John Breen (RAF officer)
Encyclopedia
Air Marshal
John Breen, CB
, OBE (8 March 1896 – 9 May 1964) was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force
during the Second World War
.
in 1925 and trained as a pilot with No. 24 Squadron RAF in 1925. He was posted to Iraq
as commander of an armoured car wing. He then commanded No. 84 Squadron RAF
, and No. 33 Squadron RAF
before a period of study at the Imperial Defence College
. As a wing commander
in 1935 he was attached to the Sudan
Defence Force in Khartoum
.
From 27 June 1940 he was appointed Air Office Commanding 1 Group
RAF Bomber Command
and served in this post during the Battle of Britain
, but in December 1940 he was moved to the Air Ministry on promotion to air commodore
. He later served as Director General of Personnel for the RAF and as Head of the Postwar Planning Executive before retiring as an air marshal on 2 May 1946. He died in 1964 aged 68.
Air Marshal
Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
John Breen, CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, OBE (8 March 1896 – 9 May 1964) was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Service
He transferred from the Army to the RAF in 1918 as a captain. He was promoted to squadron leaderSquadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
in 1925 and trained as a pilot with No. 24 Squadron RAF in 1925. He was posted to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
as commander of an armoured car wing. He then commanded No. 84 Squadron RAF
No. 84 Squadron RAF
No. 84 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is at present a Search and Rescue Squadron based at RAF Akrotiri, it uses the Bell Griffin HAR.2 helicopter. It is currently part of the RAF's Search and Rescue Force-History:...
, and No. 33 Squadron RAF
No. 33 Squadron RAF
No. 33 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Puma HC.1 from RAF Benson, Oxfordshire.-Current role:The squadron is part of the RAF Support Helicopter force, which reports into the Joint Helicopter Command....
before a period of study at the Imperial Defence College
Royal College of Defence Studies
The Royal College of Defence Studies is an internationally-renowned institution and component of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom...
. As a wing commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
in 1935 he was attached to the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
Defence Force in Khartoum
Khartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
.
From 27 June 1940 he was appointed Air Office Commanding 1 Group
No. 1 Group RAF
Number 1 Group of the Royal Air Force is one of the two operations groups in Air Command.The group is today referred to as the Air Combat Group, as it controls the RAF's combat fast-jet aircraft and has airfields in the UK plus RAF Unit Goose Bay in Canada, which is used extensively as an...
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
and served in this post during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
, but in December 1940 he was moved to the Air Ministry on promotion to air commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
. He later served as Director General of Personnel for the RAF and as Head of the Postwar Planning Executive before retiring as an air marshal on 2 May 1946. He died in 1964 aged 68.