John Danforth "Danny" Browne

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BAG 3 NAZIS, 5 LOCOMOTIVES

London, Oct. 24, 1943 - (CP) - R.C.A.F. Spitfire and Mustang squadrons today destroyed at least three Nazi fighters and one reconnaissance aircraft during a busy day escorting bombers, patrolling and sweeping Northern France. Five locomotives were shot up and a number of aircraft were damaged with the loss of one Spitfire.
S/L G. W. Northcott of Minnedosa, Man., shot down a Focke-Wulf fighter while his Spitfire squadron was escorting United States medium bombers attacking an air base at Montdidier, France.
F/O J. D. Browne of Florham Park, N.J., flying in a Spitfire wing commanded by W/C Hugh Godefroy of Toronto, destroyed a Messerschmitt 109 and damaged another during a sweep over France. Other members of the wing damaged at least two more.
P/O Gordon Driver, 14 Willowbank Blvd., Toronto, damaged a Focke-Wulf 190 during a melee in which the Canadians were out-numbered nearly 4 - 1. S/L Charles Magwood of Toronto, leader of the Red Indian Squadron, also damaged a Focke-Wulf.
From this scrap S/L Robert A. Buckham of Vancouver, leader of the Wolf Squadron, returned home with a damaged motor that had been holed by a cannon shell.
Details of other successes were not immediately available.

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Canadians Bag 4 Planes
Five Locomotives Were Shot Up in Raid Over France

LONDON, Eng., 25 Oct. 1943 — R.C.A.F. Spitfire and Mustang squadrons Sunday destroyed at least three Nazi fighters and one reconnaissance aircraft during a busy day escorting bombers, patrolling, and sweeping northern France. Five locomotives were shot up and a number of aircraft were damaged with the loss of one Spitfire.

DOWNS PLANE
S/L G. W. Northcott of Minnedosa, Man., shot down a Focke-Wulf fighter while his Spitfire squadron was escorting United States medium bombers attacking an air base at Montdidier, France.
P/O J. D. Browne of Florham Park, N.J., flying in a Spitfire wing commanded by W/C Hugh Godefroy of Toronto, destroyed a Messerschmitt 109 and damaged another during a sweep over France. Other members of the wing damaged at least two more.

WERE OUTNUMBERED
P/O Gordon Driver of Toronto, damaged a Focke-Wulf 190 during a melee in which the Canadians were out numbered nearly 4-1. S/L Charles Magwood of Toronto, leader of the Red Indian Squadron, also damaged a Focke-Wulf.
From this scrap S/L Robert A. Buckham of Vancouver, leader of the Wolf Squadron, returned home with a damaged motor that had been holed by a cannon shell.

TOP SCORER
F/O L. W. (Larry) Seath of St. Lambert, Que., was the top scorer in the Mustang Squadron commanded by S/L R. A. Ellis of Montreal West. Seath shot down a Henschel 126, a high-wing two seated army co-operation plane, damaged a twin-engined Heinkel 111 and immobilized an electric train.
Later, F/O Alan T. Carlson of Calgary shot down a Focke-Wulf 190 after a 10-minute dogfight while three other pilots from the same squadron — F/Os George Roberts, Calgary, Ian McLeod and E. (Gus) Garry, Ottawa, damaged another FW190. It was the second big day for this Mustang squadron which shot up 12 locomotives Saturday.

CRASHED IN FLAMES
"I spotted the Henschel at about 1,000 feet above low cloud," said Seath. "I caught up with him and gave him a good burst. Then he blew up and crashed in flames."
F/O Georges Burroughs of Toronto and an American airman flying with another Mustang outfit shot up three locomotives and damaged a power pylon.
P/O Francis Sorge of Pincher Creek, Alberta, attached to an R.A.F. Spitfire squadron, was credited with destruction of a Messerschmitt 109 while he was helping to escort medium bombers on an attack.

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BROWNE, S/L John Danforth (J9068) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.441 Squadron
Award effective 24 October 1944 as per London Gazette of that date and
AFRO 2637/44 dated 8 December 1944.

This officer has displayed a high standard of skill and courage in operations against the enemy. He is an excellent leader and his resolute work has played a good part in the success of the squadron. His example has been most inspiring.

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HUN FLYERS MISS CHANCE FOR KILL

London, Dec. 27, 1944 — (CP Cable) — Two Messerschmitt 109s jumped an R.C.A.F. Red Indian Spitfire squadron out of the sun, muffed a perfect chance for a kill and ended up a mass of flaming wreckage in a battle well inside enemy lines on Tuesday.
Squadron-Ldr. Danny Browne, D.F.C., of Floral Park, N.J., commanding officer of the squadron, said: "Why they didn't get us I'll never know, it was a perfect bounce, but as far as I know they never opened fire."
Browne slammed four cannon shells into the cockpit of the first Messerschmitt and saw it go down into the ground.
F.O. Tommy Decourcy, of Windsor, Ont., shot down the other in a battle at 14,000 feet, north of Trier, just inside the German side of the Germany-Luxembourg border.

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Cut Excellent Airfield From Netherlands Bush

By MARGARET ECKER with the RCAF in Holland, April 2, 1945 - (CP) - An RCAF Spitfire wing now flies from a made-to-measure airdrome sliced out of a Netherlands forest.
As one airman put it, "It's like a summer camp in Northern Ontario - except there's no place to fish."
Six weeks ago, this was a young pine wood. Today it's a "super" airfield, but the forest still crowds around its fringes and among the trees Nissan huts, where RCAF personnel live, have been built.

"Best and Safest"
"It's the best and safest airfield we've ever had," said the commanding officer, pointing out the double-perimeter track, one for aircraft, the other for transport, and the wide, safe runways of metal mesh that won't be muddy in any weather.
From those strips Canadian Spitfires fly on patrols over the British 2nd Army lines and escort heavy and medium bombers on the way to blast German cities. S/L Danny Browne of Elm Park, N.J., commands the Red Indian Squadron: S/L J. D. Mitchner, Saskatoon, the City of Oshawa Squadron, and S/L Art Sager of Vancouver, the Hornet Squadron.
On one side of the field is the brain centre of the airfield, the control tower caravan which helps make this a super airfield. S/L Reg Fisher of Toronto described how difficult it was to control an airfield with planes landing at both ends. In the glass dome of the caravan, F/L Ivan Tinkess of Orangeville, Ont., earphones on his head, seemed to be answering a dozen telephones as he brought in planes from one fighter squadron. There's so much strain on the job that most control officers can work only five or six hours.

Brought Him In
While a lost pilot was being guided back, F/O Johnny Maffre of Montreal came into the caravan to say "Thanks for helping me get back this morning, boys. I didn't think for a while that I'd make it." He had been flying over the front line when his engine started to splutter.
The flight lieutenant called to the squadron leader that "there's a kite upstairs with his wheels half way down and they're stuck. He's almost out of gas."
S/L Bill Boggs of Noranda, Que., the station's chief technical officer, was on the job in a few seconds. He watched the plane and relayed advice to the pilot until finally someone shouted the wheels had shaken down.
In one hut near the field, P/O Wallace Tobey, of Tara, Ont., F/L Ted Neapole of Montreal and F/L Jerry Anglin of Ottawa were writing letters around a brisk fire. Wide windows at each end of the hut let in light and the walls were gay with pin-up girls. Expeditions into ruined German towns not far away netted the men a radio, end tables for their camp cots and as many mirrors as you'll find in a camp for women.

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Victories Include :

4 / 0 / 2

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BROWNE, S/L John Danforth, DFC (J9068) - Mention in Despatches - Overseas
Award effective 1 January 1946 as per London Gazette of that date and
AFRO 322/46 dated 29 March 1946. No citation.

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1937 class photo sent to me by Dan's friend Frank Mazarisi. Thanks Frank !

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