LEST WE FORGET
Flight Lieutenant Alan Montgomery LUTZ DFC
Service No: 406532
Born: Kenwick WA, 25 March 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 6 January 1941
Unit: No. 156 Squadron (RAF), RAF Warboys, Cambridgeshire
Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), 27 October 1942 (Citation Title: No. 12 Squadron RAF)
Died: Air Operations: Hamburg and Raids on Italy (No. 156 Squadron Lancaster aircraft ED990), Germany, 7 September 1943, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Durnbach War Cemetery, Bad Tolz, Bayern, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Charles Henry and Agnes Gray Lutz, of Como, Western Australia.
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 126, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Cenotaph Undercroft, State War Memorial, Kings Park WA
Brother of Flying Officer Robin Proudfoot Lutz (406622)
DFC Citation: “This Captain of aircraft has participated in attacks on several of the enemy’s most heavily defended targets. Pilot Officer Lutz invariably descends to the lowest possible altitude to identify his targets and to ensure the accuracy of his attack. He has displayed high courage and devotion to duty. (London Gazette 27/10/1942, Page 4643)
Lancaster ED990 took off from RAF Warboys at 1949 hours on the night of 6/7th September 1943, detailed to bomb Munich, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. Later it was determined that all the crew had lost their lives.
The crew members of ED990 were:
Flying Officer George Bruce Clement (403687) (Air Bomber)
Pilot Officer Desmond De Burgh Curtis DFC (402789) (Navigator)
Pilot Officer Jack Fletcher DFM (156598) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Pilot Officer John Russell Hurst (156781) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flight Lieutenant Alan Montgomery Lutz DFC (406532) (Pilot)
Sergeant Kenneth Pearson DFM (1110204) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sergeant William Simpson (1017292) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
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, 166/25/75
Bibliography:
Gaston, Bruce DFC (406646), Harry Horner DFC OAM (406595), Raymond Storer (406666) (Editors), Aircrew for the Duration: of and by members of RAAF EATS Courses 10, 11, 12 & 13, Gaston Horner and Storer, Nedlands WA, 1990
Rowell, Harold Mitford (406958) Reminiscences, Harold Rowell, 2000