The Dam Busters

In the Words of the Bomber Crews

Nonfiction, History, Military, Aviation, World War II
Cover of the book The Dam Busters by W. B. Bartlett, Amberley Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: W. B. Bartlett ISBN: 9781445609669
Publisher: Amberley Publishing Publication: October 15, 2011
Imprint: Amberley Publishing Language: English
Author: W. B. Bartlett
ISBN: 9781445609669
Publisher: Amberley Publishing
Publication: October 15, 2011
Imprint: Amberley Publishing
Language: English

It was not long before midnight on 17 May 1943 when the inhabitants of Gunne, the German village close to the Mohne Dam, heard the airraid warnings. It was widely regarded as a precautionary measure, but ninety minutes later, an immense tidal-wave was roaring down the valley towards them. Guy Gibson, who led 'X' Squadron of 19 specially adapted Lancasters equipped with Barnes Wallis's 'bouncing bomb', knew that the odds were stacked against him and his men. But they would not let him down. Some, like Squadron Leader Young whose bomb breached the dam, would return home as heroes. Others, like Pilot Officer Byers and his crew, would not, shot down just after crossing the North Sea whilst they were still miles away from their targets. A small number of those involved would survive crashed aircraft and live out the war in POW camps. The Dam Busters raids have gone down as perhaps the most famous air strikes in history. Yet behind the story of courage and determination there lies another, darker side, both for the aircrews - 40% of whom died in the mission - and for those who lived below the dams in the path of the flood, many of whom were not even German. This new account tells the story of those dramatic events through the eyes of those who were there. Whether or not the reality matches the legend, one thing that emerges is the incredible bravery of those who flew the most dangerous mission they had ever undertaken and the trauma experienced by those unlucky enough to be its target.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

It was not long before midnight on 17 May 1943 when the inhabitants of Gunne, the German village close to the Mohne Dam, heard the airraid warnings. It was widely regarded as a precautionary measure, but ninety minutes later, an immense tidal-wave was roaring down the valley towards them. Guy Gibson, who led 'X' Squadron of 19 specially adapted Lancasters equipped with Barnes Wallis's 'bouncing bomb', knew that the odds were stacked against him and his men. But they would not let him down. Some, like Squadron Leader Young whose bomb breached the dam, would return home as heroes. Others, like Pilot Officer Byers and his crew, would not, shot down just after crossing the North Sea whilst they were still miles away from their targets. A small number of those involved would survive crashed aircraft and live out the war in POW camps. The Dam Busters raids have gone down as perhaps the most famous air strikes in history. Yet behind the story of courage and determination there lies another, darker side, both for the aircrews - 40% of whom died in the mission - and for those who lived below the dams in the path of the flood, many of whom were not even German. This new account tells the story of those dramatic events through the eyes of those who were there. Whether or not the reality matches the legend, one thing that emerges is the incredible bravery of those who flew the most dangerous mission they had ever undertaken and the trauma experienced by those unlucky enough to be its target.

More books from Amberley Publishing

Cover of the book Loxley Valley and Beyond Through Time by W. B. Bartlett
Cover of the book How Australia Became British by W. B. Bartlett
Cover of the book RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 by W. B. Bartlett
Cover of the book Newby & Scalby Through Time by W. B. Bartlett
Cover of the book Chichester History Tour by W. B. Bartlett
Cover of the book Northumberland and Tyneside's War by W. B. Bartlett
Cover of the book Victorian Leicester by W. B. Bartlett
Cover of the book We Were Eagles Volume Three by W. B. Bartlett
Cover of the book 24 Hours on the Somme by W. B. Bartlett
Cover of the book Owen Tudor by W. B. Bartlett
Cover of the book Rochester, Strood & the Hoo Peninsula From Old Photographs by W. B. Bartlett
Cover of the book London City Airport Through Time by W. B. Bartlett
Cover of the book We Were Eagles Volume Four by W. B. Bartlett
Cover of the book Nautical Training Ships by W. B. Bartlett
Cover of the book Peterborough Through Time A Second Selection by W. B. Bartlett
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy