Dambusters 80th Anniversary

The sun is still setting as three 617 Squadron Lancasters coast out from England heading for enemy territory on May 16, 1943, for Operation Chastise – the Dams Raid. (© Gary Eason / Flight Artworks)

DAMBUSTERS

Special thanks to the following for their help and generosity in providing material or images for this publication:

RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight

John Bell OBE DFC

Tim Callaway

Sarah James –RAF Scampton Heritage Centre

Len Krenzler

The Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre

Yvonne Masters

Mark Postlethwaite

Yvonne Masters

Stuart Reid

Mark Postlethwaite

Jim Shortland

Stuart Reid

Fred Sutherland

Jim Shortland

Robert Taylor

Fred Sutherland

Phil Tetlow

Robert Taylor

Phil Tetlow

Editor: Clive Rowley MBE RAF (Retd)

Design: Craig Lamb

Editor: Clive Rowley MBE RAF (Retd)

Sarah Scrimshaw

Charlotte Turnbull

Design:

Sarah Scrimshaw, Charlotte Turnbull

Reprographics: Paul Fincham, Jonathan Schoﬁeld

Angie Sisestean

Reprographics: Jonathan Schoﬁeld

Picture research/admin: Sarah Wilkinson

Picture research/admin:

Publisher: Steve O’Hara

Sarah Wilkinson

Group production editor:

Publishing director: Dan Savage

Tim Hartley

Marketing manager: Charlotte Park

Production manager:

Craig Lamb

Commercial director: Nigel Hole

Publisher:

Dan Savage

Published by:

Commercial director: Nigel Hole

Mortons Media Group Ltd, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR. Tel: 01507 529529

Managing director: Brian Hill

Printed by: William Gibbons and Sons, Wolverhampton

Published by: Mortons Media Group Ltd, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR Tel: 01507 529529

ISBN: 978-1-911276-57-9

Printed by: William Gibbons and Sons, Wolverhampton

ISBN 978-1-909128-21-7

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

092 Lancaster B1 DV385 Thumper Mk.III of 617 Squadron 102 The other 617 VCs The bravery of Bill Reid and Leonard Cheshire 110 Our artist tells history –Creating the exclusive cover for this magazine 114 Last one home –Artwork by Adam Tooby 116 In the footsteps of the Dambusters The bases now DAMBUSTERS5 122 The Dam Busters ﬁlm Transferring a legend to the silver screen 127 Lancaster over the Derwent Commemoration ﬂight 130 A squadron reborn The re-formation of 617 Squadron

Front cover artwork by Phil Tetlow (see page 110 for full story)

DAMBUSTERS 5

As the author of this special, commemorative publication, I feel that I should start by declaring my credentials which, on the face of it, have little do with being an expert on the Dambusters or the Avro Lancaster bomber. You see I am – or at least I was – a fighter pilot; I served for 36 years in that capacity with the Royal Air Force.

A background as a fighter pilot does not, though, rule out an interest in RAF Bomber Command’s campaign during the Second World War. Indeed the precedent is set as the first author to write of the exploits of 617 Squadron, Paul Brickhill, was himself an ex-fighter pilot who flew Spitfires and Hurricanes during the war. His bestselling book – The Dam Busters – was first published in 1951.

I am proud to say that I, also, have flown many hours on Spitfires and Hurricanes with the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (RAF BBMF), finishing my full-time career as the officer commanding the RAF BBMF. As such, I was the temporary

custodian of one of the finest collections of airworthy Second World War aircraft anywhere, including one of only two airworthy Lancasters in the world. On many occasions, some of them quite important, I have flown alongside the BBMF’s mighty Lancaster in a Spitfire or a Hurricane, marvelled at the aura of the big bomber in the air – strangely shaped yet purposeful and somehow rather beautiful – and I have wondered what it was like for the men that flew them in far more dangerous circumstances. It has been my great privilege to meet many of those who did just that.

I share with every fighter pilot I have ever met, including those who fought in the Second World War, a deep respect for the men of Bomber Command and what they endured and achieved. Fighter pilots need to be brave, determined and aggressive, but the courage required by those who flew the heavy bombers during the war, is of a different order. They needed a steady, calm, unblinking, understated kind of courage and tenacity, sustained over long periods and

night after night. Many were fearful men and rightly so, but they overcame their fear with sheer courage and appeared fearless, instilling confidence in those around them and particularly in the other members of their crew. Amazingly to us today, they did not think that what they were doing was anything particularly special. They were just doing the job they were given to do in wartime, to the best of their abilities... and they paid a heavy price.

I first read Paul Brickhill’s book The Dam Busters when I was a boy and in many ways the story of the Dams Raid is like a Boy’s Own story: Barnes Wallis and his madcap bouncing bomb, designed to be skipped to a target thus far considered invincible, by hand-picked airmen formed into a special squadron, who were, in some cases, little older than schoolboys.

In fact though, this single raid had an impact totally out of proportion to the small number of aircraft involved. It embodied the synergy of science and technology, weapons development and production, mission planning and practice, and the unflinching courage of the aircrews in the execution of a highly dangerous feat of arms.

Furthermore, it established a legend that still resonates today. The Dams Raid and the Battle of Britain are the RAF’s most famous wartime exploits as far as most people are concerned. The story of the Dams Raid is a truly incredible one; a fabulous tale of ingenuity, daring and raw courage.

Seventy-five years on from Operation Chastise, as it was officially named, the Dams Raid still commands widespread attention. Crowds flock to commemorative events; documentaries continue to be made about it, and the 1955 box office-hit film The Dam Busters, starring Richard Todd as Guy Gibson and Michael Redgrave as Barnes Wallis, appears frequently on the television, deservedly so as it is a marvellous film. For most people in the 21st century, their understanding of what happened during the night of May 16/17, 1943, and the lengthy lead-up to the operation, is heavily influenced by that film; it is more about entertainment than education, and in 105 minutes much detail has to be left out and some facts are blurred or changed by artistic licence.

When I was asked if I would like to write this publication on the Dambusters and given a free rein over the content, it didn’t take me long to decide that it was something I should do. It seems entirely

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Dambusters 80th Anniversary

Published on Aug 25, 2023

Mortons Media Group Ltd

Perhaps the most famous single mission in the RAF's illustrious history, the Dams Raid, took place 80 years ago in May 1943. To commemorate the landmark mission, Squadron Leader Clive Rowley (Retd) a former Officer Commanding the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, revisits the story with the benefit of some modern research to aid the process. This special bookazine, which includes some previously unpublished pictures and some stunning artwork, commemorates the men of No. 617 Squadron plus the engineering brilliance of Barnes Wallis and his colleagues at Vickers and Avro. It's a story which does not need embellishment, but which famously received the Hollywood treatment; a fabulous tale of ingenuity, daring and raw courage. All military actions are made up of mistakes, myths and a few miracles – the Dams Raid contained them all. The publication tells the story of the real people with human traits, complex and contradictory personalities and flaws.