Introduction
Articles
Below you shall find a small number of articles on topics related to the Danish air force volunteers during the Second World War.
Below you shall find a small number of articles on topics related to the Danish air force volunteers during the Second World War.
Sometimes the man in the centre is not the most interesting person in a photograph. This was certainly true, when I was looking at a photograph of Field Marshal Montgomery returning to his aircraft at B.160 Copenhagen/Kastrup on 12 May 1945. In my research the most interesting man in the photograph is the man on the far right. This is Flt Lt Vagn Christensen.
Group Captain John Edgar "Johnnie" Johnson, top-scoring fighter ace in the European theatre, begins and ends his best-selling memories, "Wing Leader", in Copenhagen. This is due to the fact that he is the commanding officer of B.160 Copenhagen/Kastrup in May-June 1945. But it is not only the presence of this well-known pilot that makes the airport an interesting place.
Three Danish women served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. The Canadian Women’s Auxiliary Air Force was created in mid-1941 and became the Women’s Division, an integral part of RCAF, in 1942.
Compared to the number of Danes who volunteered for Waffen-SS, a rather small number of Danish military and navy pilots joined the Luftwaffe. In all seven Danish officers volunteered, were accepted, and trained in the Luftwaffe. Of these six were trained
From early on the Danish volunteers in the RAF wanted to distinguish themselves as Danes in Allied service. One way of doing that was to wear a nationality shoulder title on the uniform.
Eighteen Danes served in the Royal Australian Air Force during the Second World War. For most Danes in the Allied forces their service was connected—more or less directly—to the fight for the liberation of Danish. For those in Australian service, the stakes were different, and their service was perhaps more linked to the defence of their new country from the Japanese threat.
The Free Danes in London dreamed of establishing a Danish Spitfire Squadron. In 1941-1942, funds were collected in Danish communities all around the world for the Danish Spitfire Fund. This article tells the story of the Danish Spitfires.
The Danish pilot Poul Henrichsen worked for the East Asiatic Company in Singapore before the war. In October 1941, he volunteered for flying training at the Government Flying Training School in Singapore. The article tells the story of this establishment.
On 30 June 1945, the Royal Air Force exhibition in Copenhagen officially opened. The exhibition was hosted by the department store Magasin du Nord on Kongens Nytorv in central Copenhagen. Danish Fg Off. Jørgen T. Bruun returned to Denmark from India to take part in the running of the exhibition.
Six Danish airmen were on operation in the skies over Normandy on 6 June 1944. Two were involved in bombing the coastal batteries, three provided fighter cover over the Channel and the beaches, and the last carried out an improvised reconnaissance mission.
A photo of a Hawker Typhoon from 137 Sqn named ‘Aase’ and a Danish flag in a Scottish newspaper caught my eye. It is likely that Aase was the sweetheart of one of the pilots, while stationed in Copenhagen for six weeks from early May 1945.
Norway was liberated on 8 May 1945 on VE-day. More than fifty Danes serving in the Royal Norwegian Air Force celebrated and participated in the liberation of their second, wartime homeland.
As April turned into May in 1945, events suggested that the war in Europe would soon end. At this point, the anti-shipping attacks by Coastal Command and 2nd Tactical Air Force in Danish waters reached a climax. Wg Cdr Kaj Birksted and Lt Kjeld Rønhof was part of the escort, when the Strike Wings attacked on 3 May 1945. They both flew their last operations of the war on this day.
This brief article presents the ‘needle in a haystack’-problem of tracking down Danes—especially Danish nationals—in air force service in the United States.
On 5 May 1945, the first Allied aircraft landed in what was to become B.160 Copenhagen/Kastrup carrying the SHAEF Mission to Denmark - and the Danish pilot Flt Lt 'Morian' Hansen, DFC GM.
During the Second World War an ambulance was donated to the Royal New Zealand Air Force by the Danish Association in New Zealand. A number of photographs in the collection of the Royal Danish Library document the event at which some of the Danish volunteers were present.
It was a busy day in B.160 Copenhagen/Kastrup on 7 May 1945. Just before 11.00 hrs. a Mosquito FB VI touched down. Three weeks before the pilot had bombed the Gestapo HQ in Odense, now he arrived with the soon to be Foreign Minister.
Shortly after D-Day, the first V1 flying bombs hit London. Three Danish fighter pilots were involved in the fighter defence against the flying bombs in the summer of 1944.
In October 1941, a Spitfire Fund was set up to collect funds for a number of Danish Spitfires. The result of the collection was presented to Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 10 Downing Street on 9 April 1942.
During the Second World War, a large number of Danish pilots were in British or Norwegian air service. Though many were accepted in one of the Norwegian squadron, 234 (Madras Presidency) Squadron is by far the most 'Danish' of all squadrons of (or associated to) the Royal Air Force. In all nine Danish pilots and three Spitfires is in 234 service.
During the course of my research on Danish pilots and aircrew I have come across a number of people who turned out not to meet the criteria to be included on this site as Danish. Some of these people are mentioned as Danish by other sources, others have been researched because they hold Danish names.
A large number of especially young Danish born men entered air service via the United States. Many of these were sailors having left Denmark before the German occupation. Most of these men volunteered for the Norwegian forces training in Camp Little Norway in Canada, but some enlisted in the USAAF.
About three years ago I carried out a search on the World War 2 Nominal Roll website (of Australia) finding 38 individuals born in Denmark who served in the Royal Australian Air Force during the Second World War. Ever since I have been researching these individuals trying to find out how many of these who were in fact still Danish when the enlisted in the Australian forces.
In 1943 the pilot and author Clauson Kaas publishes a book entitled Danish aviators in the air. An appendix lists all then trained army and navy pilots. During the period 1935-1939 a total of 26 pilots are trained in the small Danish navy air service. I have been looking into the path taken by these pilots during the following years.
A small number of Danes working in the plantation industry in Malaysia in the 1930s volunteers in 1940-41 for the Malayan Volunteer Air Force – a small force that support the allied forces in South-East Asia during the 1941-42 campaign.
The Soviet Union attacked Finland on 30 November 1939. People all over the world were appalled by the aggression. To many Danes it was an inexcusable attack on a neutral country and a sister nation.
Kaj Birksted becomes Wing Commander (flying) of the North Weald Wing on 1 August 1943. As Wing Commander he had the privilege to carry his initials as identity code on his aircraft. He is believed to have had three Spitfires carrying "KB" on the fuselage. This article is an attempt to compile information on these aircraft - at the time being with a focus on the first.