bromma airport in 1996 and what I have heard the Bromma logs are still intact.

The book has no index and a brief check did not come up with Bohr's name, but someone might have knowledge about it.

Cheers
Stig

[SES]

Hi Stig,
Thanks a lot. I am in contact off board with an expert on the subject and pending his permission I will up-date GYGES.DK. The fascinating angle is that we are in contact with the Staka of 10/NJG 3, who might have been airborne the very night of the flight.
bregds
SES

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Hello SES and Stig! Quite interesting threat indeed.
Two questions for SES:
1- Were the Germans aware that Prof. Bohr was going out? I mean..I remember reading somewhere, that he was closely surveyed by Germans agents.
2- Was the Staffelkapitän of 10./NJG 3 the ONLY member of the Nachtjagd detailed to intercept the BOAC Flight? Did he receive a special order from the Highest Authorities to intercept this particular flight or this was a routine patrol?
3- I remember reading the name of BOAC Captain that flew that night, but can not find (part of my books are stored on another house). Do you happen to have the Captain and Navigator's names?
Fantastic thread, by the way.
Adriano S. BAUMGARTNER

[Stig Jarlevik]

Indeed Adriano

Luckily for us, the best Danish brain (ever?) made it....

As a side topic, Swedish Royalty also flew onboard these Mosquitos (Prince Bertil Bernadotte, who was the Swedish Naval attaché in London). According to himself he flew four times, confessing he was pretty scared and received the laconic answer if the worst scenario came about, the bomb doors would be opened and he would just have to pull the ripcord. From there on everything else was pretty much up to the Prince....

With regard to the spy story, the Station manager of Luft Hansa, Hans Schäfer, made pretty much daily observations at Bromma airport and reported everything of interest to the German Air Attachë Jens Petersen who in turn reported to the head of Gestapo in Stockholm, Hans Wagner. Some other German born individuals who worked for ABA and had Swedish citizenship, Emil Müller and Walter Rüter, the latter having occasionally access to passenger lists, also supplied information. Further help was also given by ABA's forwarding manager Harald Swallving who had access to information what was sent onboard cargo wise. The type of information which was supplied to Gestapo was aircraft type, registration, arrival and departure times, names when known and cargo when known. Some further German staff was also involved through the years, but those listed were the major individuals.
Scäfer, Swallving and Müller were all arrested and sentenced in June 1945 to over one year in prison.

Cheers
Stig

[SES]

Hi Stig,
Thank you very much for the additional information. This sounds like a script for a James Bond or Indiana Jones movie.
It has now been established that the Staka was not airborne that night, I'm am checking the KTB of I JK to see if there was any fighter reaction at all. Based on the speed of the track the Germans could quickly establish that it was a Mossie, and frequently they simply did not bother to scramble as the poor Ju88Cs simply could not catch up.

@ Adriano. There seems to be mixed opinions about the name of the aircraft captain, but it seems to be certain that it was a British crew.
bregds
SES

[FrankieS]

from some other forum:
Aeroplane Magazine 02/2004

Mosquito was HJ680=98723
G-AGGC of BOAC
pilot: Gilbert Rae
Radio Operator: James Payne
Passenger: Niels Bohr (correct spelling)

bye,
FrankieS

P.S.
Extremely interesting story, although Bohr and his son later helped at New Mexico based Manhattan project (atomic bomb), he wasn't liked much by military project leader Leslie Groves, because Bohr was a "free mind" and liked to discuss things openly. Oppenheimer (scientific project leader) instead liked Bohr - rightly so - very much. I would like to recommend a very good book: Rhodes, Richard: "The making of the atomic bomb"
On the background of the development of the a-bomb from early theories to the drops onto Japan, this is in the end a marvellous chronic also of WW2 in general. Highly recommended.

[FrankieS]

graphic

https://sites.google.com/site/mazexx/il2-skins

[SES]

Hi FrankieS,
Thanks a lot, and for correcting my spelling, most embarrassing. I am in contact with vingtor, who has provided much additional info. When I first posted, I never expected this thread to stir up this much interest and response, which is much appreciated.
bregds
SES

[SES]

Hi,
There is no mention in the KTB of I JK of courier flights that night and there was no night fighter employment in the AOR.
bregds
SES