Aeroplane September 2017

5050 http://www.aeroplanemonthly.comwww.aeroplanemonthly.com AEROPLANE SEPTEMBER 2017

T

his No 6 Group unit was

converting to the Lancaster from the

Halifax II. With 419, KB700 was

coded VR-Z.

12 December 1943: “Two Canadian-built

Lancasters arrived for the use of the squadron

with the immediate results that all sections took

up a certain amount of training in Lancaster

equipment.”

20 December 1943: “The Ruhr Express,

the fi rst Canadian-built Lancaster, having been

allotted to this squadron was brought home by

Flt Sgt Parker and was the object of a great deal

of interest.”

The unit carried on receiving new Halifaxes

as attrition replacements, but dual training

and ground instruction was now ongoing with

Lancasters. At the end of January 1944, unit CO

Wg Cdr W. P. Pleasance reported that conversion

was proceeding “fairly satisfactorily”. The lack of

aircraft was the main hold-up, “only one being

serviceable for conversion fl ying” out of three

Lancasters on strength. And KB700 certainly had

its problems.

5 February 1944: “The Ruhr Express was

fl own down to No 20 MU for overhaul.”

21 February 1944: “A crew was sent down

to No 20 MU to pick up the Ruhr Express but

were unable to do so owing to an unserviceable

starboard outer engine.”

29 February 1944: “A further attempt was

made to collect the Ruhr Express but this again

proved abortive.”

As of that month’s end, 419 had no Lancasters

on strength, and its Halifax IIs were taken off

use against Bomber Command ’s main targets.

Pleasance was “particularly anxious” to see re-

equipment as rapidly as possible.

5 March 1944: “The Lancaster Ruhr

Express returned to the squadron from No 20

Maintenance Unit, Aston Down. The radar

section commenced the fi tting of H2S [ground

mapping radar] equipment on this aircraft. If

successful, this will be the fi rst Lancaster X to

be fi tted with this equipment.”

24 March 1944: “The H2S installation in

the Lancaster Ruhr Express was completed, and

test-fl own for the fi rst time. The range received

was very good, and the large bomb-doors did

not appear to interfere with the working of the

equipment, and excellent results were obtained.

30 October 1943: “Flt Lt G. Bennett

DFC fl ew the Ruhr Express from Wyton to

the squadron today.”

This took the squadron’s strength to 24

Lancasters: 23 MkIIIs, the British-built,

Packard Merlin-engined derivative, and one

MkX. KB700 was coded LQ-Q. Its operational

baptism a few weeks later, in the hands of a

crew headed by Plt Off Harold Floren, proved

an eventful affair.

22 November 1943: “Bombing attack

on Berlin. Fourteen aircraft detailed...

Aircraft ‘Q’, Ruhr Express, pilot Plt Off

H. A. Floren, abandoned mission when 40

miles from target when port outer engine

went unserviceable and aircraft began losing

height. Three 2,000lb bombs were jettisoned

and later on another 2,000lb bomb was

jettisoned but aircraft continued to lose

height... fi nally at 9,000ft it was decided

to return... Aircraft ‘Q’ returned direct and

met heavy fl ak when over Amsterdam when

aircraft then at 4,000ft... Tail assembly was

damaged when landing.”

Such was the publicity value of the Canadian

Lancaster’s debut sortie that a debrief was

staged for the press despite the failure of

KB700’s mission. It soon had another go.

26 November 1943: “Bombing attack

on Berlin. Fourteen aircraft detailed. Our

14 aircraft reached and bombed primary

from an average height of 20,000ft in clear

visibility with no cloud. Numerous fi res

were observed and were visible for 200 miles

on homeward journey.”

Again headed by Floren, the crew of

KB700 reported: “No cloud with slight

haze in target area. Dropped load on red

TI [target indicator] burning on ground

at 21.14hrs from 21,000ft... Landed base

undamaged.”

This was the last mission for Ruhr Express

with 405. The Lancaster X was not

compatible with the unit’s MkIIIs despite

their common powerplants, and so it was

decided to transfer KB700 to a squadron

that planned to re-equip fully with MkXs

when enough were available.

RUHR EXPRESS

NO 405 SQUADRON

GRANSDEN LODGE

NO 419 SQUADRON MIDDLETON ST GEORGE

Plt Off Harold Floren

of No 405 Squadron

at the controls of

Ruhr Express. Flying

another of the unit’s

Lancasters, Floren was

lost during a mission

to Braunschweig on 14

January 1944. CWHM

BELOW: KB700 with codes LQ-Q

soon after its arrival at Gransden

Lodge for No 405 Squadron in

late 1943. VIA ANDREW THOMAS

48-57_AM_LANCASTER_Sept17_cc C.indd 50 31/07/2017 10:54