Guy Gibson

Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson VC, DFC and bar, DSO and bar (12 August 1918 – 19 September 1944), was the first CO of the RAF's 617 Squadron, which he led in the "Dam Busters" raid (Operation Chastise), in 1943, resulting in the destruction of two large dams in the Ruhr area. He was killed later in the war.

Operation Chastise

In 1943 he was selected to command 617 Squadron who were tasked to destroy dams in the Ruhr area. To accomplish this they were provided with the bouncing bomb designed and developed by Barnes Wallis. The bombs had to be dropped from 60 feet from a predefined distance to skip across the water into the dam face and then roll down it to explode at predefined depth. To stand any chance of success the mission had to be flown at night.

Related Topics:
Bouncing bomb - Barnes Wallis

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The height problem was solved by using to fixed spot lights strapped to the bottom of the Avro Lancaster Bomber which when shining at the same spot meant that the bomber was 60 feet above the water. The distance to target was solved by the bomb aimer holding a simple wooded triangle with dowels on top and a handle below. When the dowels lined up with the towers on the dam then the distance was optimal for release.

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On the night of May 16 1943 there were no other bombing missions over Germany because it was a full moon. As the Dambusters needed a full moon to carry out their mission, it was thought that the only way they could penetrate German Anti-aircraft defences was to fly the whole mission as close to the ground as possible. The 19 Lancasters carried one bomb each. It took five attempts to breach the Moehne Dam. Gibson then led the three remaining Lancasters to attack the Eder Dam. Only 11 of the bombers survived the mission.

Related Topics:
May 16 - 1943 - Moehne Dam - Eder Dam

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The devastation caused by the raids was extensive but the Germans managed to rebuild and recover much more quickly than was expected. However they were forced to use assets to protect key installations like dams to a greater extent than they had before. These assets would have been useful on other fronts. The propaganda boost given to the allied war effort was considerable.

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