Fw.De Bruyn

[Brian Bines]

The Kracker files shows the above pilot as flying on the Elbe mission on 7th.April 1945, is anything more known about him please ?, Kracker shows he had EK1, EK2, and Fighter Clasp and that he went onto to fly transport aircraft . Online I could only find a Jean De Bruyn who flew Typhoons with 609 Sqd. and a current pilot Tony de Bruyn who flys at airshows,

Thanks
Brian Bines

[Jaap Woortman]

Brian,

I have a De Bruin from the Hague, Netherlands, who was one of the first group of Dutchmen who went into service of the Luftwaffe in January 1942.
His initials could have been J., first name unknown to me.
He was mentioned by "Opa Smit" a former early member of TOCH in a private conversation with me in late 1999.
His career in the Luftwaffe after January 1942 is not known to me. So I am also very interested in more information about this guy.

Jaap Woortman
Study Group Air War 1939-1945.

[Brian Bines]

Jaap,

The only other one I could find was a Jozef de Bruyn born 31st.Dec.1919 who was executed in Belgium in 1946 for service with the Germans but in his case I think it was the SS,

Regards
Brian Bines

[Jaap Woortman]

Brian,

I have not been able to find for de Bruin his date and place of birth.
Only with this information I am able to check his postwar file.
These files are made after the war and contain information about the time he has been in the German Airforce.
These files are present in the Dutch National Archives and can be checked under special conditions after request.

Jaap

[Brian Bines]

Does anyone have a copy of JAGERBLATT 1/2001 which has some info. on this pilot.

[Andrew Arthy]

Hi Brian,

On page 34 the following is written: "Fw. De Bruyn, Oldenburg, hat im Raum Schwarmstedt eine B-17 gerammt und sich beim Fallschirmabsprung beide Arme gebrochen. Er kam in das Lazarett Schwarmstedt, war vorher Transportflieger."

Cheers,
Andrew A.
Air War Publications - www.airwarpublications.com/earticles

[Jaap Woortman]

If I understand this well, then this Fw De Bruyn is original coming from Oldenburg in Germany.
We have seen this more often. The family names in the area in Germany near the Dutch border are often similar to Dutch family names.

Jaap

[Brian Bines]

Andrew and Jaap,

Thanks for your help on this. One thing that confused me on the Kracker file was ' Later served as a Transport Pilot ' should read 'Previously',

Regards
Brian Bines

[Jaap Woortman]

Brian,

Indeed that makes more sense with "two broken arms".

Jaap

[Marcel van Heijkop]

Maybe slightly off topic, but Jet & Prop 3/2011 has a nice article about Dutchmen in the Luftwaffe. According to this article, only about a dozen Dutchmen may have fought in the Luftwaffe as flying personnel, with 5 of them being treated in detail in this article:
- Klaas Visser (III./NJG1)
- Johannes de Vliegher (JG11)
- Eduard De Graaf (I./KG200(!))
- Johannes Antonius Kuhn (Überführungsgruppe West)
- Klaas Kool (I./FAG 101, later 11.Kp./Fschj. Rgt. 16)

Best regards,

Marcel