T/5 David Thalmay was born in Copenhagen in 1920 by Jewish immigrant parents. In 1942, he enlisted in the US Army and was assigned to Army Air Corps signals unit in Kunming, China. His brother, Jacob, was active in the Danish resistance movement, but died following arrest in in Mathausen in March 1945.
Mogens Louis Bramson was a Danish born aero engineer, who served briefly in the RAF in 1939 and in the ATA in 1939-40. His main contribution to the air war, however, was as an independent consultant instrumental to the funding of the the development of the first British jet engine by Frank Whittle.
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.
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.
