Page 66 - John Francis Ryan

Main Force Operations undertaken by the crew

First Operation

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March 11 1945 Take off: 11.40am. Return: 16.55pm.
Essen – Area bombing. Flight Lieutenant Harold R.M. Crowther as pilot with John as
second (second dickie) pilot in LM 594 N – A-Able2 (‘A’ Flight Lancaster).

Main Force that day consisted of 1,079 aircraft - 750 Lancasters, 293 Halifaxes,
36 Mosquitos from all Groups.

This first operation with an experienced pilot (without John’s crew) was to prepare
the new pilot for his forthcoming tour of 30 sorties.

This was the largest number of aircraft sent to a target so far in the war.
3 Lancasters lost. 4,661 tons of bombs were dropped on Oboe-directed sky markers
through complete cloud cover. The attack was accurate and this great blow virtually
paralysed Essen until the American troops entered the city sometime later. This was
the last RAF raid on Essen, which had been attacked so many times, though often in
the early years of the war with such disappointing and costly results. Most of the city
was now in ruins. 7,000 people had died in air raids. The pre-war population of
648,000 had fallen to 310,000 by the end of April 1945; the rest had left for quieter
places in Germany.