On the evening of 16 May 1943, nineteen Avro Lancasters took off
from RAF Scampton to undertake 617 Squadron's first offensive
attack since its formation a few weeks earlier. Loaded with Barnes
Wallis' newly designed bouncing bombs, the Bomber Command crews set
course for their targets - the vital Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams
that served the Ruhr, the Third Reich's industrial heartland. By
the time the survivors began landing back at base at 03.11 hours
the following morning, eight of the Lancasters had been shot down.
However, both the Mohne and Eder dams had been breached, while the
Sorpe was damaged. The flood waters that the attacks unleashed
poured downstream, wreaking havoc on the surrounding countryside.
Albert Speer, Hitler's Minister of Armaments and War Production,
later wrote: That night, employing just a few bombers, the British
came close to a success which would have been greater than anything
they had achieved hitherto with a commitment of thousands of
bombers. In 1990, the renowned historian and author Dr John
Sweetman published his seminal work on the events before, during
and after Operation Chastise. His book was the result of decades of
research into the famous attack, in the course of which Dr Sweetman
corresponded with or interviewed many of the individuals involved -
from the scientists to senior officers, and from groundcrew to the
very airmen who delivered Barnes Wallis' bouncing bombs to the
dams. Such was the relationships that developed over the years, Dr
Sweetman became a close friend to many of these individuals and
their families. Some of the information contained in the interview
transcripts and letters he received was included in his original
book; much more, however, was never used. This is particularly the
case with the many letters and conversations which Dr Sweetman
received or had after his book was first published - much of which
adds to, or elaborates on, the narrative of the events in May 1943.
Dr Sweetman has delved into his remarkable archive of material to
present unseen sections of it here, for the historian or general
reader, for the very first time.
General
Imprint: |
Air World
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Release date: |
July 2023 |
Authors: |
John Sweetman
|
Dimensions: |
234 x 156mm (L x W) |
Format: |
Hardcover
|
Pages: |
312 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-399-06381-4 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
1-399-06381-2 |
Barcode: |
9781399063814 |
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