Aviation News. 05.2018

36 Aviation News incorporating Jets May 2018

in action. Fewer than 50 of the original 133

Dambusters survived the war. Guy Gibson

was awarded a much-deserved Victoria

Cross for his role in the mission, but his time

with 617 was short; by August 1943, Wg Cdr

George Holden had become the unit’s OC.

The ever-popular Gibson was taken off

operations and undertook a series of ground

postings that included morale boosting visits

around Britain and public relations duties in

North America. He remained determined

to return to the front line though, and was

eventually granted permission to re-join

Bomber Command in a staff officer role

in mid-1944. On September 19, 1944 he

piloted a DH Mosquito of 627 Sqn on a raid

to western Germany. Sadly, Gibson and

navigator Sqn Ldr Jim Warwick were killed

when their aircraft, Mk.XX KB267, crashed in

the Netherlands while returning home.

The Type 464 Provisioning Lancaster

used by Guy Gibson in the raid was built by

Avro in Manchester during the early months

of 1943. Like its 22 siblings, ED932 was

extensively modified to carry the Upkeep

air-dropped mine, and arrived at Scampton

on April 30, 1943.

After the raid G-for-George was retained

by 617, and is known to have flown on a

small number of operational sorties. It is

also thought the modifications for the dams

raid made it suitable for large weapons

development work – the Barnes Wallis-

designed 12,000lb (5,443kg) Tallboy

‘earthquake’ bomb for example. (The

Upkeep ‘bouncing bomb’ was, of course,

another one of Wallis’ creations.)

According to the unit’s Operational

Record Book, Flt Lt J B Wilson and crew

used ED932 on an aborted sortie to a

GUZZLE LANCASTERS

Along with ED932, the other two Lancasters said

to have been used on the little-known operation

sometime referred to as Guzzle were also important

Dambuster veterans. ED906 was flown by Flt Lt

David Maltby and crew as AJ-J during the raid and

ED909 AJ-P by Flt Lt Harold ‘Mick’ Martin. Like

Gibson’s aircraft, both attacked the Möhne Dam as

part of the first wave. All three were broken up for

scrap on or around July 29, 1947.

Right: Lancaster ED909 believed to be

being scrapped at Scampton in 1947.

RAF Scampton records via P H T Green

Above: Lancaster ED932 with an Upkeep mine fitted prior to the attack on the Ruhr. via Andy Thomas

Below: Lancaster Mk.7s NX679 (AJ-G), NX673, (AJ-P), in a photo taken from RT686. Key Collection

34-37_dambusters_georgeDC.mfDC.indd 36 09/04/2018 11:40