Page 11 - Donald Bernard Graham

The crew undertook 13 operations with Donald undertaking his first with an experienced Pilot on
his own. Initially the RAF had decided not to include Operation ‘Manna’ sorties as part of the
crews tour, but objections raised as the country was so total wartime operations total 13 plus 1
extra for the Pilot totalling 14 in all.

Additionally the crew undertook 3 post war Operation ‘Exodus’ sorties to repatriate allied POW’s
from Brussels and 1 sortie to Italy (Operation ‘Dodge’) to repatriate POW’s in August 1945. It is
believed these POW’s were airlifted from the Far East, going by various staging posts, eventually
being repatriated to the UK from Poligliano airfield. The airfield, now redeveloped is a Fiat
motorcar factory.

The crew also took part in 3 sorties to test the capabilities of the captured German radars at
Flensburg in Northern Germany. This operation was named Operation ‘Post Mortem’. The crew
would have also undertook sorties (Operation ‘Wastage’) to drop unused ordinance into
designated parts of the North Sea, Irish Sea (Cardigan Bay and Beaufoert’s Dyke) and the English
Channel.

The Incendiaries dropped at these points have over time started to break up and the contents
being washed up on the coast of Cumbria. This area between Northern Ireland has a deep
depression called Beaufoert’s Dyke, a sea floor trench 218 to 328 yards deep, 31 miles long and 2
miles wide. Fishermen in all three areas have found these incendiaries in their nets, the ordinance
including Bombs, shells and ammunition from all branches of the services.

The Squadron crews also undertook ground and air training up to the 576 Squadron being
disbanded on the 13 September 1945.
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