Each of the 19 Lancaster crews is listed by name, rank and position alongside their aircraft’s individual role in that incredible mission on the night that a legend was born. To commemorate the 80th anniversary of Operation Chastise we're proud to release this special poster dedicated to those 133 airmen who were the Dambusters. Of the 56 who didn’t make it back, only 3 survived. You can search by the name of the author/s of the report, whether the pilot (for fighters) or air gunner (for bombers), but not by the name of any other crew. Crew members, after gaining enough experience, can have a secondary role. There had, however been a heavy price to pay of the 133 men to depart Scampton that night only 77 retuned. The crew consists of a Pilot, Flight engineer, Navigator, Radio and Radar Operator, Bombardier, and Two Gunners. Both the Möhne and Eder dams, amongst the largest in Europe, were breached, whilst the Sorpe dam was also damaged. But to reach that target each crew must penetrate deep into enemy territory at night, evade German radar and fighters by flying the whole return journey at tree-top height whilst trying to avoid a plethora of power lines, pylons, trees, chimneys and buildings along the way! Only a highly-skilled pilot with a talented crew would have any chance of success.īut succeed they did. For ‘Upkeep’ to work, however, it must be released from the height of just 60ft some 400 yards or so from the target whilst flying at exactly 220mph. RAF 1803273 Flight Engineer posted to Squadron April 1944 Tour Expired August 1944 Other Crew Members P/O Alan Worrington Gibson DFM RNZAF 422278 - Pilot F/Sgt Victor Vladimir Zamiatin RAF 423975 - Air Bomber F/O Charles Martin DFC RAF 148743 - Navigator Sgt R. The Coningsby-based bomber is one of 7,377 Lancasters that were built. George, waving goodbye to the first of 141 Canadian Lancasters that would fly to Canada, via the Azores, over the following weeks. ![]() They had to be, as the task for which their squadron had been assembled would require an unprecedented skill set they were to attack the great dams of the Ruhr using a new weapon code-named ‘Upkeep’, a revolutionary ‘bouncing bomb’ invented by Barnes Wallis. The Avro Lancaster is best known for the Dambusters raid over Germany in 1943. Here we see RCAF Air Vice-Marshal Black Mike McEwen, Commander of 6 Group, Bomber Command (foreground) and Air Vice-Marshal Arthur Bomber Harris at RAF Middleton St. There were 133 of them, equally divided into the crews manning 19 specially-modified Lancasters and they had one thing in common – they were some of the most talented crews in Bomber Command. In wartime Bomber Command,the Squadron COs were at Wing Commander rank,the lowest aircrew rank after 27 June 1940 was Sergeant.The Squadron Commander was normally a pilot and his Flight Commanders,could be three Flights strong,later on, as newer squadrons formed.These would be of Squadron Leader rank,again normally pilots. On the night of 16 / an elite group of airmen from the newly-formed 617 Squadron set out from RAF Scampton on a unique mission.
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