Breithaupt, William Ransom (Flying Officer)

Home in Toronto; enlisted there 4 August 1941. Trained at No.3 ITS (graduated 7 October 1941), No. 12 EFTS (graduated 19 December 1941) and No.5 SFTS (graduated 10 April 1942). Cited with Flying Officer J.A. Kennedy (RAF). Killed in Action 12 September 1944, seconds after shooting down the Bf 110 which had set his own machine on fire 239 Squadron (Exploramus). Flying Officer Breihaupt was flying Mosquito aircraft DZ 254 and was escorting bombers over Germany when he was shot up by by a German ME-110 fighter aircraft near Cologne, Germany. The ME-110 overshot the Mosquito and was in turn shot down by the Mosquito. Briehaupt was killed but the crew of the enemy aircraft survived. Distinguished Flying Cross - No. 239 Squadron - Award effective 7 July 1944 as per London Gazette of that date and AFRO 1861/44 dated 25 August 1944. Award presented to next-of-kin, 2 December 1946. The citation reads - "Flying Officer Breithaupt and Flying Officer Kennedy have completed numerous sorties. They have displayed a high degree of skill, excellent co-operation and a fine fighting spirit, qualities which have enabled them to destroy four enemy aircraft at night within a period of a few weeks. Their achievements have won much praise." Detail provided by H. Halliday, Orleans, Ontario.