Dambusters Raid Anniversary

[Striker]

Last night, 16th/17th was the 66th anniversary of the famous Dambusters Raid, I thought it fitting to put a few photos up from a visit to the Dams I went on in 2004.

Mohne...

Eder...

still showing the area that was breached...

Some of the graves visited at the time


WO2 Cottam and some of the crew of AJ-Z ED937/G

F/O Glinze and some of the crew of AJ-E ED927/G

F/O Hopkinson and some of the crew of AJ-B ED864/G

F/S Johnston and some of the crew of AJ-C ED910/G

While we were in the area we paid a visit to the Grave of Guy Gibson, the weekend we were there was the 60th anniversary of his death.

Stu

 

[arclight]

Tremendously interesting and moving pics.

 

[wack61]

as said above, very interesting pictures.

I liked this quote from wikipedia

After receiving his VC, Gibson wrote an account of his wartime career, Enemy Coast Ahead, and was sent on a lecture tour of the United States by the government, partly to keep the new hero safe. The tour was "at a time when the first American airmen were coming home 'tour expired' after 25 operations. During questions one young lady asked `Wing Commander Gibson, how many operations have you been on over Germany?' 'One hundred and seventy-four.' There was a stunned silence.

 

[arclight]

as said above, very interesting pictures.

I liked this quote from wikipedia

After receiving his VC, Gibson wrote an account of his wartime career, Enemy Coast Ahead, and was sent on a lecture tour of the United States by the government, partly to keep the new hero safe. The tour was "at a time when the first American airmen were coming home 'tour expired' after 25 operations. During questions one young lady asked `Wing Commander Gibson, how many operations have you been on over Germany?' 'One hundred and seventy-four.' There was a stunned silence.

WW2 RAF Rear gunner average life expectancy - 5 missions
Entire bomber crew average life expectancy - 15 missions.

 

[james_death]

Thanks for sharing,
Great to see what was attacked, a great loss of life on both sides, but war has a habit of doing that.
I try to meet as many vets as i can and have had the pleasure of meeting many Bomber command including 617 including some from the dams raids.
We owe them all a great deal.
I vividly remember a conversation i had with a rear gunner of a heavy flak encounter and the large piece that flew through the gun slit embeding in the turret escape hat having just missed him by an inch and not realising untill returning to base, the same gunner witnessed a whole crew blown appart on takeoff with full payload as the engines failed on one wing and flipped the whole lancaster over with resultant carnage.
These young people just stood up when called and did a job that no one can imagine these days.

 

[matt1]

Some very meaningful pictures. Incredible to think about it. Thanks for posting them.

 

[babytiger]

Tremendously interesting and moving pics.

I agree wholeheartedly

 

[purpleclouds]

Tremendously interesting and moving pics.

Amen to that!

as said above, very interesting pictures.

I liked this quote from wikipedia

After receiving his VC, Gibson wrote an account of his wartime career, Enemy Coast Ahead, and was sent on a lecture tour of the United States by the government, partly to keep the new hero safe. The tour was "at a time when the first American airmen were coming home 'tour expired' after 25 operations. During questions one young lady asked `Wing Commander Gibson, how many operations have you been on over Germany?' 'One hundred and seventy-four.' There was a stunned silence.

Something I had never heard of before - thank you for sharing!

WW2 RAF Rear gunner average life expectancy - 5 missions
Entire bomber crew average life expectancy - 15 missions.

Again, something new on me...thank you!

Thanks for sharing,
Great to see what was attacked, a great loss of life on both sides, but war has a habit of doing that.
I try to meet as many vets as i can and have had the pleasure of meeting many Bomber command including 617 including some from the dams raids.
We owe them all a great deal.
I vividly remember a conversation i had with a rear gunner of a heavy flak encounter and the large piece that flew through the gun slit embeding in the turret escape hat having just missed him by an inch and not realising untill returning to base, the same gunner witnessed a whole crew blown appart on takeoff with full payload as the engines failed on one wing and flipped the whole lancaster over with resultant carnage.
These young people just stood up when called and did a job that no one can imagine these days.

It is hard to believe that some of these crew members were only 15 years old...can you imagine todays 15 year olds doing the same? :shrug:

 

[james_death]

[/quote]It is hard to believe that some of these crew members were only 15 years old...can you imagine todays 15 year olds doing the same? :shrug:[/QUOTE]

I cannot imagine a good deal of the older ones doing it either, These people would lie about there age wear there dads boots with inche's of cardboard in to make themselves taller to get in.

They didnt sherk away they tried everything to take up the fight.
In (Dunkirk: Fight to the Last Man. by...Hugh Sebag-Montefiore)
You have men facing tanks with only rifles but they marched into them knowing they would be cut to ribbons they just did it, there was also a farm called paradise where captured British troops were all put in a barn and grenades thrown in the two sgt major's jumped on them to save there men but then the whole building was riddled with bullets i think only 3 got out the building but another was killed while another was left for dead when a enemy officer put a bullet into his mouth from pointblank range.

The Guinie pig club is the club that is made up predominantly air crew especially fighter command that suffered horrific burns while fighting for all our futures.

It sickens me that so little is covered in school these days about the second world war and the fact that they want to drop it to a foot note in schools is terrible, they dont even mention the Battle of britain.

The Battle of Britain Society had to fight so hard to get a location for there Monument after much hard work and fundraising.

Again thank you Striker for the pictures.

Also the reminder we owe all branches of the armed forces a great deal including the less touted such as the code breakers at Bletchley Park that are credited with shortening the war by 2 to 3 years.

Bearing in mind over 10 million lives were lost every year in the second world war.

Im not ashamed to say that at 38 years of age i often do cry when reading the story's of what many have witnessed.

 

[Rockshifter]

Very interesting post - lots of information and things to think about, not to mention pix.
cheers.

 

[Byker28i]

It sickens me that so little is covered in school these days about the second world war and the fact that they want to drop it to a foot note in schools is terrible, they dont even mention the Battle of britain.

Actually my daughter has covered the Battle of Britain twice, once at GCSE, once at college. As a former RAF member, it's my specialist subject

Excellent excuse for a trip to Hendon, but we've a navigator from 617 dams raid living near us in a home who I met fairly recently, so I took my daughter to meet him and over a few visits it brought it all home more vividly than any museum or book.

Incidently - Enemy coast ahead is a great read

 

[rmt1982]

Actually my daughter has covered the Battle of Britain twice, once at GCSE, once at college. As a former RAF member, it's my specialist subject

I didn't specifically cover it at school, but I did a hell of a lot of reading into it, and I think it struck a chord, knowing that boys my age and a little older were flying combat missions with a distinct possibility of serious injury and/or death.

Excellent excuse for a trip to Hendon, but we've a navigator from 617 dams raid living near us in a home who I met fairly recently, so I took my daughter to meet him and over a few visits it brought it all home more vividly than any museum or book.

Been to Hendon a few times, mainly for the ATC Aircraft Recognition competitions, but each time, I just can't fail to be struck by the confinement that the WWII fighter and bomber crews found themselves in. My late grandfather on my mums side was a navigator in Coastal Command Liberators (he was injured in a training accident, so never saw operations), and always said he had the greatest respect for anyone flying any mission that brought them into contact with the enemy, from either side.
My grandfather on my dads side is a different story, he saw active service in Western Europe, focussed around D-Day, and the battle across Northern France and eventually into Germany. He's always told me little stories about his time in the army, and brings out pictures from time to time. He's 94 now, and he says he can still remember it like it was yesterday.

I find War Memorials to be quite moving. When I was at Primary school, we had a trip to France, and that included a trip to the war memorials at Vimy and Thiepval. It was strange to see a group of children who, for the rest of the trip had been lively and boisterous, moved to silence by the stories that they heard that day.

I've been back to Northern France a few times since then, and it still has the same effect on me now.

Incidently - Enemy coast ahead is a great read

Yep. Need to get a copy of that, I left my last one on a train.

 

[james_death]

I have met a good few veterans from both allied and axis powers, you get the od resentment from some but the majority get along great guns.
If these can get along it brings it into stark reality the petty playground tiffs etc that folk fall out over.
Talking of books, From the other side now "the one that got away" is a great read such a charismatic character Baron Von Werrer.
Shot Down by Squadron Leader Basil Gerald Stapleton (Stapme)
Stapme is a character also and i never tire of meeting him.
We have a local air gunner club around here also.

Looking forward to the Peter Jackson and Stephen Fry Remake of the Dambusters Movie.

 

[james_death]

Sorry double post

 

[fordpop]

This is a great thread guys! Thanks for the info, and the photos.

 

[Striker]

Thanks for the comments all.

During the same trip we took in Colditz and Stalag Luft III (Great Escape Camp) I will post some later in a new thread.

And James, the farm you mention in your reply, I will dig out some images from there also.