Dambusters: The Forging of a Legend by Christopher Ward

Dambusters: The Forging of a Legend by Christopher Ward

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 Honour, Commanders, Airfields and aircraft, Operational statistics and Aircraft Histories.

.".a great balance between historical research and easiness for reading... covers with impressive details the operations, without being a dry enumeration of the mission debriefing reports...highly recommeded."--IPMS/USA

Chris Ward is a respected historian who has specialised in Bomber Command history, especially 5 Group, of which 617 was a member. He has had access to wartime records and ex-squadron personnel. He lives in Lutterworth, Leicestershire.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781526726759
ISBN 10	1526726750
Title	Dambusters: The Forging of a Legend
Author	Christopher Ward
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Pen & Sword Books Ltd
Year published	2018-07-30
Number of pages	298
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.