I am looking for any information I can get on a Pilot Officer Howard Charles Braun. He belonged to 115 sqn. 3 group RCAF. service number J/88272. He is listed lost August 27 1944. Parents Mr/ Mrs. Harry L. Braun of Toronto Ontario. I'm digging into this because of family history mainly, and I would like to know as much about his military history as I can. Thank you in advance for any answers.
From WR Chorley's Bomber Command losses 1944: 115 Squadron (RAF) Lancaster I HK560 A4-K Op: Kiel F/S H C Braur RCAF (Chorley lists him as a F/S and his name is incorrectly spelled) KIA Sgt F J Leighton KIA F/S F E Morton RCAF KIA F/S L E Newnam KIA Sgt A Seviour KIA F/S W A Langrill RCAF KIA Sgt J G Bradford KIA T/O 2012 Witchford. Lost without trace. All are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Sgt Leighton's parents lived at Pasadena in California. The WW2 Diary of Lancaster Pilot Bruce Johnston The diary of a pilot from 115 Squadron for the date Aug 26 1944. Note: Planes lost from 115 Squadron: 3 (Holder, Braun, Morgan) Cheers Mark
Dixie, 3 Group was an RAF formation within Bomber Command and 115 was an RAF Squadron. Although Canada's magnificent contribution was sufficient to completely equip 6 Group Bomber Command (and the squadrons in 6 Group were RCAF, btw) there were sufficient spare Canucks aplenty to serve elsewhere in the RAF too.
A photo is worth............................ RAF Bomber Command Groups 1944 115sq No.115 Squadron RAF Cheers Geoff
Orwell, thanks for the reply, his name is mis spelled. As a matter of fact I found his name on a memorial stone in Nanton Alberta, at the bomber command museum. I did in fact look up the rest of the information I gave you and he was in fact from Ontario. As for the rest of it, I did make a mistake putting it under RCAF instead of RAF, my apologies for that. I am having a duece of a time tracking the rest of the information down, but hey!! I really appreciate what you guys have done so far.
Dixie, A couple of things. Chorley's is correct as Mark (Orwell) has written it out. Braun WAS a F/Sgt at the time of loss. From his service number I can tell you he was posthumously commissioned a Pilot Officer, as were both Langrill and Morton. A further American connection is that Mid Upper Gunner Langrill was from Los Angeles, Ca. RCAF Casualty List 1001 shows Braun's next of kin as his father, H.L. Braun of 58 Binscarth Road, Toronto Have you applied for Braun's service file at the LAC in Ottawa? Item Display - Second World War Service Files: Canadian Armed Forces War Dead - Library and Archives Canada Takes about six months but worth the wait. Regards, Dave
Second World War casualty maps: Air force Interesting tool here from Mr Cain's website (patrickcain.ca | Just another WordPress site) that marks the residences of all Toronto Air Force casualties of WW2. For those interested he's done other maps, including ones on Dieppe and Normandy. It's interesting to see that there was a second Air Force death on Binscarth Rd in 1944, F/L Thomas McAleese RCAF who died Nov 27 1944 while flying with 254 Squadron. He lived at 7 Binscarth Rd. Search Details - Veterans Affairs Canada Sorry for the digression and I wish you luck in your search for more information on Howard Braun Cheers Mark
From WR Chorley's Bomber Command losses 1944: 115 Squadron (RAF) Lancaster I HK560 A4-K Op: Kiel F/S H C Braur RCAF (Chorley lists him as a F/S and his name is incorrectly spelled) KIA Sgt F J Leighton KIA F/S F E Morton RCAF KIA F/S L E Newnam KIA Sgt A Seviour KIA F/S W A Langrill RCAF KIA Sgt J G Bradford KIA T/O 2012 Witchford. Lost without trace. All are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Sgt Leighton's parents lived at Pasadena in California. The WW2 Diary of Lancaster Pilot Bruce Johnston The diary of a pilot from 115 Squadron for the date Aug 26 1944. Note: Cheers Mark Hi, I have just joined this site and I was really interested to read your reply to another members question about one of his relatives. My second cousin was also killed in a bombing raid over Kiel on 27 August 1944, with RAF SQN 115, he was in Lancaster HK556 and his name was Herbert Henry Hartley and I managed to obtain the RAF report which was done. The crew were: 421053 Flying OfficerDonald Fraser Holder 22Royal New Zealand Air ForceK.I.A 27th August 1944 1836265 SergeantMaxwell John Pearson 21Royal Air Force Volunteer ReserveK.I.A 27th August 1944 1582326 Flight SergeantHenry Herbert Hartley 21Royal Air Force Volunteer ReserveK.I.A 27th August 1944 1338676 SergeantDouglas Roy Clatworthy UnknownRoyal Air Force Volunteer ReserveK.I.A 27th August 1944 434791 Flight SergeantAllen Stewart Jackson 19Royal Australian Air ForceK.I.A 27th August 1944 432605 Flight SergeantAthol Grant Webber 19Royal Australian Air ForceK.I.A 27th August 1944 1339960 Flight SergeantJohn William Swannell 21Royal Air Force Volunteer ReserveK.I.A 27th August 1944 They are all buried at: Cemetery records: KIEL Garrison Cemetery Records state: Unknown English Airmen buried 30 August 1944 Plot XI, Grave 122 The report goes like this: The final flight of Lancaster HK556 took place on the evening of 26th August 1944. The weather was fine becoming fair. The information below was taken from a report which was attached to Flying Officer Holden's service record. Re. the crash site of Lancaster LM230/A (or HK556/F); this information came via two documents held on the service record of Flying Officer Donald Fraser Holder NZ421053. F/O Holder was aged 22 and captain of HK556/F which took off from 115 Squadron, RAF Witchford, Cambridgeshire - 3 Group - at 2019 hours on 26th August 1944. He was partaking in a raid on Kiel. The report on F/O Holder’s file reads as follows: Investigations and Findings Whilst conducting a F.O.X. sweep of Kreis PLOEN it was brought to my notice that an a/c had crashed in the Gemeinde BRODERSDORF. I proceeded to investigate. Aircraft: German records indicate that the a/c crashed in the Gemeinde BRODERSDORF at 23.10 hours on the 26th/27th August 1944. The aircraft exploded with all bombs on board. I visited the scene of the crash and found a huge crater filled with water. I estimated the depth of the crater to be at least twenty feet. Crew: German records report the crew “presumably dead”. Bernhard STOLTENBERG, former Burgermeister states: the members of the crew were greatly mutilated by the bombs which exploded when a/c crashed. Only small pieces of the deceased were found. Cemetery records: KIEL Garrison Cemetery Records state: Unknown English Airmen buried 30 August 1944 Plot XI, Grave 122 Conclusion: I have recommended a collective registration for all the members of this crew as against Plot XI, Grave 122 Kiel Garrison Cemetery. This is the only British burial coinciding with a crash at that time. It is feasible to assume that parts of one or more members of this crew were placed in one coffin. From past experience I have no hesitation in stating that in my opinion an excavation of the a/c (part of a/c) would be most impractical and fruitless. Part remains of the remainder of the crew will doubtlessly by now be absorbed by the soil. Witness: Bernhard STOLTENBERG, BRODERSDORF D.O. McIntyre Flight Lieutenant Investigating Officer The postwar investigations were carried out by the Missing Research and Enquiry Service (MRES). It was No.4 Unit (4 MREU) that carried out the investigation into the crash near Kiel. Thank you for helping with more information about this raid.
Whilst I am not sure that they can help, 115 (R) Sqn is currently based at RAF Cranwell, teaching and standardizing RAF Qualified Flying Instructors on the Grob 115E Tutor T Mk 1. Roxy
Not sure if this will add anything which hasn't already been given by the report in the RNZAF file, but as F/Sgt Webber was RAAF, the casualty file for this loss may yield more information: Search & Retrieve - Session timed out Regards, Dave
