Lancaster bomber flies in Dambusters tribute

BBC News Online ^ | May 16 2003

[knighthawk]

Britain's only surviving operational Lancaster bomber is taking to the air to mark Friday's 60th anniversary of the Dambusters raid.

The Dambusters 617 Squadron was formed in 1943 after warplane designer Barnes Wallis developed the bouncing bomb.

It was designed to spin backwards at 500rpm, skipping over torpedo nets, before detonating against dams in enemy territory.

A weekend celebrating the skill and bravery of the aircrews centres around Brooklands Museum in Weybridge, Surrey, where Wallis and his team worked.

A key member of the team, Norman "Spud" Boorer, who worked at Brooklands for many years, will open a Dambusters exhibition.

The 87-year-old remembers the raid "as if it was yesterday".

Low-level attack

"You felt you had played at least a part in doing something useful in the war," he told BBC News.

Some 19 Lancaster bombers of 617 Squadron, each with a crew of seven men, took part in the raid to knock out German electricity and water supplies.

The low-level attack targeted the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams in the Ruhr, near Dortmund, which were vital to Germany's industrial production.

The raid was deemed a success as the destruction of the Mohne and Eder dams caused widespread flooding and disruption of rail, road and canal communications.

Shot down

But it came at a high cost.

An estimated 1,294 people drowned, while 53 aircrew were killed and three, two of whom were badly injured, taken prisoner.

Four of the Lancasters are thought to have been shot down.

Pilot dazzled

Two are believed to have crashed after hitting electricity cables.

One is thought to have hit a tree after its pilot was dazzled by a searchlight.

And one is believed to have crashed after being damaged by the explosion of its own bomb.

Another two of the planes failed to drop their bombs.

Dams rebuilt

One had to turn back after being badly damaged by anti-aircraft fire.

Another had its bomb torn off after flying too close to the water.

Wing Commander Guy Gibson was awarded the Victoria Cross, and 34 other men received decorations.

The dams were rebuilt within months.

[knighthawk]

[knighthawk]

Ping

[YaYa123]

Years and years ago, I saw a black and white movie about bouncing bombs. I saw it on television, I can't remember anything about the plot or who was in it, but the memory of those bombs is striking. Gliders? I remember gliders.

Very exciting movie, enough so that this article makes me want to see if I can google it up.

[familyofman]

I loved the movie, even bought a copy. Some of the dialogue on the bombing runs against the three dams is taken almost word for word by Speilberg in Star Wars. The attack runs against the death star, with fire from both left & right, the need for release at the exact perfect moment. Luke & the Dambusters - job well done.

[WhiskeyPapa]

The crews that were lost were all highly capable individuals. The night navigation required to find German cities was very difficult. Some guys just had a "feel" for it. The guys lost on this raid were practically irreplaceable.

Walt

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

[knighthawk]

http://us.imdb.com/Title?0046889

[LS]

These were some tough mo fos. Playboy once had a parody article about aircraft of WW II complete with pictures (no, not those). It had an Italian aircraft that had landing gear and cockpits facing both directions, so that it could change directions without turning around in the event the Italians switched sides again.

The parody British bomber was the "Stirling Heavy" and it was drawn like an AMORED Lancaster! It was a hoot.

[MalcolmS]

I loved the movie, even bought a copy. Some of the dialogue on the bombing runs against the three dams is taken almost word for word by Speilberg in Star Wars. The attack runs against the death star, with fire from both left & right, the need for release at the exact perfect moment. Luke & the Dambusters - job well done.

I read that Speilberg listened to tapes of fighter command for much of the dialog in Episode IV, for both fighters and the bombing run.

[WhiskeyPapa]

I loved the movie, even bought a copy. Some of the dialogue on the bombing runs against the three dams is taken almost word for word by Speilberg in Star Wars.

George Lucas did "Star Wars". He and Speilburg are big friends though.

It's funny you say that about the dialog. I read years ago that Lucas ripped it off from a movie about the battle of Midway! Of course that also involved low level attack by the torpedo bombers against the Jap carriers.

Walt

[familyofman]

"It's funny you say that about the dialog. I read years ago that Lucas ripped it off from a movie about the battle of Midway!"
Well the wife of the good scientist in The Dambusters is sporting a Princess Leaia hairdo - cinnamon buns over the ears. I don't recall that in Midway (another of my favorite movies).

[Johnny Gage]

What a cool coincidence. (Twilight Zone music here)

I did an "air power expose'" on this plane yesterday in the daily Freeper Fox Hole thread.

Click here for more pictures and information:
AIR POWER - The Avro Lancaster

[hattend]

Well, "633 Squadron" starring Cliff Robertson is the movie I pick to have been ripped off for the Star Wars attack on the Death Star. DH Mosquitos running up a narrow fjord to place bombs precisely on a rock wall to destroy a rocket fuel plant. George must have watched all those old war flicks.

Go rent it. :-)

[WhiskeyPapa]

I remember 633 Squadron very well. Haven't seen it in a while.

Of course Lucas is thought to have ripped off the whole 1977 Star Wars story from a Japanese movie about the samauri.

Walt

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

The Stirling Heavy, first of the RAFs four engined bombers.

[MalcolmS]

The real story of these guys is that they then went on to pioneer precision bombing and bunker busters. This squadron became the special ops of the RAF.

Some interesting factoids:

-They developed and dropped hardened 10 (long) ton bombs. The bombs were so heavy they had to be winched up into the aircraft at the last minute before takeoff to reduce stress on the airframe and landing gear.

-Without using laser guidance or gps, they were capable of highly accurate bombing. They once bombed a mult-storey SS barracks with at 10 ton Grand Slam bomb, hitting it in the middle of the roof. The bomb penetrated to the basement before exploding, collapsing the whole building

-617 Squadron using 12,000 lbs Tallboy bombs were instrumental in sinking the Tirpitz battleship

-The hardened penetrating Grand Slam bombs were used againt hardened submarine pens, to help defeat the wolf packs. They could penetrate up to 4.5m (15 ft) of reinforced concrete.

-The Grand Slam bomb was also known as the earthquake bomb. Bridges were destroyed by placing these earthquake bombs in the ground near supporting pylons. Even the smaller tallboy could make a crater 80 ft deep and 100 ft across for the brige supports to fall into.

-To ensure penetration, the spin-stabilized streamlined bombs would reach mach 1 after being dropped.

Remember this level of accuracy was unheard of for a heavy bomber flying at altitude of 12,000-16,000 feet. In WWII, the average distance from target was something on the order of 500 ft. These were some exceptionally brave and professional men.

More info and pics at

http://www.bismarck-class.dk/tirpitz/miscellaneous/tallboy/tallboy.html
and
http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/raids/tirpitz.html

[1066AD]

Guy Gibson was killed about a year later, over Berlin IIRC.

[Lazamataz]

In my game 'Allied General', Lancasters are relatively weak. Give me a B26B Marauder any day.

[WhiskeyPapa]

Gibson was killed over the Netherlands.

[1066AD]

617 Squadron also flew in Operation Iraqi Freedom.