Page 8 - Robert Joseph Harding

Roberts’s first Main Force operation with 576 Squadron was on the evening of April
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9 . The target that night was the German port of Keil, the enlarged squadron putting
up 29 Lancasters, a maximum effort by the squadron.

Robert took off from Fiskerton’s Main runway at 19:17 pm in Lancaster PA 176, C2
(Charlie). The bomb load consisted of 1x 4,000 lb high capacity demolition bomb
known as a ʿCookieʿ by the crew’s and 16 x 500 lb medium capacity bombs. Robert
and the crew returned safely to Fiskeron at 01:43 am early the next morning.

Further Main Force operations followed. They were:

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April 10 , the German town of Plauen, Rail Network.
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April 14 , the German port of Cuxhaven, an all 576 Squadron diversionary operation
to deflect the German defences away from the 500 all Lancaster Main Force attack
on Potsdam, a Western suburb of Berlin.

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April 18 , a maximum effort Main Force attack against the island of Heligoland. This
island was located off the Western coastline of Northern Germany. Main Force
squadrons totalling 969 Halifax and Lancasters supported by 20 pathfinder
Mosquitoes of No.8 Group completely destroyed the infrastructure on the island
resulting in the evacuation of its surviving civilian population.

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April 22 , Bremen. 767 Halifax and Lancasters attacked the city in support of the
advancing British 30 Corps.

May 5 , Operation ‘Manna’, the dropping of food parcels to the starving Dutch
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population. The dropping zone was on the outskirts of Rotterdam.

May 7 , Operation ‘Manna’, Rotterdam.
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This was the crew’s 11 and final war operation, hostilities ending on May 8 . Robert
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was tasked with repatriating prisoners of war back to the UK (Operation ‘Exodus’).
The crew were also involved in testing the captured German radar defence system
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on April 25 . Lancasters flying in formation would approach the German coast at
Flensburg and be monitored by Allied scientists operating the captured Radar
equipment. (Operation ‘Post Mortem’).

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Robert was promoted Acting Flight Lieutenant on April 9 . The rank being confirmed
permanent on July 1 1947.
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Mary gave birth to their first and only daughter Ann Mary on August 7 1945
in Solihull.
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576 Squadron was disbanded at Fiskerton on September 13 1945 and the
remaining air and ground crew’s split between 50 and 61 Squadrons. Robert was
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posted on September 19 to 61 Squadron that had been relocated along with 50
Squadron from its wartime base of Skellingthorpe (now the present day Birchwood
housing estate on the western suburbs of Lincoln) to RAF Sturgate 10 miles to the
north of Lincoln