Danish WW2 Pilots

Poul Henrichsen worked for the East Asiatic Company in Malaya when the war broke out. He enlisted in the Malayan Volunteer Air Force to train at the Elementary Flying Training School in Singapore. He left Singapore in February 1942 and continued training in Rhodesia. He finalised training in the UK and was sent to Italy. He returned to the UK, trained as a fighter pilot and was posted to the 332 (Norwegian) Squadron. He was killed in action on 1 March 1945.

Asger Laursen is one of a small number of Danish pilots who volunteers for the Malayan Volunteer Air Force during the Second World War. He ends the war in a Japanese prisoner of war camp on Java.

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.

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.