Carpe Diem - 576 Squadron RAF - The Crews

CREW MEMBER PROFILE
Surname:	RANDALL		First Name/s:	John Robert

Service No/s:	1604016	Service:	RAFVR	Branch:	Flight Engineer

Awards:	DFM

Return

Date	Event	Aircraft Flown
SERVICE RECORDS
01 Jan 1942 01 Jan 1942	Enlisted at Oxford (TBC) - sometime after October 1941
01 Jan 1943 01 Jan 1943	No. 5 School of Technical Training, St Athan, Glamorgan (TBC)
04 Oct 1943 04 Oct 1943	1667 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU), Faldingworth, Lincolnshire joined F B Gipson crew	Lancaster (?)
02 Dec 1943 02 Dec 1943	Pathfinder Navigation Training Unit (PFNTU), Upwood, Cambridgeshire	Lancaster
11 Dec 1943 11 Dec 1943	7 Squadron, Oakington, Cambridgeshire. Ops (nil): F B Gipson crew	Lancaster (?)
29 Dec 1943 29 Dec 1943	576 Squadron at Elsham Wolds, Linconshire	Lancaster
24 Feb 1944 24 Feb 1944	Set Rank from Flight Record
25 Feb 1944 25 Feb 1944	Set Rank from Flight Record
29 Feb 1944 29 Feb 1944	Pathfinder Force Navigation Training Unit (PFNTU), Warboys, Huntingdonshire	Lancaster
09 Mar 1944 09 Mar 1944	156 Squadron, Upwood, Cambridgeshire (Lancaster) Ops (2): F B Gipson crew 24 Mar 44 – Berlin 26 Mar 44 – Essen	Lancaster
06 Apr 1944 06 Apr 1944	582 Squadron, Little Staughton, Huntingdonshire Ops (30): FB Gipson crew 20 Apr 44 – Cologne 22 Apr 44 – Laon 24 Apr 44 – Karlsruhe 26 Apr 44 – Essen 27 Apr 44 – Aulnoye 04 May 44 – Awarded temporary PFF badge 06 May 44 – Nantes-Grassicourt; hit by debris of an exploding Lancaster 09 May 44 – Cap Gris Nez 27 May 44 – Rennes/St Jacques 31 May 44 – Mount Couple 05 Jun 44 – Longues 08 Jun 44 – Fougeres 11 Jun 44 – Tours 15 Jun 44 – Lens 23 Jun 44 – Coubronne 28 Jun 44 – Wizernes; hit by flak 30 Jun 44 – Villers-Bocage 18 Jul 44 – Cagny 20 Jul 44 – Fôret de Croc 22 Jul 44 – Linseux 23 Jul 44 – Kiel 24 Jul 44 – Stuttgart 28 Jul 44 – Hamburg 30 Jul 44 – Battle area 04 Jul 44 – Trossy St Maximin 05 Jul 44 – St Leu d’Esserant 07 Aug 44 - Totalise 10 Aug 44 – Dijon 18 Aug 44 – Bremen 06 Sep 44 – Le Havre 08 Sep 44 – Le Havre 12 Sep 44 – Frankfurt (DID NOT FLY THIS RAID) 15 Sep 44 – Keil (DID NOT FLY THIS RAID) 17 Sep 44 – Boulogne (DID NOT FLY THIS RAID) 23 Sep 44 – Neuss (DID NOT FLY THIS RAID) 05 Sep 44 – Saarbrucken (DID NOT FLY THIS RAID) 06 Oct 44 – Dortmund (DID NOT FLY THIS RAID)	Lancaster
04 May 1944 04 May 1944	Awarded temporary Pathfinder Force Badge	Lancaster
01 Jun 1944 01 Jun 1944	Granted acting Flight Sergeant status	Lancaster
23 Jul 1944 23 Jul 1944	Promoted to Flight Sergeant	Lancaster
23 Oct 1944 23 Oct 1944	Posted out of 582 Squadron
01 Mar 1945 01 Mar 1945	156 Squadron, Upwood, Cambridgeshire (exact date TBC) Ops (8 known): G S Beca, RNZAF crew 24 Mar 45 – Herpenerweg (no 156 Squadron Record of Events after 02 May 1945) 25 Mar 45 – Munster 08 Apr 45 – Hamburg 09 Apr 45 – Kiel 10 Apr 45 – Plauen 13 Apr 45 – Kiel 14 Apr 45 – Potsdam 02 May 45 – Rotterdam; Op MANNA	Lancaster
07 Dec 1945 07 Dec 1945	Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) award promulgated (LG 07 Dec 45, p5946) No citation found. Awarded on 156 Squadron. Recommendation on personal file

Date	Aircraft	Code	Flight Details	T/O	Land	Flt Time	Crew
576 Squadron FLYING RECORDS
03 Jan 1944	ND362	UL-Q²	Training	nk	nk	4h15	P1 Sgt F.B. Gipson P2 FE Sgt J.R. Randall AB Sgt J.P. Gregory NAV Sgt H.G. Stevenson WOp Flt Sgt J.M. Walker RAAF MUG Sgt P.T. Lalor TBC RG Sgt J.S. Robertson
NOTES:	Night pre-op cross country
14 Jan 1944	ND362	UL-Q²	BRUNSWICK	1640	2235	5h55	P1 Sgt F.B. Gipson P2 FE Sgt J.R. Randall AB Sgt J.P. Gregory NAV Sgt H.G. Stevenson WOp Flt Sgt J.M. Walker RAAF MUG Sgt P.T. Lalor TBC RG Sgt J.S. Robertson
NOTES:	Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4000lb ‘cookie’, 56x 30lb and 1122x 4lb incendiaries
20 Jan 1944 20 Jan 1944	JA868	UL-Y²	BERLIN	1620	2350	7h30	P1 Sgt F.B. Gipson P2 FE Sgt J.R. Randall AB Sgt J.P. Gregory NAV Sgt H.G. Stevenson WOp Flt Sgt J.M. Walker RAAF MUG Sgt P.T. Lalor TBC RG Sgt J.S. Robertson
NOTES:	Target: Built-up area. Heavy flak over Kiel Canal - no damage. Coned over Wilhelmshaven on way out. Heavy flak but no damage Load: 1x 4000lb ‘cookie’, 56x 30lb and 1122x 4lb incendiaries
21 Jan 1944	JA868	UL-Y²	MAGDEBURG	2000	0315	7h15	P1 Sgt F.B. Gipson P2 FE Sgt J.R. Randall AB Sgt J.P. Gregory NAV Sgt H.G. Stevenson WOp Flt Sgt J.M. Walker RAAF MUG Sgt P.T. Lalor TBC RG Sgt J.S. Robertson
NOTES:	Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4000lb ‘cookie’, 56x 30lb and 1122x 4lb incendiaries
20 Feb 1944	LL748	UL-A²	STUTTGART	2330	0525	5h55	P1 Sgt F.B. Gipson P2 FE Sgt J.R. Randall AB Sgt J.P. Gregory NAV Sgt H.G. Stevenson WOp Flt Sgt J.M. Walker RAAF MUG Sgt E. Conner RG Sgt J.S. Robertson
NOTES:	Target: Built-up Area Load: 1x 4000lb ‘cookie’, 56x 30lb and1122x 4lb incendiaries
20 Feb 1944	LL748	UL-A²	STUTTGART	2330	0525	5h55	P1 Sgt F.B. Gipson P2 FE Sgt J.R. Randall AB Sgt J.P. Gregory NAV Sgt H.G. Stevenson WOp Flt Sgt J.M. Walker RAAF MUG Sgt E. Conner RG Sgt J.S. Robertson
NOTES:	Target: Built-up Area Load: 1x 4000lb ‘cookie’, 56x 30lb and1122x 4lb incendiaries Returned earl: rear gunner unwell
20 Feb 1944	LL748	UL-A²	STUTTGART	2330	0525	5h55	P1 Sgt F.B. Gipson P2 FE Sgt J.R. Randall AB Sgt J.P. Gregory NAV Sgt H.G. Stevenson WOp Flt Sgt J.M. Walker RAAF MUG Sgt E. Conner RG Sgt J.S. Robertson
NOTES:	Target: Built-up Area Load: 1x 4000lb ‘cookie’, 56x 30lb and1122x 4lb incendiaries Returned early: rear gunner unwell
24 Feb 1944	DV365	UL-N²	SCHWEINFURT	1820	0255	8h35	P1 Flt Sgt F.B. Gipson P2 FE Sgt J.R. Randall AB Sgt J.P. Gregory NAV Sgt H.G. Stevenson WOp Flt Sgt J.M. Walker RAAF MUG Sgt E. Conner RG Sgt J.S. Robertson
NOTES:	Built-up area Load: 1x 4000lb, 56x 30lb incendiaries, 1122x 4lb incendiaries Met boobed with W/V - 10 mins late. Increased speed at expense of height. Bombed at 19 000 ft. Another Lancaster dropped bombs from above and a 30lb incendiary fell through fuselage 1½ ft in front of MUG. A 4lb incendiary hit port inner spinner and another pierced starboard wing inboard of No.1 tank. Rear turret was u/s from take-off. Trimmer froze up. Intercom u/s after leaving target area. Port inner engine feathered – landed on three engines.
25 Feb 1944	LM469	UL-E²	AUGSBURG	1820	0310	8h50	P1 Flt Sgt F.B. Gipson P2 FE Sgt J.R. Randall AB Sgt J.P. Gregory NAV Sgt H.G. Stevenson WOp Flt Sgt J.M. Walker RAAF MUG Sgt E. Conner RG Sgt J.S. Robertson
NOTES:	Aircraft factories Load: 1x 4000lb ‘cookie’, 56x 30lb, 1122x 4lb incendiaries Coned over target

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