KASTAUFFER Posted September 3, 2010 Share #1 Posted September 3, 2010 Here is an unusual AAF Air Medal I just acquired . 1st Lt. Braithwaite was captured June 1, 1944 on a mission to France with 622 Squadron. He was the pilot of an Avro Lancaster number LL782. The rest of the crew were members of the RAF. He was captured, however some of the crew evaded. 3 were KIA. He was sent to Stalag Luft III and eventually was liberated from Stalag 7A. Obviously more research needs to be done on this one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobgee Posted September 3, 2010 Share #2 Posted September 3, 2010 Great find, Kurt. Keep us posted. He may have been an American in the RAF who had transferred to the USAAF and was finishing his RAF tour when he went in the bag. Congrats.....Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted November 27, 2011 Author Share #3 Posted November 27, 2011 Finally found some more info about him! He was a RCAF pilot before joining the AAF. He must have stayed with his original squadron to complete his tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted November 27, 2011 Author Share #4 Posted November 27, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted June 24, 2014 Author Share #5 Posted June 24, 2014 An amazing thing happened this week. I purchased this medal quite a few years ago. Recently a friend of mine called me from a flea market in California and began to describe a bunch of POW paperwork and mail that was for sale. It just happened to be all the paperwork that went with the medal I already had! Here is a sample of what was there: POW Barracks card from Stalag Luft 3 In his RCAF uniform Crew Photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted June 24, 2014 Author Share #6 Posted June 24, 2014 Letter from the RAF Chaplain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted June 24, 2014 Author Share #7 Posted June 24, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted June 24, 2014 Author Share #8 Posted June 24, 2014 Air Medal Citation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted June 24, 2014 Author Share #9 Posted June 24, 2014 1st Piece of mail he sent home from Dulag Luft, which was the interrogation center. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted June 24, 2014 Author Share #10 Posted June 24, 2014 This is a letter from one of the surviving crewman who evaded, was captured, but was liberated in France. He describes in detail how the plane was lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted June 24, 2014 Author Share #11 Posted June 24, 2014 Liberation Day In memory of the three crewman who paid with their lives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted June 24, 2014 Share #12 Posted June 24, 2014 WOW!!!!! Some of that paper is amazing! I love the photo of him in his USAAF uniform with his RCAF crew! This is some of the best paper I've seen in a long time. Congrats Kurt!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USdog Posted June 24, 2014 Share #13 Posted June 24, 2014 Awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellasilva Posted June 25, 2014 Share #14 Posted June 25, 2014 Incredible, especially that the paperwork basically found its way to you. Awesome group! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDK Posted June 25, 2014 Share #15 Posted June 25, 2014 Wow! The medal itself was cool, but that paperwork with it makes it fantastic. One of the cooler medal groups I've seen in a while. What are the odds of finding it all at a flea market! I hope you are going to get your friend a big steak dinner! Haha JD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Hughes Posted June 25, 2014 Share #16 Posted June 25, 2014 What a great find! As a family member was killed on that flight, I was extremely interested to read about how the aircraft was shot down! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobgee Posted June 25, 2014 Share #17 Posted June 25, 2014 Kurt - OUTSTANDING! What a great story. Congrats on miraculously reuniting it. Keep us posted on any further developments. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38Driver Posted June 25, 2014 Share #18 Posted June 25, 2014 A wonderful follow up. Thanks for sharing this with us. Putting a face and a story to the medal makes it so much more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonlight Gecko Posted June 26, 2014 Share #19 Posted June 26, 2014 I can only echo the previous comments, but a Super find. Thanks for letting us read the personal history behind the medal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry K. Posted June 26, 2014 Share #20 Posted June 26, 2014 That is great! Back together again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mghcal Posted June 26, 2014 Share #21 Posted June 26, 2014 Incredible luck that it was all reunited! If I heard this story from someone else I wouldn't believe it just incredible. Geez Kurt buy a lottery ticket will ya lol. Congrats on a stunning group! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted July 11, 2014 Author Share #22 Posted July 11, 2014 I felt incredibly lucky to have put this back together. Supposedly there may be more out there. Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZPhil Posted July 12, 2014 Share #23 Posted July 12, 2014 Excellent grouping from a USAAF pilot flying with a RAF unit. Semper Fi Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doinworkinvans Posted November 13, 2015 Share #24 Posted November 13, 2015 Super cool group - You sure turn up some great items. So, did he just chose to stay on with the RCAF? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted November 14, 2015 Author Share #25 Posted November 14, 2015 I think based on the type of aircraft he trained in and was flying that he was given the option of continuing with his crew, Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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