IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> 1943]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> South African Air Force]]> Germany]]> Germany--Pforzheim]]> The Times]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text]]> British Army]]> Wehrmacht]]> Libya]]> 1941-11]]> 1942-06]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Royalty-free permission to publish]]> Photograph]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Fighter Command]]> British Army]]> Great Britain]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Oxford]]> India]]> India--Kohima]]> 1940-07-10]]> 1944-05-06]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Nottingham]]> 1943-07-10]]> Bill Lanning]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Photograph]]> Text. Memoir]]> Text. Personal research]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Germany]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Great Britain]]> England--Huntingdonshire]]> England--Kent]]> Germany--Osnabrück]]> Germany--Homberg (Kassel)]]> France]]> France--Morbecque]]> France--Le Havre]]> France--Calais]]> Atlantic Ocean--English Channel]]> Germany--Duisburg]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1944-12-23]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription. Allocated]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Kent]]> England--Gravesend (Kent)]]> Daily Sketch]]> Sue Smith]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> British Army]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Leeds]]> 1946-02-13]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Frances Grundy]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> United States Army Air Force]]> Wehrmacht]]> Wehrmacht. Luftwaffe]]> Germany]]> Germany--Cologne]]> Great Britain]]> England--Kent]]> England--Gravesend (Kent)]]> 1945-03-30]]> 1944-12-23]]> The RAF ex-POW Association]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Coastal Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Royal Navy]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> Poland--Żagań]]> New Zealand--Auckland]]> Canada]]> Ontario--Toronto]]> Canada]]> British Columbia--Abbotsford]]> British Columbia--Victoria]]> England--Headcorn]]> Australia]]> New South Wales--Penrith]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Mannheim]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> England--Stafford]]> England--Nottingham]]> Poland]]> New South Wales]]> Ontario]]> Germany]]> New Zealand]]> England--Kent]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Staffordshire]]> The RAF ex-POW Association]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal New Zealand Air Force]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Great Britain]]> England--Reading]]> Wales]]> England--Leeds]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany]]> Belgium]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Berkshire]]> England--Yorkshire]]> The RAF ex-POW Association]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> South African Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Coastal Command]]> Royal Navy]]> Canada]]> Alberta--Edmonton]]> Netherlands--Den Helder]]> Netherlands--Texel]]> England--London]]> England--Coventry]]> Germany--Cologne]]> England--Oxford]]> Germany--Barth]]> Malta]]> Great Britain]]> Alberta]]> Germany]]> Netherlands]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Oxfordshire]]> England--Warwickshire]]>
Label reads “320 bis”; signed by the author; caption reads “16 MAGGIO 1943. Ore 21.28 il primo “Lancaster” inglese dell’operazione “castise” [Chastise] si alza in volo da Scampton, con a bordo il tenente colonello Guj Penrose Gibson [Guj Penrose Gibson] della RAF, pilota notturno dagli obiettivi impossibili, prima sull‘Italia settentrionale, poi sulle dighe della Rhur. Si prova la bomba rotante, o rimbalzante a forma cilindrica, alta m 1.50 diametro di 1.27 pesa 4.196 Kg con carica esplosiva di 2.992 Kg. – 18 bombardieri in 3 ondate attaccano le dighe di Mohne [Möhne], di Sarpe [Sorpe], di Scwelme [Schwelm], e al 3o tentativo quella di Eder, squarciata, 110 milioni di metri cubi d’acqua precipitano a valle. La contraerea spara a zero, 8 bombardieri su 19 sono abbattuti, il 20 settembre 1944 Guj Penrose Gibson [Guy Penrose Gibson] decorato con “Victoria cross” in azione con “master bomber” su Rheidt [Rheydt], sarà abbattuto.”

Caption translates as: “16 May 1943, 9.28 pm. The first British Lancaster involved in operation Chastise took off from Scampton, carrying the RAF Lieutenant Colonel Guy Penrose Gibson. He was the night pilot of impossible operations: at first on the North of Italy, then on the Rhur dams. They tried the rotating bomb, or the bouncing one, a cylindrical device which measuring 1.5 metres in height, 1.27 metres in diameter, weighing 4,196 kilograms, and with an 2.992 kilograms explosive charge. 18 bombers attacked the Möhne, Sorpe and Schwelm [sic} dams in three waves. On the third attempt they hit the dam in Eder. They collapsed and 110 million cubic metres of water rushed downstream. The anti-aircraft artillery fired point blank, shooting down eight bombers out of nineteen. On 20 September 1944, Guy Penrose Gibson, who was honoured with the “Victoria Cross”, was shot down in action as “master bomber” over Rheydt.”]]>
Angiolino Filiputti]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Francesca Campani]]> Alessandro Pesaro]]> Helen Durham]]> Giulia Banti]]> Maureen Clarke]]> ita]]> Artwork]]> Germany--Eder Dam]]> Germany--Sorpe Dam]]> Germany]]> Germany--Möhne River Dam]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]>

This item is available only at the International Bomber Command Centre / University of Lincoln.]]>
F Colquhoun]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]>
Under Secretary of State]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sandra Jones]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> England--Kent]]> England--Gravesend (Kent)]]> 1944-12-24]]> 1945-09-10]]> A T Harris]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Kent]]> England--Gravesend (Kent)]]> OC 109 Squadron]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription. Allocated]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Kent]]> England--Gravesend (Kent)]]> 4 Group]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Royalty-free permission to publish]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]>
This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in digital form. No better quality copies are available.]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> Claire Monk]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Australian Air Force]]> Italy]]> Italy--Turin]]> Alps]]>
Letts Quikref Diaries Ltd]]> eng]]> Text. Diary]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> 1946]]> Daily Mail]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> 1943-06]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> 1943-06]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> 1943-06]]>