Gerardus Meinardus Bruggink (4 August 1917 – 5 December 2005) was a Dutch
pilot of the
Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force. A recipient of the
Military Order of William, he was one of only four Dutch pilots to
dogfight the Japanese in the
Battle of Java.
Born in
Tubbergen,
Overijssel
Overijssel (, ; nds, Oaveriessel ; german: Oberyssel) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name translates to "across the IJssel", from the perspective of the ...
, Bruggink followed a
Catholic seminary. He met his wife, Corien, while serving in the
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
and they were married in January 1942.
A replica B-339C
Brewster Buffalo
The Brewster F2A Buffalo is an American fighter aircraft which saw service early in World War II. Designed and built by the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation, it was one of the first U.S. monoplanes with an arrestor hook and other modifications ...
(B-3107) was built in July 2008 and delivered to the National Military Museum in
Soesterberg, Netherlands, carrying the markings of the plane flown by Bruggink.
[Some Buffalo bits in Holland](_blank)
/ref>
Military William Order flight
Bruggink, along with Lt. August Deibel
1st Lieutenant August Gerard Deibel (11 September 1915 – 12 June 1951) was a Dutch pilot of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force. He was part of 2-VLG-V, which was stationed in Singapore before its withdrawal to Java. His unit ...
and Officer Cadet Jan Scheffer, volunteered to join Capt. Jacob van Helsdingen
Jacob Pieter van Helsdingen (7 March 1907 – 7 March 1942) was a pilot of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force. Van Helsdingen and August Deibel were the most successful Dutch pilots on the Brewster F2A fighter. He was twice awa ...
on his mission using the last three working Buffalo aircraft on Andir airfield. The four pilots took off on March 7, 1942 and proceeded to Lembang to provide air support for ground troops fighting the Japanese in the city.
Helsdingen's squadron travelled 200 kilometers when they encountered a Japanese aircraft, which Deibel attacked before it escaped. Some time later, three Japanese A6M Zeros appeared. Deibel fired at two of them which turned away, but was hit in the oil tank by the third Zero and had to break off from combat. His wingman, Jan Scheffer escorted him back to Andir airfield under a tropical rainstorm, where Deibel crashed landed his aircraft without suffering any injuries. Helsdingen and Bruggink remained above Lembang, but were now dogfighting six Zeroes. Helsdingen was soon shot down, but Bruggink managed to escape into the clouds before returning to Andir airfield. Dutch forces in Lembang surrendered the next day. All four Dutch pilots were awarded the Military William Order on July 14, 1948.[Bruggink was originally awarded an Honorable Mention and the Bronze Cross, but Dutch rules only permit one award for a single brave act so these were subsequently rescinded and replaced by the ]Military William Order
The Military William Order, or often named Military Order of William (Dutch: , abbreviation: MWO), is the oldest and highest honour of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is named after St. William of Gellone (755–814), the first Prince of Oran ...
. Bruggink also received the Airman's Cross.
Later life
After the Dutch East Indies surrendered, Bruggink became a prisoner of war and was forced to work on the infamous Burma Railway, while his wife was interned in a camp in Java. They were reunited in December 1945, after the war.
In 1955, Bruggink left the Royal Netherlands Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = ''Parade March of the Royal Netherlands Air Force''
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, equipment ...
and emigrated with his family to the United States, where he worked as a flight instructor for civil aviation in Texas. In 1959 Bruggink started working for various research organizations inspecting aircraft incidents and air safety. Initially a civilian flight instructor in Texas for the U.S. Army, Bruggink later worked for Aviation Crash Injury Research (AvCIR) in Phoenix. In 1963, Bruggink worked for USABAAR (U.S. Army Board for Aviation Accident Research) at Fort Rucker, Alabama. In 1969 he was appointed to be Chief of Human Factors at the National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incid ...
(NTSB). He retired from the NTSB in 1982 as the Deputy Director, Office of Aviation Safety, but maintained a keen interest in aviation safety matters and published numerous air-safety-related papers. He died in his home in Skipperville, Alabama, on 5 December 2005, after a long illness. He was 88 years old.
See also
*Jacob van Helsdingen
Jacob Pieter van Helsdingen (7 March 1907 – 7 March 1942) was a pilot of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force. Van Helsdingen and August Deibel were the most successful Dutch pilots on the Brewster F2A fighter. He was twice awa ...
*August Deibel
1st Lieutenant August Gerard Deibel (11 September 1915 – 12 June 1951) was a Dutch pilot of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force. He was part of 2-VLG-V, which was stationed in Singapore before its withdrawal to Java. His unit ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruggink, Gerard
1917 births
2005 deaths
Burma Railway prisoners
Dutch emigrants to the United States
Dutch prisoners of war in World War II
Dutch Roman Catholics
Knights Fourth Class of the Military Order of William
People from Tubbergen
Recipients of the Airman's Cross
Recipients of the Bronze Cross (Netherlands)
Royal Netherlands Air Force officers
Royal Netherlands Air Force personnel of World War II
Royal Netherlands Air Force pilots
Royal Netherlands East Indies Army officers
Royal Netherlands East Indies Army personnel of World War II
World War II prisoners of war held by Japan