617 Squadron of 5 Group RAF Bomber Command was without doubt the most
famous RAF Squadron in World War II. It was formed to carry out the
precision low-level attack on the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe Dams, using
Barnes Wallaces newly developed rotating mine, now commonly referred to
as The Bouncing Bomb. The raid was a tremendous success, although at
great cost to the squadron, and proved to be a great moral booster for
the war-weary British public. Guy Gibson VC was tasked with organising
the formation and training of the new squadron and the Dambusters have
been national heroes ever since. Although several books have previously
been written on this epic adventure, this is a new look at their first
raid and then the long and envious history of 617 until the end of the
war.
This new version of the Dams raid within the book, pays particular
attention to timings, as it is easy to overlook the fact, that this was
a complex three-phase operation, spanning 8 hours and 47 minutes, with
action occurring simultaneously at widely dispersed locations. It also
attempts to settle finally the circumstances of the losses, by examining
the testimony of eyewitnesses on both sides, and presenting arguments to
help readers decide for themselves what actually happened where previous
accounts are contradictory or at variance.
In the later war years 617 suffered greatly during an attack on the
Dortmund-Ems Canal but recovered and their list of priority special
targets then included the German missile research plant at Peenemunde,
Hamburg, the U boat pens at La Pallice and the sinking of the battleship
Tirpitz. The legendary Leonard Cheshire VC led the Squadron for much of
that period. This newly researched account of 617s wartime record
contains many first-hand accounts from squadron members and also German
and Dutch witnesses who were present at some of the most spectacular
raids and have explained many of the mysterious losses of the Squadrons
aircraft.
Lengthy appendices contain a Roll of honor, Commanders, Airfields and
aircraft, Operational statistics and Aircraft Histories.
