DAMBUSTERS -THE MORNING AFTER
by Gerald Coulson


Squadron Crest. Apres Moi Le Deluge. "After me the flood"

Of the many thousands of heroic night raids accomplished during RAF Bomber Commandʼs long six year campaign, one, above all, captured the imagination of an admiring public. Gerald Coulsonʼs new painting shows a single Lancaster of 617 Squadron, one of the lucky ones having made it safely back to base, proudly standing alone as if in tribute to those that didnʼt return.

"The Dambuster Squadron".

617 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in March 1943. During the dark days of the Second World War, it was decided to carry out a special and most dangerous bombing raid on the Ruhr Valley. The target? The massive dams from which the Nazi war machine factories in Germany's industrial heartland of the Ruhr Valley, which churned out tanks, guns, ammunition and the other accoutrements of war for the German military. This Royal Air Force raid was known as "Operation Chastise" and has now passed into Royal Air Force legend.

The rewards were great, but the cost in brave men was high. Out of the 133 crew members of the 19 specially adapted Lancaster aircraft, of bomber command, that took part in the raid, 53 brave aircrew lost their lives in the eight aircraft lost. Three managed to bail out and spent the next two years as POWs. 617 Squadron came to life at RAF Scampton and included personnel from the RCAF, RAAF, and RNZAF as well as the RAF.

Prior to the raid, the Lancaster crews underwent intensive, low-level flying practice mainly in the Lake District of England. For security reasons, the aircrews were not told of the targets, until just prior to the raid. Barnes Wallis bouncing bomb was designed to be released at exactly 60 feet and a ground speed of 240 mph. Altimeters were not accurate enough so he devised a method of using two searchlights, one in the tail and one in the nose of each aircraft shining down when the circles of light formed a figure 8 they knew they were it had exactly 60 feet. The point of bomb release was reached when a simple, handheld wooden apparatus with the towers of the dam. At that point the bomb was released, skipping across the surface of the lake, like a thrown, flat pebble, until it reached its target.

The brilliant designer of the, socalled "bouncing bomb", Barnes Wallis, had previously designed the airship R-100, then the geodesic airframe, used in the Wellesley and the Vickers Wellington twin engined bombers and later produced the "Tallboy" (6 tons) and then "Grand Slam" (10 tons) 22,000 lb, deep-penetration earth quake bombs, For the dams raid, Barnes, after many setbacks, developed a cylindrical bouncing bomb known as "Upkeep", that was spun, in reverse, at 500 rpm and designed to strike the inside of the dam face. As it rotated backwards it "walked" down the wet side of the dam when, at a predetermined depth, a hydrostatic fuse exploded the bomb and the full force would be directed through to wall face and hopefully destroy it.

This raid was led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, a pilot although small in stature was a giant in courage. Sometimes abrasive, Guy Gibson set out on his task with one thought in mind and that was success. He was a man who did not suffer fools gladly and always made his feelings quite clear. He was only 25 when the raid took place and was allowed to select his own aircrew for the raid. After the raid, he was presented with the Victoria Cross, our country's highest award for valour, 33 of the surviving members of the Squadron were also issued with medals from the hands of King George VI, at Buckingham Palace.

The main dams to be attacked where the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe.

The Lancasters were to attack in three groups. Group 1, with nine Lancasters, was to bomb the Möhne. Afterwards, any Lancasters with bombs remaining, would take a crack at the Eder. The Sorpe was Group 2's planned target, with five aircraft. Group 3, with the five remaining aircraft, was held in reserve and would take off a couple of hours later, to bomb wherever required, either going for the main dams, if  unbreached, or other, secondary targets, such as the  Ennepe, Diemel, or Schwelm dams.

The ops room for the raid of 17th of May 1943, was at RAF Grantham, Lincolnshire, 5 Group headquarters. The codes, in morse, were "Goner" for a dropped bomb. The code for the breaching of the Möhne dam was "Nigger" and "Dinghy" for the Eder. The "Nigger" code was in honour of Gibson's black dog, Nigger, run over and killed on the morning of  the day of the attack, he was buried outside the guard-house at the front gate. "Dinghy", was the nickname of "Dinghy" Young, captain of A-Apple. Young earned his nickname after several ditchings into the sea. After the dams raid "Dingy" Young's Lancaster was hit by flak and crashed into the sea, off the Dutch coast. There were no survivors from the seven man crew.

After the raid and to keep Guy Gibson away from danger for a little while, he toured the US. American bomber crews did a total of 25 tours, or trips over enemy territory, before being rotated back to the United States. Whilst in the US guy was asked how many trips he had made over Germany he answered, "About 129, so far". His audience was stunned into silence. Just a year after the dams raid Guy Gibson died when his Mosquito Pathfinder aircraft crashed in Holland after running out of fuel, because of a faulty fuel crossover switch. He and his navigator were buried, with full honours in a little cemetery near the Dutch coast.

Guy Gibson VC, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar
1918 - 1944

In tribute to the brave men who undertook the historic Dams mission, each print is authenticated by three veterans of 617 Squadron from the night of 16/17 May 1943.

The 50 Artist Proofs are additionally signed by leading international movie star RICHARD TODD, who played the part of Wing Commander Guy Gibson in the classic 1955 film ʻThe Dam Bustersʼ.

Signed and Numbered Print US $195.00 UK £125.00 Edition Size - 450
Artist Proof US $295.00 UK £195.00 Edition Size - 50

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