‘We have made attempt after attempt to pull successful low [altitude] attacks with heavy bombers. They have been, almost without exception, costly failures…’
Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris, in a personal letter to Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Portal, attempting to dissuade him from ordering Operation Chastise, 18 February 1943.
Despite Harris’ discouraging warning, 19 Lancasters were despatched to destroy at least three strategic dams supplying water and electrical power to the German armaments industry in the Ruhr. Three of these aircraft, for various reasons, had to abort the mission. Sixteen continued to the target area.
Of the 16 Lancasters that were able to press on, six were assigned to attack the Möhne, and following its breaching three more aircraft attacked the Eder. The two primary targets were destroyed. However, one of the attacking bombers was lost en route, another during the attack and two more were lost during egress – so accomplishing the mission cost four out of nine assigned aircraft.
Maximising PR potential, AVM Cochrane, Gibson, RAF Scampton commander Gp Cpt J. N. H. Whitworth and another officer (to the right) explain the Dams Raid to King George VI using the Möhne Dam briefing model at Scampton, during the royal visit of 27 May 1943. (IWM Photo CH 9924)
Of the other seven Lancasters, six – three each from the diversionary and reserve forces – were assigned to attack the Sorpe, the secondary target, and the seventh to attack the Ennepe, the only tertiary target affecting the Ruhr basin. Of the six aircraft sent against the Sorpe, four were lost on ingress, so only two bombers made ineffectual attacks on that dam. Due to insurmountable difficulties the aircraft assigned to the Ennepe was unable to locate its target and executed an ineffective attack against an entirely different dam.
For the rest of the war 617 Sqn held pride of place as an elite RAF unit, its Lancasters and crews going on to gain further fame in raids using the ‘Grand Slam’ earthquake bomb (shown here) and on the Tirpitz. Today, the squadron remains on the RAF’s order of battle, just as its legendary ‘Dambusters Raid’ remains part of the consciousness of British people generations removed from the event. (IWM Photo MH 4263)
Operation Chastise can best be assessed overall as a successful strike but, as ACM Harris warned, the cost was prohibitively high: 50% of the attacking force was lost in the raid. In fact, the next major mission of 617 Sqn saw the loss of two more original Dambuster crews.
The unit moved to RAF Coningsby on 30 August 1943, and after flying three missions dropping bombs and leaflets on Italian targets, set off to breach the levées of the Dortmund–Ems Canal – with the aim of flooding the immediate area and halting barge traffic on this and adjacent waterways – using Wallis’ new 12,000lb high-capacity ‘Blockbuster’ bombs.
Sqn Ldr David Maltby – the pilot of the aircraft whose bomb finally breached the Möhne – and his crew were all killed during the mission. In the midst of crossing the North Sea at minimum height, the attack was scrubbed by 5 Group. Maltby’s Lancaster caught a wingtip in the water (most probably during the low-altitude turn to RTB) and cartwheeled into the sea. The raid was resumed the next night, and during the attack Sqn Ldr George Holden and most of AJ–G’s original crew were lost; so was Flt Lt Les Knight, although he did manage to maintain control of his stricken Lancaster so his crew could successfully bale out. The target was not even dented, and no further ultra-low bombing missions were ever flown.
Throughout 1943 and early 1944 there were discussions about how the remaining 40 Upkeep weapons might be used (centring on possible land targets), but in the event the bombs were placed in storage at Scampton. The ten surviving ‘Dambuster’ Lancasters – out of the original 23 Type 464 Provisioning B.IIIs – were also placed in storage, at RAF Lossiemouth. In early 1947 three of these were returned to airworthy status, had their Upkeep-specific gear re-mounted and were sent to Scampton. Between 22 August and 21 December the weapons were dropped into the North Sea from 10,000ft, without being armed.
This disposal of the unique weapons – and the eventual scrapping of the last Type 464 Lancasters – brought an end to the story of this amazing, and now iconic, British military experience.