Edward Gordon Brettell DFC (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 UniversityCommonwealth War Graves Commission – Edward Gordon Brettell and then lived in the family home at St Ann’s HillElectoral Register 1939 for Surrey, England, St. Anns Hill, p.55 before embarking on a career in his Austin 7 as a motor racing driver.Andrews (1976), p.37Motorsport Magazine, "Gordon Brettell's pre-war Austin Seven Racing", retrieved 19 August 2015Vance (2000), p.108

War service He enlisted in the Royal Air Force at the start of 1940 as an aircraftman pilot candidate with the service number 61053. On completion of flight training he was commissioned as pilot officer on 17 February 1941. From final stage training at No. 58 Operational Training UnitVance (2000), p.105 Brettell Joined No. 92 Squadron RAF flying the Spitfire on 3 March 1941A Cobra in the Sky: 92 Squadron RAF, retrieved 19 August 2015 and on 4 September 1941 probably shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109 in combat.National Archives, London. Air Combat report. Document Air 50/40/89

He was promoted to flying officer on 17 February 1942 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.Shores (2004) p.69 He was temporarily in command of the squadron.Haugland (1979) p.161 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.Franks (1992) p.105National Archives, London. Air Combat report. Document Air 50/55/5 On 29 September 1942 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service with 133 (Eagle) Squadron, his citation stating,

This officer has participated in 111 sorties over enemy occupied territory. He has always displayed the greatest keenness to engage the enemy. On one occasion he was wounded in combat and, on recovery, he resumed operational flying with renewed zest. He is an excellent flight commander.Edward Gordon Brettell D.F.C. at American Air Museum in Britain website, retrieved 19 August 2015

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 1942Franks (1998), p.67 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.Haugland (1979) pp.178–180Cutting from the Cheltenham Chronicle dated 28 November 1942 "Missing O.C. Now Listed As Prisoner", at Morlaix Disaster website, retrieved 19 August 2015 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. He was promoted to flight lieutenant in captivity on 17 February 1943 and by 1943 had participated in at least one previous escape attempt.Andrews (1976) p.204 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.Vance (2000), p.102-103

'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.Andrews (1976) p.36 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 Gdańsk, 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 XX-B and spent the night there. On the following day they were handed over to the Danzig Gestapo.Burgess (1971) p.255 Its officials took the men to a forest near Gross Trampken (Trąbki Wielkie) and executed them.Read (2012), p.218 On 29 March, his body was cremated in Danzig's crematorium.Read (2012) p.306 He was one of the 50 escapers executed and murdered by the Gestapo.Andrews (1976), p.209Pegasus Archive - 50 murdered escapers His ashes, originally buried at Sagan, are now buried in part of the Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery. Brettell’s headstone has the inscription chosen by his parents: "Those who are nearer to God, Are not farther from us".Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Headstone Schedule form H/2, Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery 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.Western Morning News, Dundee Courier, Yorkshire Post, etc. 20/05/1944

Awards Brettell was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 29 September 1942 for his service with 133 (Eagle) Squadron RAF. He was posthumously mentioned in despatches in June 1944, recognizing his conspicuous bravery as a prisoner because none of the other relevant decorations then available could be awarded posthumously.

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.Read (2012), p.295Vance (2000), p.310Andrews (1976), p.188 and 199 Yale Avalon Project-War Crimes Trial Part 8 – victim Brettell

Nationalities of the 50 executed 21 British 6 Canadian 6 Polish 5 Australian 3 South African 2 New Zealanders 2 Norwegian 1 Belgian 1 Czechoslovak 1 Frenchman 1 Greek 1 Lithuanian

References Notes

Bibliography

External links Project Lessons from the Great Escape (Stalag Luft III), by Mark Kozak-Holland. The prisoners formally structured their work as a project. This book analyses their efforts using modern project management methods. Brettell's awards, other pertinent information and photographs