Browse Items (87 total)

  • Tags: Eder Möhne and Sorpe operation (16–17 May 1943)

PWillettS19010007.jpg
Vertical reconnaissance photograph of flooding following Operation Chastise. Captioned 'Frodenberg [Fröndenberg] 13 miles down stream from the Mohne Dam showing the flood water after the Dambuster raid on on 16th 17th May 1943 photo taken by F/O F…

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MOates1489926-171207-17.jpg
An extract from Guy's logbook for May 1943. It ends on May 16 with 'Awarded VC'.

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BLazenbyHJLazenbyHJv1.pdf
Harold Jack Lazenby's autobiography.

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MDexterKI127249-170830-10.jpg
Ordered 1941 and built by A.V. Roe at Chadderton near Manchester as one of a batch of 620 between November 1943 and June 1943. Twenty of this batch either side of ED 932 (Gibson's aircraft) were modified as type 464 provisioning to enable Barnes…

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ALeedhamA160514.mp3
Alma Leedham grew up in London and worked for Hawker aircraft on the Hurricane at the start of the war. She later trained as a driver in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, and served at RAF Scampton driving tractors taking bombs to the aircraft. Alma…

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PTeasdaleA22020005.jpg
Audrey left school aged 14 and began work as a clerical assistant for a tailoring firm in Leeds, before moving into furniture sales. She was 23 when the war started and was conscripted on 15 December 1942, electing to join the Women's Auxiliary Air…

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AGoslingC180907.mp3
Cyril Gosling trained as an armourer at Kirby in Blackpool and was first posted to 49 Squadron where he worked on the guns and turrets. As part of his role he would go on flights in the bombers to check the accuracy of the guns by firing at drogues.…

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AGreenE180522.mp3
Elaine’s uncle worked as an armourer at RAF Scampton. He first joined the Royal Flying Corps before the organisation was renamed the RAF. He worked with Barnes Wallis at the time of the design of the bouncing bomb. He sustained an injury which the…

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AKohlerH170303.mp3
Helmut Köhler (b. 1928) recalls his wartime experience as Luftwaffenhelfer. He provides a first-hand account of two attacks on Kassel, the first on the 22 October 1943 and the second in March 1944. He describes his time spent inside the air-raid…

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PWatkinsJ1801.jpg
John Watkins was working in retail in Rotherham and in 1939 he joined 218 Squadron ATC. He joined the RAF in February 1942 at RAF Cardington, and did his initial training at RAF Blackpool. In December 1942 he did his wireless training at RAF…

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PSmithJJ2001.jpg
John Smith grew up near Corby, surrounded by aerodromes, so was used to the sight of aircraft. He observed Lancaster aircraft practising for the Dambusters raid over Eye Brook Reservoir. He also witnessed glider practice and was impressed by the…

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AJohnsonG150325.mp3
George ‘Johnny’ Johnson was the bomb aimer in a Lancaster AJ-T flown by Joe McCarthy during Operation Chastise 16th of May 194. He discusses the attack on the dams and the events before and after the attack. He describes training over the Derwent Dam…

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AJohnsonGL170801-02AV.mp3
George ‘Johnny’ Johnson gives his opinion on Paul Brickhill's book and the 1955 film of the same name (The Dambusters). He provides his thoughts on various topics, including Winston Churchill, the campaign to award medals to Bomber Command and the…

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Johnny Johnson f.jpg
George ‘Johnny’ Johnson was born in rural Lincolnshire. As a child he won a scholarship to Lord Wandsworth’s Agricultural College in Hampshire. At the outbreak of the Second World War, he volunteered for the Royal Air Force, and was selected for…

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AHaytonK171004.mp3
Ken Hayton’s father, George Stanley Hayton (Stan), worked for Lloyds Bank. In 1940 Stan left his post to join the Royal Air Force; Ken recalled going to Durham station to see his father off, travelling to start basic training at RAF Padgate. Ken…

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AMunroL150604.mp3
John Leslie Munro was born in the area of Gisborne, New Zealand. He only completed two years of secondary education because of the economic slump and, in 1936, began work on a sheep ranch and then a mixed farm. When the Second World War began he was…

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AStopesRoeM150601.mp3
Mary (daughter of Sir Barnes Wallis) discusses her father’s design work and remembers both skipping stones on a river during holidays with her father and catapulting marbles over a washtub in their garden. She goes on to discuss the Eder Möhne and…

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PStevensS-M1601.jpg
Sidney was inspired to join the Air Force when he was working as an Air Raid Precautions warden and his own home was bombed on one occasion. The house next door was also destroyed and the lady who had offered him a cup of tea only hours earlier died.…

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APayneTP160422.mp3
Tom joined the Air Training Corps as a deferred service airman, even though he was under-age. In April 1942 he received his call up papers to report to the Air Crew Reception Centre at St John’s Wood, before being posted to Ludlow. He then went to…

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EHarrisATWallisB430214.jpg
Copy of a note from Arthur Harris to R Saundby with title added 'It won't work Bomber Harris'. States that the idea was tripe of the wildest description with not the smallest chance of working. Goes on with other reasons why it would not work and…

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PHopgoodJV19010015.jpg
On the right. Head and shoulders portrait of an RAF officer wearing tunic with pilot's brevet and peaked cap. Captioned 'F/Lt John Vere Hopgood DFC and bar, 106 Squadron & 617 Squadrons, shot down while bombing Moehne [sic] Dam 16/17 May 1943'.…

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PChandlerEB22030003.jpg
A view of the centre of Kassel, flooded after the breaching of the dams.
On the reverse 'Approx 1000 ft to left of Orangie, flooded Hessen Kampfbahn sportsfield. 18 May 43. Houses and factories in background destroyed 3 Oct 43 raid'.

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PHaggerJ2003.jpg
Head on view of a Lancaster with undercarriage down just above the ground. The aircraft carries a mocked up bouncing bomb for the filming of 'The Dam Busters'.

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PHaggerJ2026.jpg
Air-to-air view of rear quarter view of a four engine bomber with squadron letters 'AJ-G' airborne with clouds above. The aircraft carries a mocked up bouncing bomb for the filming of 'The Dam Busters'.

On the reverse 'Originally a 617 aircraft…

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PTwellsE15070087.jpg
A port side view of Lancaster AJ-P from the film of the Dam Busters. Its tail is up and is either landing or taking off.

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