Mitchell Louis Broske
Service No.: 8072714
Ship Assignment: USS LST-289
Gunner’s Mate Third Class Mitchell Louis Broske, United States Navy, was a 24-year-old sailor from New London, Connecticut, who died aboard USS LST-289 during the Exercise Tiger disaster on 28th April 1944.
Broske was born on 25th March 1920 in New London. The son of Louis Broske and Katherine Sypek Broske, both Polish immigrants, he grew up in the New London area and worked as a painter’s Apprentice for the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut, before entering the Navy.
He served as a Gunner’s Mate Third Class and carried Navy service number 8072714. During Exercise Tiger he was aboard USS LST-289, one of the American landing ships forming Convoy T-4. On the night of 28 April 1944, German E-boats attacked the convoy in Lyme Bay. LST-289 was struck by a torpedo and severely damaged. Broske was among those killed.
His body was subsequently returned to Connecticut, and he was buried at St Mary’s Cemetery, New London, in July 1948.
Identification
Full name: Mitchell Louis Broske
Rank: Gunner’s Mate Third Class
Service branch: United States Navy Reserve
Service number: 8072714
Unit/Ship: USS LST-289
Enlistment date: February 1943 — exact date requires further reconciliation
Enlistment place: Hartford, Connecticut.
Broske served in the United States Navy as a Gunner’s Mate Third Class.
His Navy service number, 8072714, is independently recorded in the World War II Navy muster-roll material held by the National Archives. The same service number appears in his military headstone application. [C/O]
The Exercise Tiger Trust Roll of Honour identifies Mitchell Broske as a casualty aboard LST-289. The Trust’s current online Roll of Honour lists his serial number as 8072714; the Navy service number 8072714 is established by the surviving Navy records.
Exercise Tiger
LST: USS LST-289
Role aboard ship: Gunner’s Mate Third Class, United States Navy
Circumstances: Killed aboard LST-289 during the German E-boat attack on Convoy T-4 in Lyme Bay on 28th April 1944.
Mitchell Louis Broske was serving aboard USS LST-289 during Exercise Tiger, the Allied amphibious training exercise conducted in south-west England in preparation for the Normandy landings.
During the early hours of 28th April 1944, German E-boats attacked Convoy T-4 in Lyme Bay.
LST-289 as struck by a German torpedo and suffered severe damage. Unlike LST-507 and LST-531, which were sunk, LST-289 survived the attack, although many men aboard were killed or wounded.
Broske was among those who died.
The surviving naval casualty records describe his death as killed in combat on 28th April 1944. [C/O]
As a Gunner’s Mate Third Class, Broske was a Navy weapons specialist. His precise station or duties aboard LST-289 at the moment of the attack have not been established from the evidence currently available and should not be assumed.
Personal Information
Date of birth: 25th March 1920
Place of birth: New London, New London County, Connecticut, USA
Residence: New London, Connecticut, USA
Parents: Louis Broske and Katherine Sypek Broske
Family bacground: His parents were Polish immigrants
Siblings: Stella Mary Broske; Doris A. Broske; Henrietta Catherine “Poochie” Broske
Broske was born in New London, Connecticut, on 25 March 1920.
His parents were Louis Broske and Katherine Sypek Broske, both of whom were Polish immigrants. This detail is preserved in the family and memorial material associated with his record.
His siblings were Stella Mary, Doris A. and Henrietta Catherine “Poochie” Broske.
The 1941 Selective Service registration records Broske living in New London, Connecticut, with his father, Louis Broske, listed as next of kin. [C]
The same registration provides a contemporary physical description of Broske at the age of 21. He was recorded as 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing 152 pounds, with a light complexion, brown hair and blue eyes. [C]
Life before the Navy
Before entering military service, Broske worked as a painter for the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut.
Electric Boat was a major shipbuilding employer in the Groton/New London area and was engaged in the construction of submarines for the United States Navy during the Second World War.
Broske’s occupation as a painter is independently recorded in the family and genealogical material associated with his record.
His 1941 Selective Service registration records:
- Age: 21
- Date of birth: 25th March 1920
- Birthplace: New London, Connecticut
- Residence: New London, Connecticut
- Employer: Electric Boat Company
- Height: 5 feet 11 inches Weight: 152 pounds
- Complexion: Light
- Hair: Brown
- Eyes: Blue
- Next of kin: Louis Broske [C]
A contemporary New London Evening Day item dated 12th February 1943 also records Broske in connection with his military service and residence in New London. The newspaper reference is particularly useful because it provides a contemporary local record of his entry into military service. [C]
Naval Service
Broske entered the United States Navy in 1943.
The surviving records contain a discrepancy concerning the precise date of his enlistment.
His military headstone application records an enlistment date of 4th February 1943, while the Navy muster-roll material supplied for this record contains entries giving 2nd April 1943 and 4th August 1943.
The muster-roll entries all identify:
Mitchell Louis Broske
Service number: 8072714
and place him at the Armed Guard Center, R-S South Brooklyn, New York.
The differing dates may reflect different stages or administrative entries in his Navy service record rather than three separate enlistments. However, without examining the original service file and the complete sequence of muster-roll entries, it would be inappropriate to choose one date as definitively correct.
For this reason, the biography records his Navy entry simply as February 1943, pending further documentary reconciliation.
His service number 8072714, however, is consistent across the surviving records.
Death and Burial
Date of death: 28th April 1944
Age: 24
Place of death: Lyme Bay, England, aboard USS LST-289
Cemetery: St Mary’s Cemetery, New London, Connecticut, USA
Broske died on 28th April 1944, during the German E-boat attack on Convoy T-4 in Lyme Bay.
The US Navy casualty records classify him as killed in combat. [C]
His remains were subsequently returned to Connecticut. His military headstone application records his burial at St Mary’s Cemetery, New London, and gives a burial date in July 1948. [O]
The burial is an important part of Broske’s story: after his death in the Exercise Tiger disaster in Devon, he was ultimately laid to rest in the community where he had been born, lived and worked.
Honours and Memorials
Blake is commemorated on the Exercise Tiger Trust’s Roll of Honour. (Roll of Honour)
He is commemorated at the Exercise Tiger Memorial at Torcross, Devon, where his name appears among the American servicemen lost during the disaster.
Tec4 Floyd Edward Blake has an entry in the American Memorial Chapel Roll of Honour at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom.
Evidence
The record of Mitchell Louis Broske is supported by a particularly useful combination of United States Navy records, contemporary civilian documentation, memorial records and genealogical evidence.
The National Archives Navy muster-roll records provide his service number, name and Navy service information. [C]
The US Navy casualty records identify him as Gunner’s Mate Third Class Mitchell Louis Broske, service number 8072714, and name his parents as Mr and Mrs Louis Broske of 16 Cape Ann Court, New London, Connecticut. [C]
The 1941 Selective Service registration provides an independent pre-war record of his birth, residence, employer, physical description and next of kin. [C]
The military headstone application independently confirms his name, birth date, service number, Navy Reserve affiliation, death date and burial at St Mary’s Cemetery, New London. [O]
The Exercise Tiger Trust Roll of Honour identifies him as an Exercise Tiger casualty aboard LST-289.
The Torcross Exercise Tiger memorial and St Paul’s Cathedral American Memorial Chapel Roll of Honour provide further commemorative evidence.
Enlistment-date discrepancy
The precise date on which Broske entered the Navy requires further research.
The evidence presently available gives:
- 4th February 1943 — military headstone application
- 2nd April 1943 — Navy muster-roll entry supplied for this research
- 4th August 1943 — another Navy muster-roll entry supplied for this research
- 12th February 1943 — contemporary *New London Evening Day* military item
These dates should not be silently reconciled. The original Navy service record and the complete chronological sequence of muster rolls should be examined to determine whether the dates represent enlistment, reporting, transfer or administrative processing.
Sources for this record
1. United States Navy World War II casualty records
The Navy casualty records identify Mitchell Louis Broske, Gunner’s Mate Third Class, USN, service number 8072714, and record him as killed in combat on 28th April 1944. They also identify his parents as Mr and Mrs Louis Broske of 16 Cape Ann Court, New London, Connecticut. [C]
2. U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938–1949
National Archives records provide multiple service entries for Mitchell Louis Broske, service number 8072714, associated with the Armed Guard Center, R-S South Brooklyn, New York. The supplied records contain different dates, which require further reconciliation. [C]
3. U.S. World War II Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Casualties
The casualty listing records Broske as Gunner’s Mate Third Class, USN, killed in action, and identifies his parents and New London address. [C]
4. U.S. Headstone Applications for Military Veterans
The headstone application records:
- Mitchell L. Broske
- Born 25th March 1920
- Service number 8072714
- US Navy Reserve
- Enlistment date recorded as 4th February 1943
- Death date 28th April 1944
- St Mary’s Cemetery, New London, Connecticut [O]
5. US Army service/enlistment records
Military documentation establishes his service number 35410567, enlistment date, place of enlistment, rank and unit.
6. New London Evening Day — 12th February 1943
A contemporary local newspaper record concerning Broske’s military service and residence in New London. [C]
7. Exercise Tiger Trust — Roll of Honour
The Trust’s Roll of Honour identifies Mitchell Broske as a casualty aboard LST-289.
8. Exercise Tiger Memorial, Torcross
The memorial provides independent commemorative evidence of Broske’s death during Exercise Tiger.
9. St Paul’s Cathedral American Memorial Chapel Roll of Honour
The research identifies Broske in the American Memorial Chapel Roll of Honour at St Paul’s Cathedral, London.
10. St Mary’s Cemetery, New London
Cemetery and military headstone records establish his final burial location.
Research status
Record status: Researched
Last reviewed: 1st October 2026
Research notes
The identification of Mitchell Louis Broske as a US Navy Gunner’s Mate Third Class who died aboard USS
His service number 8072714 is well established across the Navy casualty and muster-roll records and the military headstone application.
The principal outstanding issue is the exact date of Navy enlistment. Different surviving records give dates in February, April and August 1943. The discrepancy should be retained until the underlying Navy service file and complete muster-roll sequence can be examined.
His pre-war occupation as a painter at Electric Boat in Groton is supported by his Selective Service registration and family/memorial information.
His burial at St Mary’s Cemetery, New London, is established by the military headstone application, with burial recorded in July 1948.
Further research could establish:
- the definitive Navy enlistment date;
- the sequence of his Navy training and assignments;
- the date he joined LST-289;
- the circumstances in which his remains were recovered and returned to Connecticut;
- surviving photographs, correspondence or family records;
- the original St Paul’s Cathedral memorial entry.
Evidence classification
[C] Contemporary record — wartime or near-contemporary military, newspaper or civil record.
[O] Official/institutional record — government, military, municipal or recognised memorial record.
[R] Recollection — later survivor or family recollection.
[H] Later historical research — subsequent reconstruction based on surviving evidence.
[?] Uncertain/disputed — information requiring further verification.
