Leslie

I thought that it was only right that the achievements of the Dambusters of No 617 Squadron should be mentioned on the 70th anniversary of their action.

When I was stationed in Germany on low level strike attack Canberras I had the opportunity to fly the attack track on the Moehne Dam.

I approached it at the same height that they flew and the first thing I found that it was not easy to turn tightly enough to become established on the inbound path and also that there were obstacles to be avoided,such as high ground etc. The track itself was easy enough to fly once established and the two towers on the dam were a very good aiming point.

The big difference was that I was doing it in full daylight and in a more manoeuverable aircraft than a Lancaster.

It was necessary to use the bouncing bomb so that after release it would bounce over the top of the nets which were spread in front of the dam and then reach the dam wall sliding down underwater so that it exploded at a height which would cause the maximum damage.

To get the bomb to do all this it was necessary to release the bomb at an accurate distance from the dam and also at a very precise height and speed. The dam was very heavily defended and as the aircraft approached they were being raked by intense enemy fire. They had to fly at exactly 60 feet and at 230 mph so that the bomb bounced on the water and flew correctly into the dam, there was no margin for error.

It should be remembered that this was being done in the dark with the minimum of visual references.

I had to work at it to make an accurate run over the dam and I was flying a more manoeuverable aircraft and it was in the daylight.

Johnny Johnson who was the bomb aimer at the Moehne Dam says they had to make several runs to make sure they had the right target. They did not have electronic aids to identify it...only the mark one eyeball!

I have nothing but extreme admiration for those crews who did so well during the attacks on the dams with such success under what were almost impossible circumstances. Many aircrew lost their lives during the attacks on the dams in question on that night. Their bravery was legendary to continue those attacks under such heavy defensive fire. The effects on German industry by the destruction of the dams reduced their war effort significantly.

I have visited the Moehne Dam since and to see the damage caused which is still visually apparent as well as to be able to imagine the hail of fire from the dam at the Lancasters only underlines their amazing achievement

Les

Steve777

iTrader: (8)

Awesome video of the flyover on Facebook today

Osimabu

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We are free to live the way we do today because of those astonishingly brave young people all those years ago.

I was lucky enough to go inside the BBMF Lancaster back in 1998. There's more room in my garden shed (which is full!), and I can't begin to imagine what it must have been like for those blokes back then. We owe them everything.

hodgy0_2

on that sad note

we buried my wifes grandfather yesterday - Robin Macilwaine DFC

http://announcements.thetimes.co.uk/...92#fbLoggedOut

a Pilot officer who flew 40 mission in the pathfinders of No 7 squadron, from 1943 till the end of the war

a giant of a man

front row - 7th in from the right

Osimabu

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The Pathfinders had the worst job of all, having to mark the target and stay there, doing it again if the first wave of bombers following them didn't hit it.

I used to work at RAF Wyton where they flew from and I could barely bring myself to look in the eye the painting of South African Captain Swales VC, in our building. He was 25 when he died, saving his crew, in February 1945.

Everything that seems a problem in our lives these days pales into insignificance compared to what happened back then.

mart360

Saw this earlier in the week,

Respect to them all,

Barnes Wallis was a bloody genius

Such a shame that so many lost there lives though


Mart

davegtt

Not as free as you'd expect us to be, we have all been kept in line without us realising it

Have I missed the flyover? I was expecting it to be this afternoon but not heard anything (usually come right over my house - I'm in Lincolnshire)

I love the WW2 planes, just the sound alone sends the shivers up my spine. I remember growing up as a kid, obviously wanting adventure and wishing I grew up or could have served back in them times. As you get older I guess the reality sinks in of what these chaps gave up for a non personal cause on such a mass scale. Says alot about the human race as much as I like to put us down sometimes.

CREWJ

Great write up Les, I am in awe of their achievement.

kevo10

x 2 such a shame losing lives is still happening

Cpt Jack Sparrow

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Just watched the programme on BBC2 could not hold back the tears.

BOMBER COMMAND I SALUTE YOU ALL

Paul

Blue by You

iTrader: (23)

Good post Les
Lest we forget.

hodgy0_2

Robin was stationed at RAF Oakington, just down the road from RAF Wyton, and just 22 in 1943

Osimabu

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It's astonishing how young these fellows were. The word 'hero' is bandied about with far too little thought these days, but if ever it was appropriate, it is for them.

hodgy0_2

So true, and he carried this bravery/burden with such grace and wonder, he was/is an inspiration to everyone he met in life

It was an honor to know him

zip106

I've been working outside today in a tiny Leicestershire village.

Was a privilege to see the Lancaster fly over us very low, with a Spitfire a fair bit higher up.

I assume they were on their way back up to Scampton from Derwent.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

My father, who would have been 99 today, was stationed at both Scampton and Wyton with 83 Pathfinder squadron.

He knew most of the crews of 617, and the only one he didn't like was Gibson.

As I type this, his painting of OL-Q "Queenie", Lancaster R5868, signed by the surviving members of 83 squadron, hangs above my computer.

That Lancaster is now, after years as the gate guardian at Scampton, residing in the museum at Hendon, sadly, marked out both sides with the markings of the Australian squadron who took it from 83 when it was replaced by one having better radar etc.

My father tried for years to get the museum to paint one side for 83 squadron, the other for the Aussies, but to no avail. He even involved Prince Philip, who agreed with him.

The average age of the crew of Bomber Command was 22. Most didn't survive their two tours.

In the graveyard at Scampton, amongst others the same, is a war grave. The inscription along the bottom reads:
"He flew into the night. We, who remain with our love, await the dawn."

Sums up those dark days and the sacrifices made by so many.

Rescue Dude

iTrader: (11)

For anyone here who thinks that 'Q' Queenie must have had a quiet war to have survived, here is her service record.

http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/document...ster-R5868.pdf

It's a totally riveting read.

True 'boys own' stuff.

Osimabu

iTrader: (2)

I'm sure many of you will have read the following poem called 'For Johnny' by John Pudney, written in 1941, but for those who haven't come across it I think it's appropriate today:

Do not despair
For Johnny-head-in-air;
He sleeps as sound
As Johnny underground.

Fetch out no shroud
For Johnny-in-the-cloud;
And keep your tears
For him in after years.

Better by far
For Johnny-the-bright-star,
To keep your head,
And see his children fed.

I'll have to admit I can barely read it with a dry eye. It was used in the 1945 film 'The Way To The Stars' which is still almost unbearably poignant to watch even today.

alcazar

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Once read that to an assembly of 240 16 year olds. Some of them did weep.

trails

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would loved to have seen this in the flesh...would have been a goose bump generator

Maz

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The achievements of 617 squadron were nothing short of incredible. It is a feat in my opinion hitherto unmatched in the field of conflict. The bravery and skill of those pilots some of whom never returned is unbelievable and they fully deserve every plaudit they receive. It is quite sobering that Barnes Wallis himself carried huge amounts of guilt till his death at the fact that because of his invention many lives were lost on both sides.

Oldun

Great post Les.
Did anyone see the BBC2 documentary late last night? They did a flyover of the dams with analysis of the flightpath.
A brilliant achievement under those conditions by 617 Squadron.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...e_German_Dams/

Peedee

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99% of society have to be 'kept in line' to a certain degree. Give some people an inch and they'll take a mile. You only have to watch the Jeremy Kyle show or the national / local news or read the papers or listen to the radio to realise that people need to be 'kept in line', and rightly so.

Most folk don't realise just how much not just the aforementioned group of people gave, but all of the armed forces gave / sacrificed, unfortunately a lot giving the ultimate sacrifice.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Awesome post Les, spot on, my kids are going to get some education on these matters, think they know but I will remind them.

Brun

They were talking about it on R2 today. They said that the bombs spun backwards when they hit the water. How does that work? In my mind they must spin forwards???

Maz

iTrader: (34)

The back spin helps to stabilise it. If it was spinning forwards there is a possibility of it veering off to one side or the other. The back spin counters this and helps it maintain a straight course. This doesn't cause any adverse affect on it's forward trajectory as you're thinking. The forward momentum isn't affected by the back spin as the bomb is merely bouncing on the water. This isn't enough to slow it down to cause an issue. They were spinning at a hell of a rate too, several times a second!

Ray T

Also The Backspin Was Needed To Get The Bomb To Adhere To The Dam Wall.

Brun

I don't understand how they spin backwards not why
Did they start them spinning on the plane?
In my mind - if you dropped a ball for instance from a moving car, when it hits the ground it will start spinning forward.

alcazar

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Yes, there was a mechanism that spun them on the aircraft.

Brun

Thank you