LEST WE FORGET
Flight Lieutenant David Dorey BROWNE
Service No: 418804
Born: Cobden VIC, 13 April 1923
Enlisted in the RAAF: 19 June 1942
Unit: No. 467 Squadron, RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations: (No. 467 Squadron Lancaster aircraft LM226), Germany, 12 September 1944, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Durnbach War Cemetery, Bad Tolz, Bayern, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Dr. David Dorey Browne and Laura May Browne, of Wangaratta, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Wangaratta VIC
Remembered: Panel 110, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Stuttgart was left alone by Bomber Command for six weeks until 12th-13th September when it was hit by No. 5 Group. The two Waddington squadrons dispatched 34 Lancasters (No. 463 – 14 aircraft, No. 467 – 20 aircraft, out of 217 bombers) and dropped 157 tons of bombs (out of 880) in this attack, more than 60 per cent of which were incendiary bombs. Favoured by better weather than previously and with less opposition from fighters, both pathfinders and the main force arrived promptly and dropped their loads so quickly and accurately that raging fires soon swamped enemy Air Raid Protection capabilities, more than 25 city blocks were completely burnt out and fresh damage was caused throughout the industrial and residential suburbs. With half the city uninhabitable this target, like Kiel, was removed from the priority attack list.
Extract from Herington, J. (John) (406545) Air War Over Europe 1944-1945, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1963 – Pages 297-8
Lancaster LM226 took off from RAF Waddington at 1903 hours on the night of 12/13th
September 1944 to bomb Stuttgart, Germany. The bomb load was 1 x 4000 lb (pound) (1,800 kg) and 14 x 4 lb (2 kg) clusters. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. Post war it was established that the aircraft crashed at Muhlhausen, a small town 6 kms
South east of Wiesloch. Five of the crew were killed and two became prisoners of War.
The crew members of LM226 were:
Pilot Officer Eric Kenneth Adams (405513) (Navigator)
Sergeant Peter Samuel Glover Apperley (186317) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Lieutenant David Dorey Browne (418804) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Henry Bruce Dixon (424860) (Bomb Aimer) PoW, Discharged from the RAAF: 19 October 1945
Flight Sergeant Eric James Leopold Klemm (425168) (Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer Peter Coakes Maughan (419196) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant William Herbert Rennick (40974) (Air Gunner) PoW, Discharged from the RAAF: 11 October 1945
In a later statement Flight Sergeant Dixon reported “Within 10 minutes of target a fighter attacked. Pilot ordered put on chutes and said aircraft OK. Took evasive action. A second burst exploded port tanks. At 12,000 feet I baled out. Aircraft on fire and stove in above my position. Seemed going down in a steep dive. Aircraft crashed about 30 kms north of Stuttgart. Saw no others bale out. Saw Rear Gunner Rennick two days later. He had been told four in aircraft Browne, Adams, Maughan and one not identified. Not know what happened to the other member of the crew. Liberated by the Russians on 2/5/45 when the German guards cleared out.”
Flight Sergeant Rennick stated “Aircraft shot down by enemy fighter. Aircraft on fire and in steep dive. I baled out at 14,000 feet. I was captured by German civilians shortly after landing. Aircraft crashed south of Karlsruhe. Liberated by Russians April 23rd, 1945.”
No. 467 Squadron lost Lancaster LL789 (Flight Sergeant Peter Callow (423445) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)) on 12 September 1944.
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/6/702