My Grandfather - Murray Hann served at Ludford Magna he was a bomb aimer. I have a few details and photos. He was proud of his involvement at the end of the War with ops Manna and Exodus. Here's some info on flights I got from Austin Condon:
Crew:
F/O Collett – Pilot, F/O M Hann – Bomb Aimer, F/S D Horner – Navigator, F/O Thompson – Rear Gunner, F/S Smedley – Mid Upper Gunner, F/S A Condon – Wireless Operator. (All RAAF). F/S Mattin – Engineer. (RAF)
Date Plane type Designation Day/Night Target Time
5/3/45 Lancaster SR-H Night Chemnitz 9-55
7/3/45 Lancaster SR-D Night Dessau 9-15
15/3/45 Lancaster SR-H Night Hanover 7-45
18/3/45 Lancaster SR-H Night Hanau 7-00
21/3/45 Lancaster SR-B Night Heide 4-40
22/3/45 Lancaster SR-F Night Bruchstrasse 5-50
23/3/45 Lancaster SR-C Day Bremen 5-15
14/4/45 Lancaster SR-Z Night Potsdam 9-45
18/4/45 Lancaster SR-D Day Heligoland 4-20
22/4/45 Lancaster SR-L Day Bremen 4-55
25/4/45 Lancaster SR-G Day Berchtesgaden 7-50
27/4/45 Lancaster SR-H Day "Exodus" Bringing our own POW's Home. Base - Brussels - London – Base. 24 POW's on each aircraft 6-15
29/4/45 Lancaster SR-G Day "Mana" Food drop for Dutch civilians. The Hague 2-25
1/5/45 Lancaster SR-G Day "Mana" Food drop Rotterdam 3-15
2/5/45 Lancaster SR-G Day "Mana" Food drop the Hague 2-35
7/5/45 Lancaster SR-D Day "Mana" Food drop Rotterdam 3-20
9/5/45 Lancaster SR-D Day "Exodus" POW return. Base – Brussels – London 3-45
10/5/45 Lancaster SR-Q Day "Exodus" crashed on takeoff from Brussels
No one was injured when they crashed and they caught another flight home. Their last flight from 101 Squadron Ludford Magna was on 19/5/45 and that was just a training flight.
If anybody has recollections or information of this period they'd like to share it would be appreciated.
Thanks