Beyond The Dams To The Tirpitz The Later Operations of the 617 Squadron

289 Pages·2013·18.35 MB·English

by  Cooper

By the same author

The Men who Breached the Dams
Beyond the Dams to the Tirpitz
The Later Operations of the 617 Squadron
Alan Cooper
First published in Great Britain in 1983 by
William Kimber and Co. Limited, Godolphin House,
22a Queen Anne’s Gate, London, SW1H 9AE
Published in paperback format in 1991 by Goodall Publications
Reprinted in this format in 2013 by
PEN & SWORD AVIATION
An imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
47 Church Street, Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S70 2AS

Copyright © Alan W. Cooper, 1983, 1991, 2013
9781783469093

The right of Alan W. Cooper to be identified as Author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

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Table of Contents
Also by
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Introduction
Acknowledgements
CHAPTER ONE - After the Dams
CHAPTER TWO - On the Move
CHAPTER THREE - The Cheshire Era
CHAPTER FOUR - Final Home
CHAPTER FIVE - Tallboy
CHAPTER SIX - Aircraft Factories
CHAPTER SEVEN - D-Day
CHAPTER EIGHT - V-Weapon Sites
CHAPTER NINE - Return to the U-Boat Pens
CHAPTER TEN - Tirpitz
CHAPTER ELEVEN - Operations Continue
CHAPTER TWELVE - The Sinking
CHAPTER THIRTEEN - A New Era
CHAPTER FOURTEEN - Touch and Go
CHAPTER FIFTEEN - Grand Slam
CHAPTER SIXTEEN - The War is Over
Sources
Public Records Office References
Appendixes
Index
This book is dedicated to the memory of the men of 617 Squadron who in WWII
failed to return from operations, or were killed flying with the Squadron.
They gave the dearest thing any man can give, their lives. We shall not forget
them.
Introduction
Number 617 Squadron RAF became a legend in 1943 when a force of Avro
Lancasters breached the Möhne and Eder Dams in Germany. The Lancasters
were flown by hand-picked crews, chosen for their proven ability and skill in
bomber operations. Yet the Dams Raid was only one raid, the first of nearly 100
undertaken by the squadron.
In the main they were special targets, needing special treatment and the
determination of the special crews to destroy them. The targets were hard nuts to
crack: viaducts, solid U-Boat pens, V-Weapon sites, German battleships, aircraft
factories, etc. All needed to be illuminated, marked and bombed, often at low
level, and using huge bombs of 12,000 lb or later 22,000 lbs in weight. The men
who took these bombs to these targets were a special breed, their courage and
skill paramount.
Wing Commander Guy Gibson VC, DSO & bar, DFC & bar, formed the
squadron. His successors were men like George Holden DSO DFC, Leonard
Cheshire VC DSO and two bars DFC, Willie Tait DSO and three bars, DFC and
bar, Johnny Fauquier DSO and two bars DFC. The men under them had to live
up to their impressive records.
By the end of World War Two the squadron’s name had become more than
just a legend; the ‘Dam Busters’ were a part of history and an élite within the
ranks of Bomber Command.
Acknowledgements
This book is based on the records and recollections of many people, and I am
grateful for their co-operation and that of many institutions. A list of their names
can be found at the end of this book but in particular my thanks are due to my
friend Horst Muller, John Evans and to Norman Franks for his help in the
presentation of this book.
My thanks also are due to the Imperial War Museum, Public Records Office,
Royal Air Force Museum, Air Historical Branch, Commonwealth War Graves,
Royal Air Force Records Gloucester and Adastral House, and last but not least
the staff of William Kimber & Co.