Page 7 - John Francis Ryan

The H.C.U’s No. 1 Group used for replacement crews were:

RAF Lindholme - 1656 H.C.U (South of Doncaster in South Yorkshire)
(Lindholme was Base station to the other H.C.U’s)
RAF Sandtoft - 1667 H.C.U (East of Doncaster in South Yorkshire)

RAF Blyton - 1662 HCU (South of Scunthorpe in Lincolnshire

RAF Sandtoft

Sandtoft, due to its accident rate was known as ʻPrangtoftʼ by the novice crews. Blyton was
referred to as ʻBloody awful Blytonʼ, the airfield resembling a mud bath every time it rained.
Lindholme was a pre-war establishment and thus had luxury accommodation compared to the
temporary accommodation at its satellite airfields.
At Sandtoft, John and his crew would have converted to the four engine Avro Lancaster
1667 H.C.U where being equipped with, replacing the battle worn Handley Page Halifax bomber
the unit had previously held on charge. John and the crew at Sandtoft undertook a ʹSweepstakeʹ
operation in support of a Main Force raid on the German City of Dortmund on the evening of
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20/21 February 1945. This operation is covered later in the book.
Having successfully converted to this type John and the crew were now ready to be posted on to
one of No. 1 Group’s Main Force operational squadrons in North Lincolnshire.
John and his crew arrived at RAF Fiskerton in late February 1945, the crew undertaking 4 training
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flights prior to starting operations with 576 Squadron. The first training flight was on the 26
February flying PB 753, X-Xray 2. John’s Log Book indicates the Lancaster was at its all up weight
of 65,000 Lbs, he flying her on a cross country flight, one presumes with one of the squadron
officers on board monitoring how John and the crew performed. Next day the crew flew again in
X-Xray2 on a Fighter Affiliation Flight exercise where a Supermarine Spitfire fighter from 1687
Bomber Defence training Flight (1687 B.D.T.F), based at RAF Scampton checked out the crew on
fighter evasion, the crew flying over land and sea to evade this fighter using techniques learned by
the crew earlier in their training at O.T.U and H.C.U.
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On the 28 February the crew this time flying in PD 271 T-Tare undertook an air test and bombing
exercise at either Donna Nook bombing range, South of Grimsby, on the East coast of the
Lincolnshire, or Grimsthorpe Park bombing range, South of Grantham. These locations, along with
the Misson Target Indicator bombing range, 7.5 miles South East of Doncaster were the three
main No.1 Group bombing ranges.
Next day (29 ) the crew flew in NG 273 Y-Yoke2 on a ʻYʼ training and bombing exercise both over

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land and sea. ʻYʼ training referred to the use of the H2S radar equipment the Navigator used on
operations, the equipment fitted to his station in the Lancaster.
John also flew in Fiskerton’s Airspeed Oxford’s which were on charge to 1514 Beam Approach
Flight (1514 B.A.T. Flight). Night instrument flying was a priority within No.1 Group, the squadron
senior officers wanting to ensure John was competent on the subject before the crew commencing
Main Force operations.
Training thus over the crew were now ready for operations with the squadron.
John’s first operation with 576 Squadron, minus his crew was on the morning of the
11 March 1945 as second pilot (ʻSecond Dickieʼ) to Flight Lieutenant R.M. Crowther R.C.A.F
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Flying LM 594 A - Able2, one of the Squadron’s Centurions.
This Lancaster, one of only 35 Lancaster Centurions that completed 100 or more operations with
Bomber Command would complete 109 operations with the squadron, with John flying on its
89 .The Lancaster took off at 11-40 am that morning, this being solely a No.1 Group operation
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against the German city of Essen, the Lancaster landing back at Fiskerton at 16-55 pm. Of the
Group’s 240 Lancasters that took part in this operation, 576 Squadron put up 15. Each squadron
Lancaster carried a war load consisting of 1 x 4,000 Lb demolition bomb known to crews as a
ʻCookieʼ and 16 x 500 Lb medium capacity bomb.