Gordon Brettell

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For other people of the same name, see Brettell.
Gordon Brettell DFC
File:Royal Airforce Badge.png
Birth name Edward Gordon Brettell
Born (1915-03-19)19 March 1915
Chertsey, Surrey
Died Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.
Danzig
Buried
Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery, Poland
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  Royal Air Force
Years of service 1939–1944
Rank Flight lieutenant
Service number 61053
Unit No. 92 Squadron RAF
No. 133 (Eagle) Squadron RAF
Battles/wars World War II
Awards Distinguished Flying Cross
Mention in despatches <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>

Edward Gordon Brettell (19 March 1915 – 29 March 1944), known as Gordon Brettell, was a British Spitfire fighter pilot who was taken prisoner during the Second World War. He took part in the 'Great Escape' from Stalag Luft III in March 1944, but was one of the men re-captured and subsequently shot by the Gestapo.

Pre-war

Gordon Brettell was born in Chertsey Surrey, the son of Eileen and stockbroker Vivian Brettell and after attending Cheltenham College gained a bachelor of arts degree from Clare College, Cambridge University[1] and then lived in the family home at St Ann’s Hill[2] before embarking on a career in his Austin 7 as a motor racing driver.[3][4][5]

War service

He enlisted in the Royal Air Force at the start of 1940 as an aircraftman pilot candidate with the service number 61053.[6] On completion of flight training he was commissioned as pilot officer on 17 February 1941.[7] From final stage training at No. 58 Operational Training Unit[8] Brettell Joined No. 92 Squadron RAF flying the Spitfire on 3 March 1941[9] and on 4 September 1941 probably shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109 in combat.[10]

Spitfire fighter

He was promoted to flying officer on 17 February 1942[11] and in the summer of 1942 he was posted to No. 133 (Eagle) Squadron RAF at Lympne as a flight commander, the only British officer within the volunteer US unit.[12] He was temporarily in command of the squadron.[13] During his service with 133 Squadron, led by Don Blakeslee, he flew over the Dieppe beaches as top cover while the amphibious commando raid took place on 19 August 1942 and shot down a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter during the mission.[12][14][15] On 29 September 1942 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service with 133 (Eagle) Squadron, his citation stating that he had participated in 111 missions over enemy-occupied territory and that after being wounded in combat he had immediately resumed operational flying.[16][17]

Prisoner of war

Leading 133 Squadron on a bomber escort mission he took off in a Supermarine Spitfire Mark IX fighter (serial number BS313) on 26 September 1942[18] to escort a group of B-17 bombers to Morlaix. The entire formation was blown far off course by adverse winds and only one of the twelve aircraft of 133 Squadron made it back to England after attacks by fighters, anti-aircraft fire and fuel shortage. Brettell was captured and badly injured, becoming a prisoner of war.[19][20] He was sent to Stalag Luft III in the province of Lower Silesia near the town of Sagan (now Żagań in Poland). Here he became an enthusiastic member of the escape committee specializing in forged documents and hand producing rubber stamps from linoleum and rubber boot heels to authenticate the documents and fashioning embossing tools from toothbrushes.[3] He was promoted to flight lieutenant in captivity on 17 February 1943[21] and by 1943 had participated in at least one previous escape attempt.[22] He spent time "outside the wire" after breaking out from Stalag Luft III with Kingsley Brown on 27 March 1943. They travelled some distance on the railways and at one stage shared a compartment with a number of German soldiers.[23]

'Great Escape'

Working with "Tim" Walenn the camp’s head of forgery and Henri Picard they produced forged passports, movement orders, railway documentation and all manner of identity papers to move about Germany.[24] Brettell was one of the 76 men who escaped the prison camp on the night of 24–25 March 1944, in the escape now famous as "the Great Escape". Travelling in a group of four escapees with Tim Walenn, Romualdas Marcinkus and Henri Picard, all posing as Lithuanian workers they managed to reach a train heading towards Danzig (now Gdansk, Poland). Most likely, they intended to travel to East Prussia and cross the Lithuanian border hoping to cross the Baltic Sea to neutral Sweden. When the Germans discovered the escape they began manhunts. Brettell and his group travelled further than most of the escapees, but were captured by the Gestapo near Schneidemühl on 26 March. The party of four were brought to Stalag XXB and spent the night there. On the following day they were handed over to the Danzig Gestapo.[25] Its officials took the men to a forest near Prusce and executed them.[26] On 29 March his body was cremated in Danzig's crematorium.[27] He was one of the 50 escapers executed and murdered by the Gestapo.[28][29] Originally cremated and buried at Sagan, he is now buried in part of the Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery.[1] Brettell’s headstone has the inscription chosen by his parents: "Those who are nearer to God, Are not farther from us".[30] Brettell's name was amongst those in the list of the murdered prisoners which was published when news broke on or about 20 May 1944.[31]

Memorial to "The Fifty" down the road toward Żagań (Brettell is near top left)

Awards

Distinguished Flying Cross on 29 September 1942 for his service with 133 (Eagle) Squadron RAF[32]

Mentioned in despatches recognizing his conspicuous bravery as a prisoner because none of the other relevant decorations then available could be awarded posthumously. It was published in a supplement to the London Gazette on 8 June 1944.[33]

Other victims

See Stalag Luft III murders

The Gestapo executed a group of 50 of the recaptured prisoners representing almost all of the nationalities involved in the escape. Post-war investigations saw a number of those guilty of the murders tracked down, arrested and tried for their crimes.[34][35][36][37]

Nationalities of the 50 executed
United Kingdom 21 British
Canada 6 Canadian
Poland 6 Polish
Australia 5 Australian
South Africa 3 South African
New Zealand 2 New Zealanders
Norway 2 Norwegian
Belgium 1 Belgian
Czechoslovakia 1 Czechoslovak
France 1 Frenchman
Greece 1 Greek
Lithuania 1 Lithuanian

References

Notes
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Commonwealth War Graves Commission – Edward Gordon Brettell
  2. ↑ Electoral Register 1939 for Surrey, England, St. Anns Hill, p.55
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Andrews (1976), p.37
  4. ↑ Motorsport Magazine, "Gordon Brettell's pre-war Austin Seven Racing", retrieved 19 August 2015
  5. ↑ Vance (2000), p.108
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 35106. pp. 1526–1527. 14 March 1941. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  8. ↑ Vance (2000), p.105
  9. ↑ A Cobra in the Sky: 92 Squadron RAF, retrieved 19 August 2015
  10. ↑ National Archives, London. Air Combat report. Document Air 50/40/89
  11. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 35667. pp. 3559–3560. 11 August 1942. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Shores (2004) p.69
  13. ↑ Haugland (1979) p.161
  14. ↑ Franks (1992) p.105
  15. ↑ National Archives, London. Air Combat report. Document Air 50/55/5
  16. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 35721. pp. 4216–4217. 25 September 1942. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  17. ↑ Edward Gordon Brettell D.F.C. at American Air Museum in Britain website, retrieved 19 August 2015
  18. ↑ Franks (1998), p.67
  19. ↑ Haugland (1979) pp.178–180
  20. ↑ Cutting from the Cheltenham Chronicle dated 28 November 1942 "Missing O.C. Now Listed As Prisoner", at Morlaix Disaster website, retrieved 19 August 2015
  21. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 36022. pp. 2250–2251. 18 May 1943. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  22. ↑ Andrews (1976) p.204
  23. ↑ Vance (2000), p.102-103
  24. ↑ Andrews (1976) p.36
  25. ↑ Burgess (1971) p.255
  26. ↑ Read (2012), p.124
  27. ↑ Read (2012) p.306
  28. ↑ Andrews (1976), p.209
  29. ↑ Pegasus Archive - 50 murdered escapers
  30. ↑ Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Headstone Schedule form H/2, Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery
  31. ↑ Western Morning News, Dundee Courier, Yorkshire Post, etc. 20/05/1944
  32. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 35721. pp. 4216–4217. 25 September 1942.
  33. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 36544. pp. 2619–2620. 2 June 1944. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  34. ↑ Read (2012), p.295
  35. ↑ Vance (2000), p.310
  36. ↑ Andrews (1976), p.188 and 199
  37. ↑ Yale Avalon Project-War Crimes Trial Part 8 – victim Brettell
Bibliography
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External links

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