Bob Braham

John Randall Daniel 'Bob' Braham (6 April 1920 – 7 February 1974) was a British night fighter pilot, flying ace—a title awarded to a pilot credited with shooting down at least five enemy aircraft in aerial combat—and one of the most highly decorated British airman of the Second World War. Braham claimed the destruction of 25 German bomber and night fighter aircraft and a further four transport and trainer aircraft for a total of 29 aerial victories. In addition, he claimed a further six damaged and four probable victories. One of these probable victories can be confirmed through German records, making an unofficial total of 30 enemy aircraft destroyed.

Born in April 1920, Braham had limited ambitions. Upon leaving school he worked for his local constabulary as a clerk. Bored with civil life, Braham joined the RAF on a five-year Short Service Commission in December 1937. He began basic training in March 1938 and then advanced training from August to December. Upon the completion of flight training he was posted to No. 29 Squadron RAF based at RAF Debden where he learned to fly the Hawker Hurricane and Bristol Blenheim. In 1939 the Squadron began to organise itself as a specialised night fighter unit. By August 1940, the Battle of Britain was under-way. He gained his first victory on 24 August which remained his only success in the battle. In September 1940 No. 29 Squadron was re-equipped with the Bristol Beaufighter. Braham continued operations during "The Blitz" claiming the destruction of two more enemy aircraft. By the end of 1940 he had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).

Braham continued to operate as an anti-intruder pilot after the Blitz ended in May 1941. He became an ace in September 1941 having achieved five victories and was awarded the Bar to his DFC in November 1941. In June 1942 he was promoted to Squadron Leader. By October 1942 Braham had claimed 12 enemy aircraft destroyed and he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). Braham also flew missions with RAF Coastal Command during this time and claimed a U-Boat damaged and an E-boat destroyed. He was then promoted to Wing Commander and given command of No. 141 Squadron RAF. Braham undertook more intruder sorties into German-occupied Europe at this point and received a second bar to his DFC in June 1943 and by September 1943 had gained seven more victories, including three, possibly four, German night fighter aces. Consequently he was awarded a bar to his DSO. The Squadron soon converted to the De Havilland Mosquito and in February 1944 Braham was transferred to the operations staff at No. 2 Group RAF but was permitted to fly one operation per week. He achieved nine victories in the Mosquito and in June 1944 was awarded a second bar to his DSO. Braham's war came to an end on the 24 June 1944 when he was shot down by a pair of single-engine German Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters. Braham was captured and spent the rest of the war as a prisoner. He was liberated in May 1945.

After the war he was offered a permanent commission which he initially accepted. Having resigned his commission in March 1946 he re-enlisted briefly in 1952 after struggling to find work. Braham then emigrated to Canada with his family and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. Having held office at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe and moved around Europe, Braham retired from military life and began working as a civilian for the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. He continued to work there until his death from an undiagnosed brain tumor in 1974, aged 53.

Early life
He was born on 6 April 1920 in Holcombe, Somerset. His father, Ernest Goodall Braham, was a Methodist Minister who earned his qualifications at Bristol and Liverpool University, and then became a Doctor of Theology after studying at Kings College London in 1935. Earnest had served as a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in First World War.

Braham was educated at Preparatory School at Belmont from 1930, and then moved to the public school in Taunton in Somerset. He attended schools in southern England as the Braham's moved across the country to London. Braham was powerfully built. By the age of 15 he was 6 ft. 1 inch and weighed around 12 to 13 stone and used his natural gifts to become a successful boxer. At 15 years and eight months he passed his School Certificate which allowed him to join a University. His further education at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn, Lancashire did not go well. He was frequently absent owing to his father's ministerial appointments which forced the family to continually relocate and consequently his grades declined. He left grammar school at the age of 16 after only a few months and did not return.

Braham struggled to find work in the era of the Great Depression. He considered moving abroad to join the Colonial Police in the British Overseas Territories and the Merchant Navy. To gain experience at administration he worked as a clerk in Wigan for the Greater Manchester Police. By 1937, tiring of life as an admin clerk, Braham turned to the British armed forces for a more fulfilling career.

Aged 17, Braham applied for a Short Service Commission in the RAF, a course that lasted for five years. The Commission was designed to find young aviation enthusiasts with the right physical and academic qualities to become flying officers. To Braham's surprise, his application was accepted. His Commission was dated 7 March 1937. His service number was 40667. The Commission enabled Braham to enter at the rank of Pilot Officer. His training mainly consisted of an introduction to flying by civilian organisations contracted to do so by the RAF. Successful candidates advanced to military training. In December 1937 he began flight training at the No. 7 Elementary Flying School (EFS) at Desford. It was normal for pilots to undertake after eight to eleven hours dual instruction with their flight instructor. For Braham, progress was slow and he made his first solo flight after 14 hours of dual instruction. On 9 March 1938 Braham flew solo for the first time in a Tiger Moth. In May 1938 Braham began officer instruction at RAF Uxbridge. After the completion of this course he was moved to RAF Shawbury to began training on military aircraft. Now assigned to the No. 11 EFS he elected to became a fighter pilot and began training on the Hawker Hart. He completed his advanced flight training on 20 August 1938 and began the final phase of training in the Hawker Fury. He completed his training in formation flying, aerobatics and gunnery practice over the next four months, graduating in December 1938.

His first squadron was No. 29 Squadron RAF, based at RAF West Malling, flying the two-seater Hawker Demon. In February 1939 No 29 Squadron re-equipped with the Bristol Blenheim. Braham was disappointed at not being trained on the Hawker Hurricane and his reaction to this news was request a transfer but he was refused. The squadron spent three months converting onto the Blenheim. In August 1939 No. 29 did convert to the Hurricane but upon the out break of war the squadron was re-equipped with the Blenheim as part of its reorientation to night fighter rather than daylight fighter operations. Braham soon earned the nickname 'Bob', which stayed with him throughout his service career. He had chosen this Christian name as his radio call sign to distinguish himself from the multitude of other Johns in the unit.

Battle of Britain and Blitz
Some RAF squadrons were beginning to equip with airborne radar devices. This was a pioneering technology known as AI (Aircraft interception). It is unknown when, if, or how many of No 29 Squadron's Blenheim aircraft were fitted with them in 1940 as the squadron continued to practice, and struggle with, adapting to night-fighter tactics. A great many pilots relied on basic non-AI tactics which usually meant cooperating with search lights and using the aircrew's eyesight to seek out intruders. By the time Braham and his squadron were called upon to defend Britain from air attacks in August 1940, after the collapse of the Netherlands, Belgium and France in May–June 1940, British night fighter defences were very weak.

The difficulties of night fighting was evident in the performance of the night-fighter squadrons. One Fairey Battle was shot down in error by a Blenheim which could not correctly identify the aircraft; some other Blenheims crashed after being caught in the glare of search lights at low-level and return-fire from German bombers had inflicted at least one loss whilst 29 squadron succeeded on bring down only one German aircraft. While IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) devices had been fitted to some British aircraft it was not always switched on. Braham also experienced technical malfunctions in the Blenheims which prompted him to call into question their reliability. On one occasion the hydraulic pipe had fractured causing the landing gear to fail forcing Braham to force-land. At this time he was joined by his gunner/observer Bill Gregory whom he was to fly frequently.

By August 1940 the Battle of Britain was intensifying. Most of the battles thus far were in daylight, leaving night-fighter crews frustrated. Now based at RAF Digby in Lincolnshire and operating from the satellite airfield at Wellingore the unit formed part of No. 12 Group RAF defending British air space north of London. On the night of the 24 August 1940 Braham took off and patrolled the Humberside area. The Blenheim was piloted by Braham, air gunner Sergeant Wilsdon and Aircraftsman and trained radar operator N. Jacobson. He was directed to an aircraft held in searchlights. He closed too fast and overshot but he and his gunner succeeded in damaging the aircraft sufficiently and a searchlight crew saw it crash into the sea. It was identified as a Heinkel He 111. Braham's only other interaction with the enemy occurred at Ternhill, when a Junkers Ju 88 dropped bombs on the airfield destroying 13 Avro Ansons and damaged 20 more. Braham survived the attack uninjured.

In September 1940 29 Squadron began to convert to the Bristol Beaufighter, a rugged and heavily armed twin-engine aircraft equipped with the Mark IV radar just as the Luftwaffe began its campaign against British industrial cities—known as "The Blitz". By November had became an all-Beaufighter unit. Braham was among the first to fly the Beaufighter and did so in September. He would, however, spend nearly the entire months hospitalised after a serious car accident. He flew his first wartime operation in a Beaufighter on 17 November 1940. Squadron Leader Guy Gibson led the mission. Braham flew nine operations in this month and enhanced his skills by completing a blind-flying course which taught pilots to fly in low-visibility conditions. For his service he was awarded the DFC on the 17 January 1941.

The combination of these developments eventually culminated in success. On 13 March 1941 Braham achieved a surprise attack on a Dornier Do 17, knocking out one of its engines but the cannons jammed. His radar operator, a Sergeant Ross, eventually unjammed three of the guns. Braham's second burst blew the bomber up at a range of 60 yards and the Beaufighter narrowly avoided colliding with the debris. The engagement lasted 13 minutes. The two aircrew achieved another success on the 9 May. Approaching from slightly below their target, Braham followed his radar operator's instructions until a visual sighting had been made. Identifying an aircraft through a patch of eclipsed stars he could then position himself to attack. Attacking two He 111s he downed one with two close-range and short bursts of cannon fire. The victory was confirmed. The He 111 had crashed in neighbouring Richmond, London. The dead pilot's Iron Cross (grade unspecified) was sent to Braham and a souvenir along with two Luftwaffe lifejackets which he preferred to the bulkier British design. He wore the lifejacket until he was shot down.

Anti-intruder operations
The Blitz ended as the Luftwaffe moved its forces support Operation Barbarossa and the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 and air raids slackened. During the second half of 1941, small numbers of German aircraft made pinpoint attacks across Britain and German night fighters attempted intercept operations over England to disrupt RAF Bomber Commands bombing of Germany. On 23 June Braham claimed a probable against a He 111 which Royal Observer Corps personnel saw crash. But since he had lost contact with ground control (having wondered out of No. 29s area of operations) and fearing being lost or pursing the He 111 too low into Barrage balloons, Braham ended the chase and claimed a probable. Records show only one claim was made that night by an RAF fighter other than Braham, and German records list two bombers failing to return.

Bill Gregory became Braham's regular radar operator on 6 July 1941. He gained another victory the next day on 7 July 1941 with the destruction of a Ju 88 and became an ace on 12 September shooting down an He 111. A Do 17 was claimed on the 19 October followed by another He 111 on 24 October. By 25 November 1941 he had claimed 7 enemy aircraft and was awarded the Medal Bar to his DFC. He was then promoted to Flight lieutenant. After having little leave in 1941, Braham was rested to prevent exhaustion. He was posted to No 51 OTU (Operational Training Unit) at RAF Cranfield on 28 January 1942.

Before he left for Cranfield Braham was involved in another car accident which removed him from duty. He was injured when the Austin 7 in which he was travelling left the road at speed. He had been on a night out celebrating his success. The five passengers (three officers and two girls) were all wounded, but one of the women later died in hospital.

Once recovered Bob survived two scares on duty at Cranfield. On 13 March a Beaufighter's engines cut out forcing him to make an emergency landing, and on the same day, he second flight ended with the aircraft's engines catching fire. Braham managed to conduct a safe landing. During this time Braham and Gregory frequently visited 29 Squadron at West Malling. By now the Germans were sending small-scale formations to bomb selected targets in Britain in what became known as the "Baedeker Blitz". Operating on the night of the 6/7 June 1942 in a borrowed Beaufighter, they destroyed a Dornier 217 raiding Canterbury and soon after Braham was posted back to No 29 Squadron from 51 OTU on 24 July 1942 as acting Squadron Leader and Flight Commander of the unit. After damaging a Ju 88 on the 24 August he destroyed another on the 28th using Mark VII AI. The victory was witnessed by Lieutenant Bob Kelly of the United States Army Air Force on a visit to a radar station near the coast. On the 29 August he attacked and destroyed a Ju 88 flying at 150 ft above the English Channel. Skillfully "hugging the waves" the Ju 88 pilot succeeded in making violent evasive manoeuvres. Although the German aircraft was damaged, momentarily the Beaufighter passed over the Ju 88 and was hit by a volley of defensive fire that caused the port engine to catch fire, forcing a crash landing near Beachy Head. Neither he nor his operator on that flight, Harry Jacobs, were injured though a bullet was found to have passed through Braham's seat, missing him by inches. He was awarded his DSO on 9 October 1942 with his tally standing at 10 enemy aircraft destroyed.

After receiving the award Braham was out celebrating at a Pub. He attempted to drive home whilst intoxicated and crashed into a traffic island. Although drinking and driving was not a criminal offence, the Police charged him with damaging public property and fined him £ 5, the equivalent of a weeks wages. It was his third car crash.

Intruder operations
Braham had destroyed 12 enemy aircraft with one probable and four damaged and was one of the most successful RAF night fighter pilots. In recognition of his experience he was then given command of No. 141 Squadron RAF at RAF Ford on 23 December 1942 as a 22-year-old Wing Commander. With him went his AI operator Gregory, now a Flying Officer with the DFC and DFM. Three weeks later, on 20 January 1943, Braham claimed his first air victory; a Do 217.

No 141 Squadron's Beaufighter Mk.IF's moved to Cornwall in February 1943 to carry out night patrols over Brittany and France and daylight patrols over the Bay of Biscay and Atlantic Approaches to protect RAF Coastal Command aircraft. On 20 March 1943 he claimed a locomotive destroyed and soon afterwards was promoted to acting Wing Commander. In April Braham attacked a German E-Boat, firing 500 rounds of 20mm cannon at the target causing a large fire. On other operations Braham damaged three E-Boats while also strafing and damaging a U-Boat.

In May 1943 No 141 Squadron moved to RAF Wittering. It had been chosen to be the first purpose-built night fighter squadron to operate over Germany and occupied Europe in the bomber support role. The Beaufighters were equipped with the new Serrate radar detector, which picked up the radar impulses given out by the German night fighter's' Lichtenstein radar. A number of Beaufighters were also equipped with Mk IV radar, but not the more effective and recently introduced Mark VII. Serrate operations started in June 1943 and were given greater impetus as the Battle of the Ruhr was intensifying and Bomber Command's losses to German night fighters increased. Braham had immediate success, destroying an Messerschmitt Bf 110 over the Netherlands on 14 June and another nine days later. A claim was also made for a damaged Ju 88 after Braham's guns had jammed. In between these two successes, Braham was awarded a second bar to his DFC on 15 June 1943. Throughout June, 141 Squadron claimed five enemy fighters destroyed and two damaged for the loss of one Beaufighter. Braham noted the continuous operations were tiring Gregory and he arranged for him (now with the DFC, DSO DFM) to be rested as Squadron Operational Planning Officer. His replacement was Flight Lieutenant Harry "Jacko" Jacobs.

His most successful intruder operation took place on the night of the 17/18 August 1943, when he participated in 100 Groups support of RAF Bomber Command's Operation Hydra. Braham had decided that it was best to employ the British night fighters in a freelance role. Instead of operating over known German airfields, he elected to interpose the Beaufighters between the outward bomber stream and German airfields in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. He hoped that the echoes made by the Beaufighters on the German Lichtenstein radar would attract enemy aircraft and divert them from the bombers. Braham flew in the first wave. As Braham's wave reached Leeuwarden in the Netherlands and while four of the five RAF fighters made no contact, Braham attracted two enemy night fighters. The Messerschmitt Bf 110s were from IV./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (Night Fighter Wing 1). Five had taken off under the command of Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer. Schnaufer led his flight out toward the echo. Using his Serrate radar detector, Braham and his radar operator picked up the emissions made by the German Lichtenstein radar. He gained on and shot down Feldwebel Georg Kraft, an Experten with 15 air victories from 4./NJG 1. Another Bf 110 had witnessed the action and attempted to engage Braham but was outmanoeuvred and dispatched also. Its pilot, Feldwebel Heinz Vinke was the only member of his crew to survive. Braham considered shooting at one crew member, likely Vinke, who he had seen parachute out of the aircraft, but Bill Gregory persuaded him not to.

Braham was awarded the first bar to his DSO on 24 September 1943. Four nights later, on the 28/29 whilst carrying out an intruder operation between Celle and Hanover Braham encountered what he identified to be a Do 217 which engaged him in a dogfight. He downed the enemy aircraft which it the ground and exploded. He then gained another contact on an enemy aircraft but could not quite catch it then witnessed a crash or explosion nearby. One source suggests the victim of the crash was German ace Hans-Dieter Frank (55 victories), flying a Heinkel He 219, who collided with another German fighter while trying to evade Braham. The very next night he claimed a Bf 110. His victim was identified as German ace August Geiger of IV/NJG 1 (53 victories). Geiger parachuted out of his fighter but drowned. Within minutes Braham fired on a Ju 88 which claimed as damaged. Frank, Vinke and Geiger were the 17th, 18th and 19th most successful night fighter aces of the Second World War (and aerial warfare).

Lone intruder operations
Against his wishes Braham was rested from operations and posted from No 141 Squadron on 1 October 1943. He took a staff course at the Staff College, Camberley from October 1943 until February 1944. He was then posted as 'Wing Commander Night Operations ' at HQ No. 2 Group RAF. Although a Staff Officer at HQ, Braham was able, with persistence, to persuade his AOC, Air Vice Marshal Basil Embry to allow him to 'free-lance' using a Mosquito FBVI loaned from one of the various squadrons in the group. On 12 May Braham's Mosquito was hit by both anti-aircraft fire and fire from a Bf 109 over Denmark. Braham and Gregory bailed out 70 miles from the English coast, being hauled out of the water by Air-Sea Rescue. On 13 June 1944 he received his final award—a second bar to his DSO.

His last operation of the war was a lone daylight 'Ranger' operation over Denmark and north Germany on 25 June 1944. Attacked by two Focke-Wulf Fw 190's of Jagdgeschwader 1 over Denmark, he managed to crash land his crippled plane on a sandstrip by the coast and was captured. One of the German pilots (Robert Spreckles) insisted on meeting him and the two became friends after the war. By the time he was shot down Braham had carried out 15 'Ranger' operations over France, Denmark and Germany, during which he destroyed another nine enemy aircraft; a He 177 of 3.KG 100 on 5 March, a Ju 52m and Ju W-34 on 24 March, a Bu 131 on 4 April, a He 111 and a FW 58 on 13 April, a FW 190 on 29 April, a Ju 88 of KG 30 on 7 May and a FW 190 on 12 May.

Postwar career
In July 1945 W/C Braham joined the Night Fighter Development Wing of the Central Fighter Establishment where he tested and developed existing and new night fighting equipment. There followed a period of two years of non-flying appointments, with HQ Technical Training Command, OC No 2 Wing, No 3 Recruits Centre Padgate and the Air Ministry in London. In August 1948, he was posted to command the Fighter Interception Development Squadron and Night Fighter Leader School of the Central Fighter Establishment.

In May 1952 he resigned from the RAF for the second time. He joined the RCAF with the rank of Wing Commander and commanded No. 3 All-Weather (Fighter) Operational Training Unit at RCAF Station North Bay, Ontario. No. 3 AW(F)OTU taught aircrew how to fly, carry out interceptions and fight in all types of weather, day or night, state-of-the-art training at the time that attracted staff and students from as far away as New Zealand. Braham left No 3 AW(F)OTU in June 1955 for a staff appointment at Air Force HQ in Ottawa, which he held for over two years.

He resigned from the Royal Canadian Air Force in January 1968 and settled in Nova Scotia.

In December 1973 he suddenly became ill and died in hospital from a brain tumour on 7 February 1974 at the age of 53. He left a widow and three sons.

Military awards