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]]>
Andrew Panton]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Derbyshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Hamm (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Sorpe Dam]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]> Dan Ellin]]> Heather Hughes]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Brian May]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Sorpe Dam]]> 1940]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> Nicky Barr]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Brian May]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal New Zealand Air Force]]> Canada]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> New Zealand]]> Atlantic Ocean--North Sea]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> England--Rutland]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--London]]> California--San Francisco]]> United States]]> California]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]> 1944-06-05]]> 1944-06-06]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Pam Locker]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Carolyn Emery]]> Pending OH summary]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> England--Leicestershire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]>
A Lancaster flying over the nose of another Lancaster 'C'.
]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Physical object]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Canada]]> Ontario--Toronto]]> Ontario]]> ]]> Long Eaton Advertiser]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Matlock]]> England--Derbyshire]]> Annie Moody]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Vivienne Tincombe]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Scotland--Fife]]> Scotland--Crail]]> Germany]]> Germany--Essen]]> Germany--Stuttgart]]> Germany--Emmerich]]> Germany--Freiburg im Breisgau]]> Poland]]> Poland--Police (Województwo Zachodniopomorskie)]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Manchester]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Bawtry]]> Germany]]> Germany--Cologne]]> England--Yorkshire]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1942-11]]> 1943-06]]> 1943-06-09]]> 1943-06-16]]> 1943-06-17]]> Andrew Cowley]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Sally Coulter]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Egypt]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Middle East--Palestine]]> North Africa]]> Arthur Harris]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Text. Service material]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> 1943-02]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Service material]]> MWhybrowFHT170690-160926-180002,
MWhybrowFHT170690-160926-180003,
MWhybrowFHT170690-160926-180004,
MWhybrowFHT170690-160926-180005,
MWhybrowFHT170690-160926-180006,
MWhybrowFHT170690-160926-180007,
MWhybrowFHT170690-160926-180008,
MWhybrowFHT170690-160926-180009,
MWhybrowFHT170690-160926-180010,
MWhybrowFHT170690-160926-180011]]>
Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Germany--Eder Dam]]> Germany--Sorpe Dam]]> Germany--Möhne River Dam]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]>
Andrew Panton]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> H V Satterly]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Steve Baldwin]]> eng]]> Text]]> Map]]> Artwork]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany--Eder Dam]]> Germany--Sorpe Dam]]> Germany--Möhne River Dam]]> Germany]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> 1943-05-16]]> 1943-05-17]]> 1943-05-28]]> Bottom - colour painting of three Lancasters with upkeep bombs at low level in "V" formation over water.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> Artwork]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Herefordshire]]> England--Hereford]]> 1945-03-28]]> 1945-05-23]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1954]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Photograph]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> 1954]]> There is also a copy of the Operational Order for Operation Chastise by 617 Squadron. There are also crew lists, and a copy of the squadron 540 for the operation.
It also has the pages from Flight Sergeant Stalley's Log book for the period July to October 1944. He was the rear gunner on Flight Lieutenant Melrose's crew on No 9 Squadron at Bardney. During this period the squadron attacked the Tirpitz twice, once from Archangel.
There is also the Memories and Reflections of the German civil engineer that was in charge of the rebuilding of the dams damaged in the Dams Operation.
There are two newspaper cuttings from 2005 regarding the military burial of a 640 Squadron crew that had been shot down on the 24 March 1944. One was from The Daily Telegraph from 2 September 2005. There is also a letter George wrote to the Times giving some background to the story.]]>
George Keeling]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text. Memoir]]> Text. Personal research]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Yorkshire]]> 1944-01-07]]> 1945-04-07]]> 1944-03-24]]> 2005-09-02]]>
Julian Maslin]]> This Interview was recorded by Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire.]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> Pending OH summary]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Norway]]> Atlantic Ocean]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Norway--Tromsø]]> Scotland--Moray]]> 1942]]> 1944-08]]> 1944-11-12]]> 1945]]>