http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 35M
ay 16, 1943. Britain and
her Allies were locked in a
desperate struggle with Hitler’s
Germany and its partners –
war in Europe had been raging for nearly
four years and there was no end in sight.
Destroying the Nazi’s industrial heartland
was a prime objective for the RAF’s Bomber
Command, and the newly-formed 617 Sqn
aimed to strike a deadly blow by breaching
the mighty Ruhr dams.
By 9pm on that fateful evening 75
years ago, the 19 crews who carried out
the operation were at their Lancasters on
their Lincolnshire base. The squadron
commander, Wg Cdr Guy Gibson, and his
men turned for a photo to be taken as they
boarded their aircraft – ED932, coded ‘AJ-G’.
Just before 9.30pm Flt Lt Bob Barlow
eased the first Lancaster off RAF
Scampton’s runway and headed for the
Ruhr along with the other aircraft from that
wave. (Their journey time to the Sorpe Damwas the longest, hence why they took off
first.) Ten minutes later Gibson and his crew
were airborne, followed by the rest of his
wave so that both formations would attack
simulatenously.
The raid was famously a success – the
Möhne and Eder dams were breached,
and the Sorpe was damaged. The level of
destruction/disruption on the Ruhr’s industry
is a hotly debated subject – some historians
maintain the damage was soon repaired,
others insist it slowed Hitler’s war machine
and diverted forces to repair the damage,
and thus prevented some attacks. Themorale-boosting effects to the Allies, and the
dismay brought to the Nazis are, however,
beyond doubt.
It came at a heavy cost though – a total
of 56 young men and eight aircraft from 617
Sqn were lost in the raid.AFTER THE FLOODS
Following the attacks, 617 Sqn continued
as a frontline special operations unit within
Bomber Command; it helped to pioneer
bigger and more effective weapons and
innovative ways to mark targets for the
main force. The squadron’s Battle Honours
awarded for World War Two are: Fortress
Europe 1943-1944, The Dams, Biscay Ports
1944, France and Germany 1944-1945,
Normandy 1944, Tirpitz, Channel and North
Sea 1944-1945 and the German
Ports 1945.
The Dambusters crews
who returned from the raid
were mostly soon backLeft: Guy Gibson (second from the right) and
his men boarding their aircraft shortly before
taking off on the dams raid on May 16, 1943.
All photos via Andy Thomas unless stated
Above: The page in Guy Gibson’s logbook for
May 16, 1943. This historic document is held
at the RAF College Cranwell, Lincolnshire.
Below: Artwork of G-for-George. Key-Pete West34-37_dambusters_georgeDC.mfDCDC.indd 35 09/04/2018 12:21