F/O Ronald W Brown RAAF and crew – 576 Sqn - RAF Elsham Wolds - 1944
Failed to Return – 28/29th July 1944 – Lancaster I - LL799 – Op Stuttgart
Ronald Brown and his crew were posted to 576 Squadron from 11 Base in July 1944.
Brown took his own crew on their first op to Kiel and was sadly lost on their 3rd operation. operation. See below,
23/07/1944 – Kiel – ME800 – P/O RW Brown
24/07/1944 - Stuttgart - ME800 – P/O RW Brown
28/07/1944 – Stuttgart – LL799 – P/O RW Brown – FTR - Crashed near Strasbourg, France.
LL759 was in all probability a night fighter victim.
5 of the crew were killed and rest at the Cronenbourg French National Cemetery, France. The remaining 2 were captured and became POWs.
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F/O Ronald William Brown RAAF - Pilot – 21 – 576 Sqn - Son of William Octavious and Edith Eliza Ann Brown; husband of Iris Hall Brown of Prospect, South Australia – Cronenbourg French National Cemetery, France
Sgt Douglas Ronald Northcote RAFVR – Flight Engineer – 576 Sqn - Cronenbourg French National Cemetery, France
F/O Reginald Stewart McGibbon RCAF ( pictured below )– Air Bomber – 27 – 576 Sqn - Dundee, Huntingdon Co., Province of Quebec - Son of John Stewart McGibbon and Dora Irene McGibbon of Dundee, Huntingdon Co., Province of Quebec, Canada - Cronenbourg French National Cemetery, France
Sgt SW Barrows RAFVR – 576 Sqn – POW - Camp L7 – POW No 650
F/S RL McStay RAAF – 576 Sqn – POW – Camp 9C/L7 – POW No 52473
F/S Stephen Allen Smith RAAF ( pictured below ) – Air Gunner – 24 – 576 Sqn - Son of Stephen and Annie Smith of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia - Cronenbourg French National Cemetery, France
F/S Richard Weekes RAAF ( pictured below )– Air Gunner – 26 – 576 Sqn - Son of Alfred and Celeana Weekes of Helensburgh, New South Wales, Australia - Cronenbourg French National Cemetery, France
F/O Reginald Stewart McGibbon RCAF
F/S Stephen Allen Smith RAAF
F/S Richard Weekes RAAF
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28 July 44 – Stuttgart – Germany – Night. 17 aircraft detailed. 10/10ths cloud at base which persisted to the south coast and dispersed over the Channel. Thickened to 6 to 8/10ths over Continent. At target there was a thin layer of cloud which did not completely block out the markers.
PFF opened the attack with red TIs and backed up by greens. Green Wanganui flares with white stars were also dropped. Master Bomber instructed the force to bomb the greens. Bombing was widespread and glow of fires could be seem through the cloud layer.
Considerable fighter opposition was reported near the target and 4 aircraft had combats. Moderate heavy flak encountered in the target area.
F/L Smith, F/O Mann, F/O Archibald and P/O Brown RW and their crews failed to return.
( 494 aircraft. Another successful attack on this city. German fighters intercepted the stream over France and took a heavy toll of the attacking force. For a more detailed description of this operation see the item in the Articles and Misc Section of this website.)
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Lancaster LL799
This machine was a veteran by July 1944 and completed 50 operations being lost on the 51st.
It was flown by a number of well known crews in particular Stan Slater who flew it 21 times and Ernie Cartwright who flew it 11 times. Its first operation was to Berlin with Stan Slater on the 15/16th February 1944. On the 4/5th July 1944 Sgt West, who was the Air Bomber in Ernie Cartwright's crew, was killed by flak over the target and the aircraft landed in the south of England on return.
In view of the number of operations flown which is quite a long list I have not shown these but can do so if anyone is particularly interested.
Compiled by David Fell. Photos courtesy of the Australian and Canadian Virtual War Memorials
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