Page 5 - Ronald Walter Flack

Ronald held the rank of Flight Lieutenant and so, he must have been in the Royal Air Force for a
number of years to achieve this rank. It is therefore possible he came from either Training
Command, having been held back from air operations as an Instructor on the wireless set and
other radar equipment that wireless operators would have been required to use. Or this posting to
No. 576 Squadron was at a minimum his second tour (having completed his previous tour of
operations with another squadron). Further research on this officer is required to establish his
R.A.F. service.

The crew arrived at No. 576 Squadron too late to take part in any Main Force operations over
Germany. They did however undertake six operations including ‘Operation ‘Manna’. (The dropping
of food supplies to the starving Dutch population.) Operation ‘Exodus’. (The repatriation of
prisoners of war back to England), and Operation ‘Post Mortem’ , ( this operation being to test the
captured German radar equipment by No. 1 Group Lancasters being flown en - masse towards
Flensburg on the German coast, and allied scientists observing the radar results.)

These operations would assist Allied scientists to develop more sophisticated radar equipment in
the future.

The Crews operations with No.576 Squadron were:

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7 of May 1945 --- Rotterdam (Operation ‘Manna’)
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26 of May 1945 --- Brussels (Operation ‘Exodus’)
25 of June 1945 --- Flensburg (Operation ‘Post Mortem’)
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29 of June 1945 --- Flensburg (Operation ‘Post Mortem’)
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1 of July 1945 --- Flensburg (Operation ‘Post Mortem’)
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4 of July 1945 --- Flensburg (Operation ‘Post Mortem’)