banner banner banner
Chastise: The Dambusters Story 1943
Chastise: The Dambusters Story 1943
Оценить:
Рейтинг: 0

Полная версия:

Chastise: The Dambusters Story 1943

скачать книгу бесплатно

Chastise: The Dambusters Story 1943
Max Hastings

A masterly history of the Dambusters raid from bestselling and critically acclaimed Max Hastings. Operation Chastise, the overnight destruction of the Möhne and Eder dams in north-west Germany by the RAF’s 617 Squadron, was an epic that has passed into Britain’s national legend. Max Hastings grew up embracing the story, the classic 1955 movie and the memory of Guy Gibson, the 24-year-old wing-commander who won the VC leading the raid. In the 21st Century, however, Hastings urges that we should review the Dambusters in much more complex shades. The aircrew’s heroism was wholly authentic, as was the brilliance of Barnes Wallis, who invented the ‘bouncing bombs’. But commanders who promised their young fliers that success could shorten the war fantasised wildly. What Germans call the Möhnekatastrophe imposed on the Nazi war machine temporary disruption, rather than a crippling blow. Hastings vividly describes the evolution of Wallis’ bomb, and of the squadron which broke the dams at the cost of devastating losses. But he also portrays in harrowing detail those swept away by the torrents. Some 1,400 civilians perished in the biblical floods that swept through the Möhne valley, more than half of them Russian and Polish women, slave labourers under Hitler. Ironically, Air Marshal Sir Arthur ‘Bomber’ Harris gained much of the credit, though he opposed Chastise as a distraction from his city-burning blitz. He also made what the author describes as the operation’s biggest mistake – the failure to launch a conventional attack on the Nazis’ huge post-raid repair operation, which could have transformed the impact of the dam breaches upon Ruhr industry. Chastise offers a fascinating retake on legend by a master of the art. Hastings sets the dams raid in the big picture of the bomber offensive and of the Second World War, with moving portraits of the young airmen, so many of whom died; of Barnes Wallis; the monstrous Harris; the tragic Guy Gibson, together with superb narrative of the action of one of the most extraordinary episodes in British history.

(#u227bd7fb-6808-565f-925f-55fb5fdc5d0e)

Copyright (#u227bd7fb-6808-565f-925f-55fb5fdc5d0e)

William Collins

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

WilliamCollinsBooks.com (http://WilliamCollinsBooks.com)

This eBook first published in Great Britain by William Collins in 2019

Copyright © Max Hastings 2019

The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Cover photograph © IWM

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008280529

Ebook Edition © September 2019 ISBN: 9780008280543

Version: 2019-08-01

Dedication (#u227bd7fb-6808-565f-925f-55fb5fdc5d0e)

In memory of the aircrew who achieved the almost impossible on the night of 16/17 May 1943; and of the men, women and children on both sides who perished

Contents

1  Cover (#ubde8dbf1-1bf5-576a-bfdd-ebc0f8cfe4e6)

2  Title Page

3  Copyright

4  Dedication

5  Contents (#u227bd7fb-6808-565f-925f-55fb5fdc5d0e)

6  List of Illustrations

7  Epigraph

8  RAF Ranks and Army Equivalents

9  Abbreviations Used in the Text

10  Introduction

11  Prologue

12  1 Grand Strategy, Great Dams 1 THE BIG PICTURE (#u5480ade6-9f48-5938-bdf9-a4af44e2e37e)2 HARRIS (#u5480ade6-9f48-5938-bdf9-a4af44e2e37e)3 THE ‘PANACEA MERCHANTS’ (#u5480ade6-9f48-5938-bdf9-a4af44e2e37e)

13  2 The Boffin and His Bombs 1 WALLIS (#u3b0eb35f-3408-55d7-9244-602cac1b13f9)2 GESTATION (#u3b0eb35f-3408-55d7-9244-602cac1b13f9)3 FIRST BOUNCES (#u3b0eb35f-3408-55d7-9244-602cac1b13f9)

14  3 Command and Controversy 1 TARGETS (#u9d6bab91-46cc-50a6-a7e4-98d3667c0fb7)2 GIBSON (#u9d6bab91-46cc-50a6-a7e4-98d3667c0fb7)3 ‘A DISASTER OF THE FIRST MAGNITUDE’ (#u9d6bab91-46cc-50a6-a7e4-98d3667c0fb7)

15  4 Men and Machines 1 FLIERS (#litres_trial_promo)2 FLYING (#litres_trial_promo)

16  5 The Brink of Battle 1 SIXTY FEET (#litres_trial_promo)2 ‘NO NEWS THAT WOULD INTEREST YOU FROM HERE’ (#litres_trial_promo)

17  6 Chastise 1 TAKE-OFF (#litres_trial_promo)2 GETTING THERE (#litres_trial_promo)

18  7 At the Dams 1 THE MÖHNE AND THE SORPE (#litres_trial_promo)2 THE EDER AND AFTER (#litres_trial_promo)

19  8 The Möhnekatastrophe1 ‘A WALL OF WATER, BLACK AS COAL’ (#litres_trial_promo)2 ‘CLOSE TO A SUCCESS’ (#litres_trial_promo)

20  9 Heroes 1 GARNERING THE LAURELS (#litres_trial_promo)2 SQUANDERING THE SACRIFICE (#litres_trial_promo)

21  10 Landings 1 ‘GOODNIGHT, EVERYONE’ (#litres_trial_promo)2 RECONCILIATIONS (#litres_trial_promo)

22  Appendix I: 617 Squadron’s Crews Who Flew on the Night of 16/17 May 1943

23  Appendix II: Landmark Dates in the Evolution of Chastise

24  Appendix III: A Chronology of Operation Chastise 16/17 May 1943

25  Picture Section

26  Acknowledgements

27  Notes and References

28  Bibliography

29  Index

30  Also by Max Hastings

31  About the Publisher

LandmarksCover (#ubde8dbf1-1bf5-576a-bfdd-ebc0f8cfe4e6)FrontmatterStart of ContentBackmatter

List of Pagesiv (#ulink_5fefd70e-feb4-507d-8431-067ac5f9a61e)v (#ulink_d7b67a11-a26b-53c3-ab88-e2663540ff27)xi (#ulink_d80ad72c-ae80-554f-9d99-897563c2e118)xii (#ulink_872f3165-3d3d-5a42-9171-eee0efdb877c)xiii (#ulink_2fed6e21-f3fe-5d83-9f89-5059f35375d3)xiv (#ulink_cacde39f-7532-5bb2-9e93-6df468be3b5b)xv (#ulink_a5f44077-65ed-58e8-8fca-bdf93ab498dd)xvii (#ulink_6833353c-a857-5482-944b-9aae2e5d4d6d)xix (#ulink_66d7fd6c-720d-5b62-867d-822cd731aa45)xx (#ulink_306803b0-2360-5530-a6b6-158c52c58669)xxi (#ulink_4ddfe11b-b19c-5e4f-a650-dd7410220130)xxii (#ulink_095e26f2-f9a7-5d7f-8d00-f08a4c617f5e)xxiii (#ulink_a14467b6-4060-5811-94fe-42dad9e232f6)xxiv (#ulink_c2730ffd-c7ec-5513-8170-1fa165f04d43)xxv (#ulink_b4fc2082-949c-563f-bbaf-3e363d548471)xxvi (#ulink_3b7caf32-849e-55a6-afb6-624e1ec0f2e2)xxvii (#ulink_6808bd0c-bf29-5027-a045-fc8a7b5cd17d)xxviii (#ulink_617b1ea3-8ee9-5025-a8ac-9886cd2f85f8)xxix (#ulink_027440d5-6327-518f-8580-b438867c6558)xxx (#ulink_aeaba664-e241-53f4-b834-96f00e5d63bb)xxxi (#ulink_1b6d3729-9346-519f-ae76-3d751d70f49c)xxxii (#ulink_453cd30c-812f-5525-bf93-a4a878879915)xxxiii (#ulink_b103169f-0c37-5079-8486-c27eb507e2db)xxxiv (#ulink_48114e2c-9dde-5bbe-9263-339e93b4682f)xxxv (#ulink_de64563e-3468-5279-8769-40eb2fca0e6e)1 (#ulink_19dd4a27-66b1-5d2d-96fe-0b80cc0a2465)2 (#ulink_24975f25-a60b-5fe5-a31d-e22753efa921)3 (#ulink_432c9e68-7581-54e6-8c39-99e236bcd244)4 (#ulink_f11cbe7c-2735-52bb-b9c4-c4f243c42170)5 (#ulink_28dd57b9-6b3d-503a-8451-787b94eb7bc8)6 (#ulink_2a832a3b-322e-53c8-b48d-2d17a116239b)7 (#ulink_cd5d2c98-12f9-5640-b3a6-33eb9ea5e3da)8 (#ulink_5829aa02-a010-5d66-a14a-478d35edf76c)9 (#ulink_8318f84e-2e5b-5e60-809a-859e6c3a3e0b)10 (#ulink_8164ce1b-6ce6-546c-b596-f175c1330072)11 (#ulink_cce3e20b-150f-5c9d-b234-d89ad961171a)12 (#ulink_a15f0f46-d4a6-5de5-93ea-9dfa30e9659d)13 (#ulink_44b03660-20a8-50d8-acee-8a0da2db8b0f)14 (#ulink_b09b60c2-0943-564e-bf38-d305ba02db8d)15 (#ulink_820287f5-6adc-5d63-995f-a632c5ba417f)16 (#ulink_e30ec8d2-7f54-56c2-91ac-264dc54ebc1f)17 (#ulink_8c5b310b-d95f-580d-818c-c5b21261b5d5)18 (#ulink_dc50430a-20e0-5eeb-ad34-53d1a2b4dffa)19 (#ulink_76c50e37-eeb5-5412-9646-4c164e5de977)20 (#ulink_e31f9034-2807-5b3f-b0ca-b2d9c525c996)21 (#ulink_24e6813a-4c21-51f0-af7d-c6834d3d6035)22 (#ulink_727ba30d-8f12-56f4-af7a-1c4f628b3454)23 (#ulink_3386cd10-a31c-5688-8a1a-d6e2c4581abe)24 (#ulink_050089d2-5944-5d17-8623-36dc07e93388)25 (#ulink_b33fe3c9-0f26-57a9-8e3f-6540a854cdc8)26 (#ulink_5c7a33cc-8df1-5f2a-9761-27c6639b13d7)27 (#ulink_f0be1eff-9bfe-51c2-8f8a-1554fe62d9d5)28 (#ulink_604b49af-3a7c-51cd-95d0-10518270b832)29 (#ulink_32e3d7cf-9c85-5181-a5e8-8edf11bb9a69)30 (#ulink_b079c5bf-9ae2-5b04-b61a-04a23ca072a5)31 (#ulink_b2dbd0b7-04ed-5199-b7c8-b305a93c00d1)32 (#ulink_d4769faa-bb72-59a3-9136-562af3450a4e)33 (#ulink_65df76cb-5bcb-5343-9866-e2eafdc088e4)34 (#ulink_06121ec1-dd62-5246-b9e5-9a292a400945)35 (#ulink_cea2a6c0-7268-5783-8cc5-2682b9a4a82c)36 (#ulink_7517e7e5-f0f0-5672-8c09-e4fee34b2a63)37 (#ulink_fec9b489-0130-5435-901b-4246e2aeabde)38 (#ulink_3285fbc9-2784-5685-9a46-a8827a8d62cb)39 (#ulink_bca2faee-fbe4-5a27-8b61-329f5e6485cd)40 (#ulink_70399722-bca6-5ce3-8592-c9bc15e8b472)41 (#ulink_5b325a71-a918-56fd-9d92-6a953a9832ef)42 (#ulink_200be2f3-3fd7-53fa-b462-e69c02150394)43 (#ulink_26a1e0db-aa3c-5497-a1c5-bc723b8011ff)44 (#ulink_c9f5f253-2180-53e7-88f4-35540cde8dc5)45 (#ulink_1ae2ca27-a1bd-5e3e-834f-35ed10557a5a)46 (#ulink_08c8abd3-8b45-56b4-87b7-5212f1fb8416)47 (#ulink_e3f67d99-f2f0-5903-abd5-a87dae9ea881)48 (#ulink_66193f5f-662d-5765-ac0a-546e5cfacd1d)49 (#ulink_4f61caf2-82e0-55ab-b9c0-8d682930570f)50 (#ulink_46ae0150-8ce2-5c71-aa1e-232f6d698f76)51 (#ulink_39700062-2c40-5c8a-b87a-8a5fc2e91cf5)52 (#ulink_6a576131-c556-5302-af5f-17a5ff25b3a2)53 (#ulink_1380fa03-3d4a-5c24-b087-833f50d5483a)54 (#ulink_9cc4737d-466e-5680-9eb6-366a7f5b7391)55 (#ulink_acfaad25-e6da-505c-9154-3126f1dda1f5)56 (#ulink_7eb60598-dfe4-5fb0-9242-930b4b00c482)57 (#ulink_0179e39f-d1de-55e8-ae8e-fe6087c0ca05)58 (#ulink_0c273899-68c8-5f67-8670-73f1c6e87be1)59 (#ulink_8f860c4d-2eca-525a-b2fb-f6151f69084c)60 (#ulink_f10f13f3-bea4-585a-b867-3fdc589f836e)61 (#ulink_b0a2594d-57bb-5cca-ba02-34c839673fe6)62 (#ulink_dc79c3eb-b70a-56eb-85de-ea64b183110f)63 (#ulink_1fefea32-f75c-5af1-a577-b7b2be25b243)64 (#ulink_5e669e27-3176-545d-ada1-2604f5c7f00c)65 (#ulink_d1a9dc40-1a6a-5de2-ab5c-1476565cf25f)66 (#ulink_8aa150c2-074d-546b-a12e-8b7b44a70c04)67 (#ulink_43ffd888-be5b-5797-9e35-4221e6c06e88)68 (#ulink_23352d5e-aa2f-5b59-a145-3b3a093da3c7)69 (#ulink_99c5bb16-0b87-52b9-8365-e200ee885af4)70 (#litres_trial_promo)71 (#litres_trial_promo)72 (#litres_trial_promo)73 (#litres_trial_promo)74 (#litres_trial_promo)75 (#litres_trial_promo)76 (#litres_trial_promo)77 (#litres_trial_promo)78 (#litres_trial_promo)79 (#litres_trial_promo)80 (#litres_trial_promo)81 (#litres_trial_promo)82 (#litres_trial_promo)84 (#litres_trial_promo)85 (#litres_trial_promo)86 (#litres_trial_promo)87 (#litres_trial_promo)88 (#litres_trial_promo)89 (#litres_trial_promo)90 (#litres_trial_promo)91 (#litres_trial_promo)92 (#litres_trial_promo)93 (#litres_trial_promo)94 (#litres_trial_promo)95 (#litres_trial_promo)96 (#litres_trial_promo)97 (#litres_trial_promo)98 (#litres_trial_promo)99 (#litres_trial_promo)100 (#litres_trial_promo)101 (#litres_trial_promo)102 (#litres_trial_promo)103 (#litres_trial_promo)104 (#litres_trial_promo)105 (#litres_trial_promo)106 (#litres_trial_promo)107 (#litres_trial_promo)108 (#litres_trial_promo)109 (#litres_trial_promo)110 (#litres_trial_promo)111 (#litres_trial_promo)112 (#litres_trial_promo)113 (#litres_trial_promo)114 (#litres_trial_promo)115 (#litres_trial_promo)116 (#litres_trial_promo)117 (#litres_trial_promo)118 (#litres_trial_promo)119 (#litres_trial_promo)120 (#litres_trial_promo)121 (#litres_trial_promo)122 (#litres_trial_promo)123 (#litres_trial_promo)124 (#litres_trial_promo)125 (#litres_trial_promo)126 (#litres_trial_promo)127 (#litres_trial_promo)128 (#litres_trial_promo)129 (#litres_trial_promo)130 (#litres_trial_promo)131 (#litres_trial_promo)132 (#litres_trial_promo)133 (#litres_trial_promo)134 (#litres_trial_promo)135 (#litres_trial_promo)136 (#litres_trial_promo)137 (#litres_trial_promo)138 (#litres_trial_promo)139 (#litres_trial_promo)140 (#litres_trial_promo)141 (#litres_trial_promo)142 (#litres_trial_promo)143 (#litres_trial_promo)144 (#litres_trial_promo)145 (#litres_trial_promo)146 (#litres_trial_promo)147 (#litres_trial_promo)148 (#litres_trial_promo)149 (#litres_trial_promo)150 (#litres_trial_promo)151 (#litres_trial_promo)152 (#litres_trial_promo)153 (#litres_trial_promo)154 (#litres_trial_promo)155 (#litres_trial_promo)156 (#litres_trial_promo)157 (#litres_trial_promo)158 (#litres_trial_promo)159 (#litres_trial_promo)160 (#litres_trial_promo)161 (#litres_trial_promo)162 (#litres_trial_promo)163 (#litres_trial_promo)164 (#litres_trial_promo)165 (#litres_trial_promo)166 (#litres_trial_promo)167 (#litres_trial_promo)168 (#litres_trial_promo)169 (#litres_trial_promo)170 (#litres_trial_promo)171 (#litres_trial_promo)172 (#litres_trial_promo)173 (#litres_trial_promo)174 (#litres_trial_promo)175 (#litres_trial_promo)178 (#litres_trial_promo)179 (#litres_trial_promo)180 (#litres_trial_promo)181 (#litres_trial_promo)182 (#litres_trial_promo)183 (#litres_trial_promo)184 (#litres_trial_promo)185 (#litres_trial_promo)186 (#litres_trial_promo)187 (#litres_trial_promo)188 (#litres_trial_promo)189 (#litres_trial_promo)190 (#litres_trial_promo)191 (#litres_trial_promo)192 (#litres_trial_promo)193 (#litres_trial_promo)194 (#litres_trial_promo)195 (#litres_trial_promo)196 (#litres_trial_promo)197 (#litres_trial_promo)198 (#litres_trial_promo)199 (#litres_trial_promo)200 (#litres_trial_promo)201 (#litres_trial_promo)202 (#litres_trial_promo)203 (#litres_trial_promo)204 (#litres_trial_promo)205 (#litres_trial_promo)206 (#litres_trial_promo)207 (#litres_trial_promo)208 (#litres_trial_promo)209 (#litres_trial_promo)210 (#litres_trial_promo)211 (#litres_trial_promo)212 (#litres_trial_promo)213 (#litres_trial_promo)214 (#litres_trial_promo)215 (#litres_trial_promo)216 (#litres_trial_promo)217 (#litres_trial_promo)218 (#litres_trial_promo)219 (#litres_trial_promo)220 (#litres_trial_promo)221 (#litres_trial_promo)222 (#litres_trial_promo)223 (#litres_trial_promo)224 (#litres_trial_promo)225 (#litres_trial_promo)226 (#litres_trial_promo)227 (#litres_trial_promo)228 (#litres_trial_promo)229 (#litres_trial_promo)230 (#litres_trial_promo)231 (#litres_trial_promo)232 (#litres_trial_promo)233 (#litres_trial_promo)234 (#litres_trial_promo)235 (#litres_trial_promo)236 (#litres_trial_promo)237 (#litres_trial_promo)238 (#litres_trial_promo)239 (#litres_trial_promo)240 (#litres_trial_promo)241 (#litres_trial_promo)242 (#litres_trial_promo)243 (#litres_trial_promo)244 (#litres_trial_promo)245 (#litres_trial_promo)246 (#litres_trial_promo)247 (#litres_trial_promo)248 (#litres_trial_promo)249 (#litres_trial_promo)250 (#litres_trial_promo)251 (#litres_trial_promo)252 (#litres_trial_promo)253 (#litres_trial_promo)254 (#litres_trial_promo)255 (#litres_trial_promo)256 (#litres_trial_promo)257 (#litres_trial_promo)258 (#litres_trial_promo)259 (#litres_trial_promo)260 (#litres_trial_promo)261 (#litres_trial_promo)262 (#litres_trial_promo)263 (#litres_trial_promo)264 (#litres_trial_promo)265 (#litres_trial_promo)266 (#litres_trial_promo)267 (#litres_trial_promo)268 (#litres_trial_promo)269 (#litres_trial_promo)270 (#litres_trial_promo)271 (#litres_trial_promo)272 (#litres_trial_promo)273 (#litres_trial_promo)274 (#litres_trial_promo)275 (#litres_trial_promo)276 (#litres_trial_promo)277 (#litres_trial_promo)278 (#litres_trial_promo)279 (#litres_trial_promo)280 (#litres_trial_promo)281 (#litres_trial_promo)282 (#litres_trial_promo)283 (#litres_trial_promo)284 (#litres_trial_promo)285 (#litres_trial_promo)286 (#litres_trial_promo)287 (#litres_trial_promo)288 (#litres_trial_promo)289 (#litres_trial_promo)290 (#litres_trial_promo)291 (#litres_trial_promo)292 (#litres_trial_promo)293 (#litres_trial_promo)294 (#litres_trial_promo)295 (#litres_trial_promo)296 (#litres_trial_promo)297 (#litres_trial_promo)298 (#litres_trial_promo)299 (#litres_trial_promo)300 (#litres_trial_promo)301 (#litres_trial_promo)302 (#litres_trial_promo)303 (#litres_trial_promo)304 (#litres_trial_promo)305 (#litres_trial_promo)306 (#litres_trial_promo)307 (#litres_trial_promo)308 (#litres_trial_promo)309 (#litres_trial_promo)315 (#litres_trial_promo)316 (#litres_trial_promo)318 (#litres_trial_promo)319 (#litres_trial_promo)320 (#litres_trial_promo)322 (#litres_trial_promo)323 (#litres_trial_promo)324 (#litres_trial_promo)325 (#litres_trial_promo)326 (#litres_trial_promo)327 (#litres_trial_promo)328 (#litres_trial_promo)329 (#litres_trial_promo)330 (#litres_trial_promo)331 (#litres_trial_promo)332 (#litres_trial_promo)333 (#litres_trial_promo)334 (#litres_trial_promo)335 (#litres_trial_promo)336 (#litres_trial_promo)337 (#litres_trial_promo)338 (#litres_trial_promo)339 (#litres_trial_promo)340 (#litres_trial_promo)341 (#litres_trial_promo)342 (#litres_trial_promo)343 (#litres_trial_promo)345 (#litres_trial_promo)346 (#litres_trial_promo)347 (#litres_trial_promo)348 (#litres_trial_promo)349 (#litres_trial_promo)350 (#litres_trial_promo)351 (#litres_trial_promo)352 (#litres_trial_promo)353 (#litres_trial_promo)354 (#litres_trial_promo)355 (#litres_trial_promo)356 (#litres_trial_promo)357 (#litres_trial_promo)358 (#litres_trial_promo)359 (#litres_trial_promo)360 (#litres_trial_promo)361 (#litres_trial_promo)362 (#litres_trial_promo)363 (#litres_trial_promo)364 (#litres_trial_promo)ii (#litres_trial_promo)

Illustrations (#u227bd7fb-6808-565f-925f-55fb5fdc5d0e)

The Möhne, the Eder and the Sorpe.

Barnes and Molly Wallis in 1925. (Estate of Mary Stopes-Roe)

The Wallis home in Effingham, Surrey. (Cambridge University Library/MS Vickers)

Wallis in his study with an assistant. (Cambridge University Library/MS Vickers)

1940 cartoon showing the Wallis-designed Wellington bomber.

The scaled-down model of the Möhne at Nant-y-Gro in Powys, eight minutes after a test explosion in 1942. (The National Archives/AVIA 10/369)

Recording apparatus attached to scale-model dam at Watford. (The National Archives/DSIR 27/43)

Test explosion at Nant-y-Gro. (The National Archives/AVIA 10/369)

Cherwell, Portal, Pound and Churchill watching a display of anti-aircraft gunnery, June 1941. (Imperial War Museum/H 10306)

Air Vice Marshal the Hon. R.A. Cochrane. (Imperial War Museum/CH 14564); Sir Charles Craven. (Cambridge University Library/MS Vickers); Sir Norman Bottomley. (National Portrait Gallery, London/Howard Coster); Arthur Collins; Air Marshal Sir John Linnell. (Imperial War Museum/CM 5259); Gp. Capt. F. W. Winterbotham. (Barry James Gilmore/Fairfax Media/Getty Images)

Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris. (Imperial War Museum/CH 13020)

Harris with his wife Jill and daughter Jackie. (Leonard McCombe/Picture Post/Getty Images)

Avro Lancaster ED932 (G-George) being flown by Guy Gibson during tests at Reculver. (Imperial War Museum/FLM 2343)

An Upkeep bounces onto the seafront during tests at Reculver. (Imperial War Museum/FLM 2343)

Tests at Reculver. (Imperial War Museum/FLM 2360; FLM 2362; FLM 2363)

Melvin Young in the victorious 1938 Oxford Boat Race crew. (The Times/News Licensing)

Young’s miraculous October 1940 Atlantic rescue. (Trinity College Oxford, with help from Arthur G. Thorning)

Young with his rescuer’s captain. (Trinity College Oxford, with help from Arthur G. Thorning)

Melvin and Priscilla Young. (Trinity College Oxford, with help from Arthur G. Thorning)

John ‘Hoppy’ Hopgood. (Hopgood family)

Hopgood with his sister Marna and his mother. (Hopgood family)

Hopgood with Marna. (Hopgood family)

Aircrew of 106 Squadron. (Imperial War Museum/HU 91941)

Henry Maudslay at Eton. (Maudslay family)

Maudslay as squadron leader. (Lincolnshire County Council Archives)

Guy Gibson and his wife Eve. (Trinity Mirror/Mirrorpix/Alamy)

Gibson in 1944. (Imperial War Museum/CH 13618)

Gibson with Nigger. (Associated Newspapers/Rota/Shutterstock)

Gibson, Spafford, Hutchison, Deering and Taetum at Scampton. (CNP Collection/Alamy)

Bill Astell and his family on a pre-war outing in Derbyshire. (Ray Hepner)

Gibson with Dave Maltby. (CNP Collection/Alamy)

Australian crew members on leave in London after the raid. (Imperial War Museum/CH 9942)

F/Lt. Bill Astell. (Lincolnshire County Council Archives)

F/Lt. Joe McCarthy and his crew. (CNP Collection/Alamy)

P/O John Fraser at his wedding, a week before Chastise. (Cavendish Press)

F/Lt. David Shannon. (Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty)

F/Lt. Les Munro.

The aircrew who took part in Operation Chastise. (Imperial War Museum/CH 11049)

Lancaster taking off from Scampton for Chastise. (Imperial War Museum/CH 18006)

Wreck of a 617 Squadron Lancaster on a Dutch beach. (The National Archives/AIR 20/4367)

Harris and Cochrane at the debriefing of Gibson’s crew. (CNP Collection/Alamy)

WAAF intelligence officer Fay Gillon with survivors of the raid, including Maltby, Munro, Trevor-Roper and Shannon. (Fay Gillon)

King George VI at Scampton, with Gibson and Whitworth. (CNP Collection/Alamy)

Some of the survivors of the raid: Sutherland, Kellow, O’Brien, Hobday, Johnson, Knight, Grayston.

Fred Tees, sole survivor of C-Charlie’s crash. (Tees family)