Explore the
inside of a Halifax
bomber

For the next big airborne operation of the war, RAF Tarrant Rushton’s two squadrons - 298 and 644 - moved to the massive airfield at RAF Woodbridge in Suffolk.

Operation Varsity on ____________ March 24th, 1945, was an Allied plan to cross the Rhine via air and land; striking into the very heart of Germany with one and a quarter million men - 21,000 of them in the air. Tarrant’s two squadrons flew out for East Anglia on ___________ March 20th and 21st, 1945, with ground support and flying control staff travelling by train.

60 Halifaxes towing 48 mighty General Aircraft Hamilcars and 12 Airspeed Horsa took off from Woodbridge’s massive runway from 19 minutes past seven in the morning of ____________ March 24th, 1945 - the final Halifax lumbering its way into the sky just before eight o’clock.

The destination the German town of Hamminkeln just north of Wesel and key bridges across the River Issel. Because of the massive losses sustained at Arnhem, the Glider Pilot Regiment’s ranks had been augmented by spare and newly qualified RAF pilots without any squadron to go who had been hastily re-trained to fly gliders.

After casting off their gliders, the first Halifaxes began reappearing in the circuit over Tarrant Rushton just before one o’clock that afternoon. Fifty two of the 60 tug and glider combinations achieved their goal - only three aircraft were lost; Flying Officer McConville and Flight Sergeant Hughes of 644 Squadron and Flying Officer McGillivray from 298 Squadron.

After the success of Operation Varsity, Tarrant Rushton’s two squadrons resumed their supply-dropping role in the parts of Europe still occupied by the Germans as Allied ground forces forged ahead.

During the rest of the month, Tarrant Rushton Halifaxes ferried occupation troops into Germany and carried out newly liberated prisoners of war from Brussels to Britain, Greece and southern Europe. Afterwards, transport duties became the order of the day for 298 and 644 Squadrons.

Six weeks after the success of the Rhine Crossing, the Allies had taken Berlin - the war in Europe was over after nearly six years. And how the men and women of Tarrant Rushton celebrated.

A day after the Nazi surrender on ____________ May 9th, 1945, 298 and 644 Squadrons flew 7,000 troops, equipment and supplies to newly liberated airfields in Norway, including Oslo Gardemoen, in order to occupy Oslo and other major towns. ‘Operation Doomsday’ ran until the 11th with a resupply on the 18th. On ____________ May 20th, 1945, 15 Tarrant Rushton Halifaxes brought back the Sixth Airborne Division back from Germany over four days.

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