Lancaster PA474
Around 9:30pm on May 16th 1943 nineteen Lancaster bombers took off from RAF Scampton to attack four dams in the Ruhr Valley in Germany. Their payload was a specially designed "bouncing bomb", devised to be dropped from very low level (60 feet) to "bounce" across the water avoiding the torpedo nets and sink in front of the dams to blast at the structure below the water line.
Operation Chastise Commemorative flight
617 Squadron, which had formed specifically for this operation, and which consisted of RAF, RCAF, RNZAF and RAAF crewmen. They had a relatively short period in which to train to fly at the required height in the dark. The crews were kept in the dark about their target until shortly before the operation. Come the night of the operation, the aircraft went in three waves, and took different routes aiming for their targets of the Mohne, Eder Sorpe and Ennepe dams. Two of the four dams (the Mohne and the Eder) were breached, but the Sorpe only suffered minimal damage and it is still not clear whether the Bever dam was mistakenly attacked instead of the Ennepe.
Off to the next location
The operation was classed as a success in spite of eight aircraft and 53 aircrew lost. Three other aircrew were captured. Sources state that over 1600 people in the Ruhr valley also lost their lives, including civilians, enslaved workers and Prisoners Of War that had been forced to work in the factories by the Nazis. Views on the bombing have changed over the years and in 1977 an amendment to the Geneva Convention stated that bombing dams would be deemed illegal in most circumstances.
Pictorial representation of the aircraft involved in "Chastise"
Above is my pictorial representation of the waves and the those that returned and those that didn't. I would just like to make it clear that I DO NOT condone war, but when war does break out, heroism like those displayed by the "Dambusters" and other brave men and women across all military arms, and across all nations should be remembered. If only in the vain hope that it is a lesson for future generations that we never go down that route again.
On the evening of 16th of May 2023, 80 years after Operation Chastise, the last flying Lancaster in the UK - PA474 - undertook a fly past of every Lincolnshire RAF base - both current and those long since closed - in commemoration of the raid. The route visited the following sites:
(RAF) denotes former RAF bases
(RAF) Spitalgate
(RAF) Fulbeck
(RAF) Swinderby
RAF Waddington
International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC), Lincoln
(RAF) Skellingthorpe
(RAF) Scampton
(RAF) Dunholme
(RAF) Wickenby
(RAF) Faldingworth
(RAF) Ingham
(RAF) Hemswell Cliff
(RAF) Blyton
(RAF) Elsham Wolds
(RAF) Kirmington
(RAF) North Killingholme
(RAF) Grimsby
(RAF) Binbrook
(RAF) Ludford
(RAF) Kelstern
(RAF) Strubby
(RAF) Spilsby
(RAF) East Kirkby
(RAF) Bardney
(RAF) Fiskerton
(RAF) Metheringham
(RAF) Woodhall Spa
RAF Coningsby
List of aircraft involved in Operation Chastise
Wave 1
| Call Sign | Commander | Returned |
|---|---|---|
| G George | Gibson | Yes |
| M Mother | Hopgood | No |
| P Peter | Martin | Yes |
| A Apple | Young | No |
| J Johnny | Maltby | Yes |
| L Leather | Shannon | Yes |
| Z Zebra | Maudsley | No |
| N Nancy | Knight | Yes |
| B Baker | Astell | No |
Wave 2
| Call Sign | Commander | Returned |
|---|---|---|
| T Tommy | McCarthy | Yes |
| E Easy | Barlow | No |
| K King | Byers | No |
| H Harry | Rice | Yes |
| W Willie | Munro | Yes |
Wave 3
| Call Sign | Commander | Returned |
|---|---|---|
| Y York | Anderson | Yes |
| F Freddy | Brown | Yes |
| O Orange | Townsend | Yes |
| S Sugar | Burpee | No |
| C Charlie | Ottley | No |
Info sources: Wikipedia, Imperial War Museum, Dambusters Blog and History.co.uk
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