World War Two Tours Operation Chastise: Dambusters Raid What’s included: Hotel Bed & Breakfast All transport from the official overseas start point Accompanied for the trip duration All Museum entrances All Expert Talks & Guidance Low Group Numbers “MHT’s knowledge and experience is vast, however, their delivery is tailored just right for the practising WW2 war anorak and novice.” The Mohne Dam Military History Tours is all about the ‘experience’. Naturally we take care of all local accommodation, Operation Chastise – better known as the Dambusters Raid – was an attack on the mighty Dams transport and entrances but what sets us aside is our on the ground of the Ruhr Valley, the industrial heartland of Nazi Germany. It was here on the night of May knowledge and contacts, established over many, many years that enable 16/17th 1943 Wing Commander Guy Gibson led the brave men of 617 Squadron in their quest to you to really get under the surface of drop the pioneering “bouncing bombs” designed by scientist Barnes Wallis. your chosen subject matter. By guiding guests around these historic locations we feel we are The mission grew out of a concept for a bomb designed by Wallis contributing greatly towards ‘keeping and developed by his team at Vickers, where he was Assistant the spirit alive’ of some of the most memorable events in human history. Chief Designer. Previously Wallis had worked on both the Vickers Let their sacrifice not be in vain. Wellesley and Vickers Wellington bombers. While working on the Vickers Windsor he had also begun work, with support of the Admiralty, on a bomb designed initially for attacking ships, although Barnes Wallis dam destruction was soon considered. Eventually the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Charles Portal heard of the project. Portal saw the film of the Chesil Beach trials and was convinced. Over-riding Harris, Portal ordered on 26 February 1943 that thirty Lancasters were to be allocated to the mission and the target date was set for May, when water levels would be at their highest and breaches in the dams would cause the most damage. With eight weeks to go, the larger bomb, code-named ‘Upkeep’, that was needed for the mission, and the modifications to the Lancasters had yet to be designed. Email [email protected] Phone 0845 835 0644 Web www.militaryhistorytours.co.uk Mobile 07899 083611 For the latest news and tour information follow @MilitaryHistory World War Two Tours Gibson’s office at ‘Upkeep’ - the bouncing bomb Wing Commander Guy Gibson RAF Scampton ‘Nigger’ - 617 Sqn mascot Guy Gibson and the crew of Lancaster AJ-G buried at RAF Scampton The Mohne Dam The operation was given to No. 5 Group RAF which formed a new The targets selected were the two key dams upstream from the squadron to undertake the dams mission. It was initially called Ruhr industrial area, the Möhne Dam and the Sorpe Dam, with Squadron “X”, as the speed of its formation outstripped the RAF the Eder Dam on the Eder River, which feeds into the Weser, process for naming squadrons. as a secondary target. While the loss of hydroelectric power was important, the loss of water supply to industry, cities, and Led by 24 year-old Wing Commander Guy Gibson, a veteran of canals would have greater effect. Also, there was the potential over 170 bombing and night-fighter missions, twenty-one bomber for devastating flooding if the dams broke. crews were selected from existing squadrons in 5 Group. These crews included RAF personnel of several different nationalities, The aircraft were modified Avro Lancaster Mk IIIs, known as as well as members of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), B Mark III Special (Type 464 Provisioning). To reduce weight, Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and Royal New Zealand Air much of the internal armour was removed, as was the mid-upper Force (RNZAF), who were frequently attached to RAF squadrons machine gun turret. The size of the bomb with its unusual shape under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The squadron meant that the bomb-bay doors had to be removed, and the was based at RAF Scampton, about 5 mi (8 km) north of Lincoln. bomb itself hung, in part, below the fuselage of the aircraft. It was mounted on two crutches, and before dropping it was spun up to speed by an auxiliary motor. Bombing from an altitude of 60 ft (18 m), at an air speed of 240 mph (390 km/h), and at a pre-selected distance from the target called for expert crews. Intensive night-time and low-altitude flight training began. Hangars at RAF Scampton Email [email protected] Phone 0845 835 0644 Web www.militaryhistorytours.co.uk Mobile 07899 083611 For the latest news and tour information follow @MilitaryHistory World War Two Tours The Eder Dam The Eder Dam The Mohne Dam The Mohne Dam Todd and Redgrave in ‘The Dambusters’ There were also technical problems to solve, the first one being Factories and mines were also either damaged or destroyed. An to determine when the aircraft was at optimum distance from its estimated 1,600 people drowned. The damage was mitigated target. Both the Möhne and Eder Dams had towers at each end. A by rapid repairs by the Germans, with production returning to special targeting device with two prongs, making the same angle normal in September. as the two towers at the correct distance from the dam, showed when to release the bomb. (The BBC documentary Dambusters Declassified (2010) stated that the pronged device was not used due to issues related to vibration and that other methods were employed, including a length of string tied in a loop and pulled back centrally to a fixed point in the manner of a catapult.) The second problem was determining the aircraft’s altitude, as the barometric altimeters then in use lacked sufficient accuracy. Two spotlights were mounted, one under the aircraft’s nose and “Dambusters’ by Anthony Saunders the other under the fuselage, so that at the correct height their light beams would converge on the surface of the water. The raid may have had a limited success but it was at a time that The Möhne and Edersee Dams were breached, causing the nation needed to strike back – and strike back they did – but catastrophic flooding of the Ruhr valley and of villages in the it came at a price: 144 young men took off from RAF Scampton, Eder valley, while the Sorpe dam sustained only minor damage. 56 failed to return, 3 being taken prisoner, 53 making the Two hydroelectric power plants were destroyed and several more ultimate sacrifice. On this trip MHT pays tribute to the ingenuity were damaged. and bravery of these men. Email [email protected] Phone 0845 835 0644 Web www.militaryhistorytours.co.uk Mobile 07899 083611 For the latest news and tour information follow @MilitaryHistory World War Two Tours Anniversary Trip Day Three We drive to the Sorpe Dam which was attacked but not successfully breached. The Sorpe is a Dam of a different On this trip we visit the Möhne and Eder which were breached as construction and guests will see why perhaps the “bouncing well as the Sorpe which was hit but not breached. We also visit bomb” was not the most appropriate one of the secondary targets, the Diemel Dam and various crash weapon to be used. We end our sites and cemeteries. moving trip by driving to 2 cemeteries where crews are laid to rest: Guests are met at by the MHT Team in the heart of the Ruhr Reichswald CWGC (Ottley, Maudslay, Valley at Dortmund airport. This location was the centre of the Barlow, Astell) and Rheinberg Nazi war industry and the reason behind the raid. From here CWGC (Hopgood). We then return to we head out to the Dams. On our way we visit the crash sites of Dortmund airport ready to make out Ottley, who was shot down over Hamm and Hopgood (crashed Flt Lt W. Astell DFC way back to the UK. just north of the Möhne after dropping his bomb). We then arrive at the Mohne Dam where we take in for the first time the vast Throughout the trip we have various talks which cover the size of the operational targets. After settling into our nearby personalities involved, the history of the operation, the Squadron hotel we have a talk on the background of the Operation and the both before and after the raid, the alternatives open to the personalities involved. breaching of the Dam and of course we reflect on the impact of the raid both in terms of the destruction and cost in lives. MHT’s expert on the Dambusters trip is Andy Johnson. Andy was commissioned in the RAF in 1981 as Ottley’s crash site a fighter controller and spent ten years serving in air defence radar stations. From 1992, he flew on the Day Two We start at the Mohne Dam and its vicinity. After AWACS as crewmember, mission going through the final approach and attack of the Möhne we Andy Johnson crew commander, instructor, and also visit areas of nearby destruction including houses and a aircrew evaluator. During his flying service, Andy flew extensively church swept away. We then travel on to the Eder Dam. We drive in air operations over Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. to the top of the mountain and position ourselves to be able to look down from the Castle, the reference point for the Lancs as Andy has a lifetime interest in military aviation and in the they approached.