Hans Onderwater is seen as the world’s leading expert on Operation Manna, the world’s first airborne humanitarian mission which saved the lives of countless thousands of Dutch civilians.

Operation Manna began on the 29th of April, when 242 Lancaster’s flew to six different drop-zones in the Netherlands, on what was the first airborne humanitarian relief in history; and crews from across Lincolnshire were heavily involved in this operation.

This mission was launched in the last days of the Second World War, after German occupation and the consequences of the War in Europe had left the Netherlands without food or supplies that were necessary to survive.