Faces of Dambusters heroes revealed at last
The exploits of the Dambusters in their famous "bouncing bombs" raid in May 1943 has become legendary for its skill, courage, and ingenuity.
But while it made a national hero of Guy Gibson, who led the Lancasters on the mission to breach dams in Germany and was awarded the Victoria Cross, many of the others who took part have remained faceless for decades, names on a long list.
However journalist Charles Foster, whose uncle was one of the pilots, has now written a book called The Complete Dambusters which, for the first time, tells the individual stories of every one of the 133 men who were on the raid.
And it also crowns a successful project to find pictures of them all - in particular the 53 who were killed that night.
It also tells the story of how the first dam destroyed in the Dambusters operation was a lot closer to home - in Mid Wales.
The disused 35ft high Nant-y-Gro dam in the Elan Valley was used for secret experiments in 1942, with Barnes Wallis, the boffin who was behind the bouncing bomb concept, travelling to the remote site to watch the first test using an upstream explosion on May 1, which was unsuccessful.
It was then decided to place the explosive charge in contact with the base of the dam, which had been built in the 19th century.
"On July 24 a mine with 279lb of explosive was placed at the centre of the dam, 7ft 6in below its crest, and detonated," writes Foster.
The result, he says, was spectacular, with a huge waterspout, and the centre of the dam punched out.
"Extrapolation of the results showed that a similar result could be achieved on a larger dam with a 7,500lb bomb. Crucially, a single bomb of this weight could be carried by the new four-engined Avro Lancaster, which had been in service with the RAF since January that year."
During the trials Wallis is reputed to have stayed at the Old Bell View Inn, Trefeglwys.
Today the remains of the dam are featured on local "Dambusters Walks."
The Complete Dambusters is published by The History Press and costs £20. Incidentally although, on the evidence of the book, no Shropshire men took part in the raid, it is likely that some did early RAF training in the county - for instance, that last British Dambusters survivor, George "Johnny" Johnson, is said to have done his initial RAF training at RAF Bridgnorth.
