Of the 19 Lancasters that set out from RAF Scampton on Operation Chastise on the evening of 16 May 1943, only 11 returned. One hundred and thirty-three aircrew had trained for this epic mission, 53 had died and three would now spend the next two years as prisoners of war. However, for the remaining members of 617 Squadron, the war was far from over. Though basking in the glow of the audacious raid, more dangerous missions and special operations awaited 617’s airmen.
The first to leave the squadron was Flight Sergeant Cyril Anderson. One of the least experienced to fly on Chastise, he had experienced technical problems and was then forced off track by searchlights. Uncertain of his position he had abandoned his mission and returned home with his Upkeep bomb still onboard. Following a short interview with Wing Commander Gibson, the crew were immediately posted back to 49 Squadron. There they continued to operate with the main force, but ill fortune seemed to sit on their shoulders. On the night of 23 September 1943, they were all killed when their Lancaster was shot down by a night fighter near Offenbach while returning from an operation to Mannheim.
Others were more fortunate. Pilot Officer Bill Townsend who had been part of the reserve wave and attacked the Ennepe (or possibly the Bever) Dam – identification is uncertain – left 617 Squadron at the beginning of October 1943, deemed tour expired. Posted to the Conversion Unit at RAF Balderton, he subsequently spent the remainder of the war instructing, before being sent to India to fly Liberators in February 1945.
Denne historien er fra Issue 120-utgaven av History of War.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra Issue 120-utgaven av History of War.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
COUPS & CHAOS
How the French armed forces lost the war in Algeria and almost destroyed French democracy in the process
BATTLE OF ALGIERS
When the Front de libération nationale FLN) took its war to the streets of the capital, France’s military responded with merciless wrath
THE RISE OF ALGERIAN RESISTANCE
How the anti-colonialist struggle around the globe helped inspire Algeria’s liberation movement to organise and fight back
ROOTS OF REVOLUTION
A century of French occupation led to a genocide in Algeria that provoked one of the bloodiest showdowns of the modern age
DWIGHT W BIRDWELL
In the opening hours of the North Vietnamese Tet Offensive, this Specialist Five led his armoured cavalry detachment in repulsing a fierce communist assault against Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon
THE FIVE STRATEGY AND LEADERSHIP
Phillips O’Brien discusses how this quintet of national leaders impacted the course of the Second World War
Great Battles FLODDEN
On the morning of 9 September 1513, King James lV of Scotland stood atop Flodden Hill with what seemed an insurmountable advantage over the English. Yet by the day's end he would lay slain and his army shattered
FERDINAND 'THE BLOODY'
Known for his brutal martial punishment and execution of his own men, Ferdinand Schérner’s ruthlessness was matched only by his devotion to Nazi ideology
AIRBORNE UNDER SIEGE ARNHEM
For nine days the heroic 1st Airborne fought desperately, waiting vainly for relief that never came
SCANDINAVIA UNDER ATTACK
Hitler’s forces smash through Denmark and Norway ina grim foretaste of the terrible fate awaiting the rest of Western Europe
