Avro Lancaster B. Mk.III (Special) ED929 / AJ-L ‘Operation Chastise’ Dams Raid, Flt. Lt. Shannon, RAF No.617 Squadron, Scampton. May 1943Flt. Lt. Shannon, RAF No.617 Squadron, Scampton. May 1943
As one of the most significant bombing raids in the history of warfare, the audacious ‘Dambuster’ raid was the culmination of months of planning and weeks of intensive flying training. When nineteen specially modified Avro Lancaster B.III bombers of o.617 Squadron took off from RAF Scampton on the night of 16th May 1943, they were not only carrying equipment designed to help achieve the objective, but were on course to score a huge propaganda victory.
Striking at the very heart of the mighty German industrial manufacturing base in the Ruhr valley, the aim was to disrupt war production by breaching three of the huge dams in the area, depriving factories of water and power generation, whilst also wreaking havoc on an unprecedented scale. If successful, the torrent of water flooding the region would clearly indicate to the German people that the Allies had the ability to strike at the heart of their nation and that they would ultimately prevail in this war. Devastation on this scale would both seriously affect Germany’s ability to keep its armed forces supplied with weapons and ammunition, but make a mockery of Hitler’s propaganda messages.