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Bruhn, Carl Johan

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Personal Information

Rank Capt.
Forename(s) Carl Johan
Surname Bruhn
Gender M
Age 37
Decorations
Date of Death 28-12-1941
Next of Kin Son of Ditlev and Ingeborg Bruhn, of Denmark. Husband of Anne E. Bruhn, LRCP,MRCS, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.
BRUHN CJ

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Armstrong Whitworth Whitley V
Serial Number Z9125
Markings NF-

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country Denmark
Burial/Memorial Place Copenhagen (Solbjerg) Churchyard
Grave Reference Plot 3E Grave 184
Epitaph

IBCC Memorial Information

Phase SP
Panel Number 272 (not yet erected on site)

Enlistment Information

Service Number 185078
Service Special Operations Executive
Group
Squadron 138 (Special Duties)
Trade Agent
Country of Origin Denmark

Other Memorials

Location Outside former Officers Mess, Stradishall, Suffolk
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Brick Memorial with Inscribed Marble Tablets
Memorial Text To commemorate 32 years of service by the men and women of R.A.F. Stradishall 1938 - 1970
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Location "The Barn" Gibraltar Farm, Tempsford, Bedfordshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Stone Plaque & Framed Scroll
Memorial Text To commemorate the men and women of different nationalities who flew from RAF Tempsford to aid resistance forces in occupied Europe
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Location St. Peter's Church, Tempsford, Bedfordshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Stone Tablet, Wooden Boards, Brass Plaques & RoH
Memorial Text Remembering all those who flew from RAF Tempsford including those of the Royal Australian Air Force
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Miscellaneous Information

Born 12 July 1904, in Denmark. After graduating in 1923, he studied grocery in Køge and later became a student at Bregentved near Haslev, where he became forester. In 1929 he traveled to Malaya to lead a rubber plantation and in 1932 he married a Scottish-born doctor Anne Connan and returned with her to Denmark to lead a sawmill at Vordingborg. In 1934 the couple traveled to London and Bruhn began studying to be a doctor. By the time war was declared, Bruhn had completed his medical education and was attached to the Special Operations Executive (SOE), where he quickly gained the rank of Captain and became the leader of a team with Mogens Hammer and Anders Lassen. In 1941, the Danish section of SOE began working on plans for the first drop-off of SOE agents in Denmark. Bruhn became the leader of the small group that also consisted of Mogens Hammer, a wireless operator. A forested drop zone was chosen near Haslev, in an area that Bruhn knew well and where he had good contacts.
To mask the drop, the aircraft first dropped four 250-pound bombs on Masnedøværket at Storstrømsbroen from 1,000 feet. One bomb detonated in a field, another about 150 yards from a transformer and the last two failed to detonate. When the drop zone (Torpeskov east of Haslev) was sighted , the aircraft descended to a height of 500 feet and Bruhn and Hammer jumped from the aircraft. Bruhn's parachute did not open because the static line came away inside the aircraft and fell to the ground with him (at that time there was no safety catch on the snap hooks and this made them prone to detatching due to 'whip' in the line). Hammer landed safely and searched for the body of Bruhn and the package which was also dropped by parachute containing the wireless set and numerous firearms, including a novel cable-fired pistol which strapped to the body to enable it to be shot even when assuming the 'hands up' posture. Hammer removed the papers and money from Bruhn's body so we could find his way to Copenhagen from where he was withdrawn.
The loss of Bruhn was a bitter blow to the SOE, who had tailored the Danish operation around him, his intimate knowledge of the forests of the drop zone and his contacts in the locality.

Fellow Servicemen

Fornusek L (Sgt)
Janek J (Sgt)
Jelinek V (F/O)
Politzer M (Sgt)
Romanoff B (S/L)

Last Operation Information

Start Date 27-12-1941
End Date 28-12-1941
Takeoff Station Stradishall
Day/Night Raid Night (74% moon)
Operation Operation Chilblain- to establish an SOE operation in Denmark
Reason for Loss Parachuted from 500 feet but his 'chute failed to open during drop at Torpeskov, near Haslev, Denmark. At such a low altitude, there was no possibility of using a reserve parachute. Killed on impact. His watch stopped at 0205 hours.

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Casualty Pack

IBCC is delighted to introduce a unique facility to link the Losses Database to the relevant RAF Casualty Pack on the National Archives website. This project is the result of on-going collaboration between IBCC, the MOD Records Office and National Archives, Kew. This document describes what Casualty Packs are, when they were created, the process of making them available to the public and then goes on to describe the process by which you can view the contents of the packs. Casualty Packs (CPs) were created by the RAF whenever there was serious injury or loss of life associated with operational activity within the RAF. This includes operational flying losses, enemy action due to air raids, road accidents either on station or even off-station if they involved RAF vehicles. Deaths due to natural causes in service or accidents that did not involve RAF vehicles did not generally give rise to a CP.

CPs were originally given a unique reference number by the RAF. Each begins with the letter ‘P’ and is followed by six digits, then an oblique (forward slash) and the finally the year in which the incident took place- for example P396154/42.

The CPs are in the process of being made available to the general public as they are passed from the MOD Records Office, Portsmouth to National Archives, Kew. This process requires some rework to the files which is very time consuming, so the process of making them all available to National Archives will take several years. They are being made available in increasing date order.

Once CPs arrive at National Archives they are assigned a unique AIR81 number, so each CP has both a P-number and an AIR81 number. Both are searchable on the National Archives website under ‘Search the catalogue’ and both are included on the IBCC website.

The AIR81 reference on the IBCC website is a link to the file on the National Archives website. When you click on it, the relevant page will open in a new tab on your browser.

There is currently no plan to digitise AIR81 files, partly because they are fragile and partly because the information they contain can at times be sensitive, even harrowing, since they may contain exhumation reports and even photographs of corpses. Family members wishing to read the AIR81 files relating to their ancestors are advised to exercise caution and be guided by National Archives warnings where appropriate.

There are two means for accessing AIR81 files- to attend in person or to order a copy by post.

To attend in person, the attendee should first create a Reader’s Ticket. This can be done online by following this link: https://secure.nationalarchives.gov.uk/login/yourdetails. Then click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and click Order in Advance. Enter your Reader’s Ticket number and state the date on which you intend to visit. National Archives will have the file ready for you when you arrive, saving you time. When you visit Kew, you must quote the Reader’s Ticket number and take along two forms of ID- one bearing your signature and one bearing your address. When you view the files, you are permitted to take photographs of each page, should you wish.

Alternatively, if you wish to order a copy by post, please be aware that there is a charge for this service based on the number of pages in the file. Click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and then click Request a Copy. There is an £8.40 charge for National Archives staff to access the file and give you a quotation for the copying service. The process takes around 24 days to complete and can be expensive.

IBCC wishes to thank the staff at the MOD Records Office and National Archives for their engagement and assistance in making this facility available to our website users.