Tonight.

[Sqad]

78 years ago tonight 19 Lancasters of 617 squadron left R.A,F Scampton to attack the great dams of the Ruhr.
Just saying. ....-;)

[zylaphone]

Bet they were so young. Hats off to them

[Canary42]

11 returned - RIP the others

[ToraToraTora]

I'll start the count down.......10.......

[William51]

Those were amazing days. That all now feels like an age ago but the raid was one of many great actions of WW2. We now marvel at the heroism of the airmen and their contribution to the war effort.

[237SJ]

I went in a Lancaster once. I climbed into the nose - must have been terrifying for the person who was in there.

[Sqad]

All four sons were taken to Woodhall Spa to see the monument to 617 squadron.
Wife was taken on 3 occasions to stay atthe Petworth Hotel which was the officers mess of 617 squadron.
20 junior doctors, consultants and theatre staff were taken to Bomber County and given a tour by an aviation historian, one ofthe highlights of my life.

[Bazile]

What was the impact on the nazi war effort ?

[ToraToraTora]

nearly there already!

[DTCwordfan]

That reminds me, 3x200mg of Iwillbombem and Monitor.....

[anneasquith]

I know this time in history is very close to your heart sqad .

[10ClarionSt]

I think the raid inflicted greater damage on the morale of the Germans and gave a great boost the morale of the British people. However, it's estimated that German production was back to normal within a short space of time. But a fantastic technical achievement carried through by extremely brave men.

[zylaphone]

Am sure Sqad

[LadyCG]

Such incredible sacrifices and look at the state of our country now!

[Mamyalynne]

Operation Chastise, well named.

We owe them so much.

[Peter Pedant]

The Germans didnt hear much about the bomb raids of course and less about the damage. I have been looking for my fathers record of Dambusters - 1943 - unpublished diaries
nothing yet: I found - harrowing text follows - he was British but had volunteered for other POW work:

"Doctors looking after the Russians were usually Poles or Serbs because again Russia not having signed the (Geneva) Convention there were no Protected Personnel and everyone was simply drafted out for work, if they survived the Front and the Journey Down the Line. Intellectuals tend to be more frail that the private soldier and in fact one of the latter said bitterly " They are trying to liquidate our Intelligentsia".
"In conversation with a Serb doctor I said " The German doctor here seems quite reasonable."
"Yes he is all right - except for his taste for experimentation. He experiments on the Russians. He has conducted numerous experiments with Typhus. He injects it into them. Curiously enough they seem pretty resistant. Even when they get it it is pretty mild."
"Later he added: I have always been anti communist but I go home and tell them what I have seen , they will say it is Russian propaganda I have swallowed. The punishments can be quite simple. Lock a man naked in a concrete cell , hose him down and leave him there on a cold night. It is surprising that so many survive."

My fathers sacrifice and those of the Russians were involuntary by the way - he later said never volunteer for anything

NB POW camp, NOT concentration camp which were much worse

[Everhelpful]

P.P. Why can't all your Posts be as clear as that?

[choux]

Well said Sqad and Peter.

[Peter Pedant]

it was my papa writing for publication, a year or so before his death
1975

I reproved the editor or the Times last week for not knowing the difference between internment of civilians, POW camps and concentration and death camps and he basically said so what?

[gulliver1]

20.50,
Because he might confuse us.