1943-2023: DAMBUSTERS
History of War|Issue 120
Seventy-seven returned-only 48 lived to tell the story Official Historian, No. 617 Squadron Association, Dr Robert Owen, recounts what happened next for the men who were immortalised by their role in the epic raid
DR ROBERT OWEN
1943-2023: DAMBUSTERS

Of the 19 Lancasters that set out from RAF Scampton on Operation Chastise on the evening of 16 May 1943, only 11 returned. One hundred and thirty-three aircrew had trained for this epic mission, 53 had died and three would now spend the next two years as prisoners of war. However, for the remaining members of 617 Squadron, the war was far from over. Though basking in the glow of the audacious raid, more dangerous missions and special operations awaited 617’s airmen.

The first to leave the squadron was Flight Sergeant Cyril Anderson. One of the least experienced to fly on Chastise, he had experienced technical problems and was then forced off track by searchlights. Uncertain of his position he had abandoned his mission and returned home with his Upkeep bomb still onboard. Following a short interview with Wing Commander Gibson, the crew were immediately posted back to 49 Squadron. There they continued to operate with the main force, but ill fortune seemed to sit on their shoulders. On the night of 23 September 1943, they were all killed when their Lancaster was shot down by a night fighter near Offenbach while returning from an operation to Mannheim.

Others were more fortunate. Pilot Officer Bill Townsend who had been part of the reserve wave and attacked the Ennepe (or possibly the Bever) Dam – identification is uncertain – left 617 Squadron at the beginning of October 1943, deemed tour expired. Posted to the Conversion Unit at RAF Balderton, he subsequently spent the remainder of the war instructing, before being sent to India to fly Liberators in February 1945.

This story is from the Issue 120 edition of History of War.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the Issue 120 edition of History of War.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM HISTORY OF WARView All
NAUMACHIA TRUTH BEHIND ROME'S GLADIATOR SEA BATTLES
History of War

NAUMACHIA TRUTH BEHIND ROME'S GLADIATOR SEA BATTLES

In their quest for evermore novel and bloody entertainment, the Romans staged enormous naval fights on artificial lakes

time-read
6 mins  |
Issue 138
OPERATION MANNA
History of War

OPERATION MANNA

In late April 1945, millions of Dutch civilians were starving as Nazi retribution for the failed Operation Market Garden cut off supplies. eet as In response, Allied bombers launched a risky mission to air-drop food

time-read
10+ mins  |
Issue 138
GASSING HITLER
History of War

GASSING HITLER

Just a month before the end of WWI, the future Fuhrer was blinded by a British shell and invalided away from the frontline. Over a century later, has the artillery brigade that launched the fateful attack finally been identified?

time-read
8 mins  |
Issue 138
SALAMANCA
History of War

SALAMANCA

After years of largely defensive campaigning, Lieutenant General Arthur Wellesley went on the offensive against a French invasion of Andalusia

time-read
8 mins  |
Issue 138
HUMBERT 'ROCKY'VERSACE
History of War

HUMBERT 'ROCKY'VERSACE

Early in the Vietnam War, a dedicated US Special Forces officer defied his merciless Viet Cong captors and inspired his fellow POWs to survive

time-read
7 mins  |
Issue 138
LEYTE 1944 SINKING THE RISING SUN
History of War

LEYTE 1944 SINKING THE RISING SUN

One of the more difficult island campaigns in WWII's Pacific Theatre saw a brutal months-long fight that exhausted Japan’s military strength

time-read
10+ mins  |
Issue 138
MAD DAWN
History of War

MAD DAWN

How technology transformed strategic thinking and military doctrine from the Cold War to the current day

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 138
BRUSHES WITH ARMAGEDDON
History of War

BRUSHES WITH ARMAGEDDON

Humanity came close to self-annihilation with the Cuban Missile Crisis, Broken Arrows’ and other nuclear near misses

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 138
THE DEADLY RACE
History of War

THE DEADLY RACE

How the road to peace led to an arms contest between the USA and USSR, with prototypes, proliferation and the world’s biggest bomb

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 138
THE MANHATTAN PROJECT
History of War

THE MANHATTAN PROJECT

Einstein, Oppenheimer and the race to beat Hitler to the bomb. How a science project in the desert helped win a war

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 138