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Breaking the German Dams: A Minute-By-Minute Account of Operation 'Chastise' 16-17 May 1943
“This was Der Tag for 617 Squadron […] from eight o'clock onwards the scenes outside the crew rooms were something to be remembered."
“I watched each Lancaster become airborne from the window of my office but I did go outside to see all the boys roaring away into the fast approaching twilight, and that was a great thrill because they were flying at less than 150 feet from the ground. I just stood and gaped, hardly able to realize the significance of it all.”
On the evening of Sunday 16 May, 1943, the sound of Lancaster bombers fills the night air around Lincolnshire as two waves of Allied aircraft start their engines and take off from RAF Scampton in the direction of the Ruhr Valley. The mission? Attack the German dams on the Eder, Möhne and Sorpe rivers using special “bouncing bombs.” This was Operation Chastise.
In this remarkable work, No. 617 Squadron expert Robert Owen takes a microscope to the raid, guiding readers through the events of 16 and 17 May 1943 in astounding chronological detail. Each action leading up to, throughout, and following the raid is signposted with a precise time stamp, affording readers an informative, gripping and easy-to-follow reading experience. Owen’s compilation of a wide range of first-hand accounts from those involved in the Dambusters Raid complements this minute-by-minute retelling perfectly and adds to the readers’ understanding and appreciation of this astonishing military operation.
With a foreword by World War II aviation expert and author James Holland, Breaking the German Dams is a hugely impressive feat of non-fiction writing about one of the most awe-inspiring operations in British military history. Readers will be left incredibly well-versed in— and moved by—the extraordinary story of Operation Chastise.
“I watched each Lancaster become airborne from the window of my office but I did go outside to see all the boys roaring away into the fast approaching twilight, and that was a great thrill because they were flying at less than 150 feet from the ground. I just stood and gaped, hardly able to realize the significance of it all.”
On the evening of Sunday 16 May, 1943, the sound of Lancaster bombers fills the night air around Lincolnshire as two waves of Allied aircraft start their engines and take off from RAF Scampton in the direction of the Ruhr Valley. The mission? Attack the German dams on the Eder, Möhne and Sorpe rivers using special “bouncing bombs.” This was Operation Chastise.
In this remarkable work, No. 617 Squadron expert Robert Owen takes a microscope to the raid, guiding readers through the events of 16 and 17 May 1943 in astounding chronological detail. Each action leading up to, throughout, and following the raid is signposted with a precise time stamp, affording readers an informative, gripping and easy-to-follow reading experience. Owen’s compilation of a wide range of first-hand accounts from those involved in the Dambusters Raid complements this minute-by-minute retelling perfectly and adds to the readers’ understanding and appreciation of this astonishing military operation.
With a foreword by World War II aviation expert and author James Holland, Breaking the German Dams is a hugely impressive feat of non-fiction writing about one of the most awe-inspiring operations in British military history. Readers will be left incredibly well-versed in— and moved by—the extraordinary story of Operation Chastise.
224 pages, Hardcover
Published August 15, 2023
8 people want to read
About the author
Robert Owen
316 books49 followersIn 1771, reformer and philanthropist Robert Owen was born in Wales. He became known as "a capitalist who became the first Socialist." Owen started work as a clerk at age nine. With help from a sympathetic cloth merchant to whom he was apprenticed, Owen educated himself. Owen was an unbeliever by 14, influenced by Seneca, and his acquaintance with chemist John Dalton and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. By 18, Owen established a small spinning mill in Manchester. He married the daughter of a Glasgow cotton manufacturer, purchasing his father-in-law's New Lanark mills in Scotland. Owen set out to put his humanitarian creed into practice, and turned New Lanark into a model community attracting the attention of reformers around the world.
Owen set up the first infant-school in Britain, and a three-grade school for children under ten. He appealed to the government and other manufacturers to follow his lead, but was rebuffed by clergy-led opposition when his views on religion became widely known. At a public meeting calling for "villages of unity and cooperation," living wages and education of the poor at the City of London Tavern (Aug. 21, 1817), Owen called "all religions" false. He sought to limit hours for child labor in mills in 1815, and saw passage of a watered-down Factory Act in 1819. Owen's Essays on the Principle of the Formation of Human Character (1816) were his major treatises, in which he advised: "Relieve the human mind from useless and superstitious restraints."
He founded New Harmony, a model settlement in Indiana, in 1825-28--a failed venture which he signed over to his sons Robert Dale and William Owen. Owen wrote Debate on the Evidences of Christianity (1829). Owen founded the Economist in 1821 to promote his progressive views, and The New Moral World in 1834, along with an ethical movement called "Rational Religion." His "Halls of Science" attracted thousands of nonreligious followers ("Owenites") and the trade unions. Owen founded several other publications. His autobiography was published in 1857-58. Joseph McCabe called him "the father of British reformers, and one of the highest-minded men Britain ever produced." (Biographical Dictionary of Modern Rationalists, 1920). D. 1858.
Owen set up the first infant-school in Britain, and a three-grade school for children under ten. He appealed to the government and other manufacturers to follow his lead, but was rebuffed by clergy-led opposition when his views on religion became widely known. At a public meeting calling for "villages of unity and cooperation," living wages and education of the poor at the City of London Tavern (Aug. 21, 1817), Owen called "all religions" false. He sought to limit hours for child labor in mills in 1815, and saw passage of a watered-down Factory Act in 1819. Owen's Essays on the Principle of the Formation of Human Character (1816) were his major treatises, in which he advised: "Relieve the human mind from useless and superstitious restraints."
He founded New Harmony, a model settlement in Indiana, in 1825-28--a failed venture which he signed over to his sons Robert Dale and William Owen. Owen wrote Debate on the Evidences of Christianity (1829). Owen founded the Economist in 1821 to promote his progressive views, and The New Moral World in 1834, along with an ethical movement called "Rational Religion." His "Halls of Science" attracted thousands of nonreligious followers ("Owenites") and the trade unions. Owen founded several other publications. His autobiography was published in 1857-58. Joseph McCabe called him "the father of British reformers, and one of the highest-minded men Britain ever produced." (Biographical Dictionary of Modern Rationalists, 1920). D. 1858.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 30, 2023
This is wonderful new book on the already well covered story i.e. the bombing of the German damns in the Ruhr valley during WW2. Dr Owen has thoroughly researched the subject and brings together multiple sources to tell the story from conception through to execution. The latter part being a minute by minute timeline of the raid as told by those who took part and from official records from the RAF. The Luftwaffe and the German ground forces.
The general story is well known of how Barnes Wallace came up with a “ bouncing bomb” designed to evade protective torpedo nets and land next to the damn wall detonating once it had sunk to a depth of 60 ft focusing the percussive blast to blow out the very thick damn walls. Dr Owen takes you through this design phase and early trials and the formation of the special squadron of Avro Lancasters under the leadership of Wing Commander Guy Gibson where the skills of low level nighttime flying and precision bombing are quickly developed. The timeline of the raid itself and the anecdotes from the air crews is very enlightening and you understand why the casualties were so high on such a raid literally flying at treetop height at nighttime with power lines, church steeples and sand dunes coming at you out of the dark traveling at 300mph…frightening!
There are many nuances to the story which I had not heard before and I commend the author for his skill in being able to bring in a lot of detail without it being too repetitive nor losing the momentum of what is an exciting story.
The final part of the book is an attempt to answer the question of whether it achieved its aim and whether it was worth the sacrifice. Again I commend the Author for deftly avoiding a debate of the morality of bombing targets with such a high civilian casualty rate. This is not the book for such a debate nor should there be any deflection from the bravery and sacrifice of those who took part in the raid. Instead Owen focuses on the reported facts on the damages caused by the raid, the efforts and resources required to rebuild and reinstate and the disruption to the war effort and psychological blow to morale.
I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in WW2 history or just some who would like to get a feel for what it was like flyingnightime raids over Germany.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing access to this book.
The general story is well known of how Barnes Wallace came up with a “ bouncing bomb” designed to evade protective torpedo nets and land next to the damn wall detonating once it had sunk to a depth of 60 ft focusing the percussive blast to blow out the very thick damn walls. Dr Owen takes you through this design phase and early trials and the formation of the special squadron of Avro Lancasters under the leadership of Wing Commander Guy Gibson where the skills of low level nighttime flying and precision bombing are quickly developed. The timeline of the raid itself and the anecdotes from the air crews is very enlightening and you understand why the casualties were so high on such a raid literally flying at treetop height at nighttime with power lines, church steeples and sand dunes coming at you out of the dark traveling at 300mph…frightening!
There are many nuances to the story which I had not heard before and I commend the author for his skill in being able to bring in a lot of detail without it being too repetitive nor losing the momentum of what is an exciting story.
The final part of the book is an attempt to answer the question of whether it achieved its aim and whether it was worth the sacrifice. Again I commend the Author for deftly avoiding a debate of the morality of bombing targets with such a high civilian casualty rate. This is not the book for such a debate nor should there be any deflection from the bravery and sacrifice of those who took part in the raid. Instead Owen focuses on the reported facts on the damages caused by the raid, the efforts and resources required to rebuild and reinstate and the disruption to the war effort and psychological blow to morale.
I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in WW2 history or just some who would like to get a feel for what it was like flyingnightime raids over Germany.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing access to this book.
May 5, 2023
I thought that I was pretty conversant with the facts and figures behind Operation Chastise. How wrong could I be!
The author has undertaken massive research into the 617 Squadron’s dam’s raid and has brought to light many previously unpublished, very detailed facts from both the RAF and the German perspectives. The book gives a minute-by-minute account of the raid, from the pre-operational briefings through to the final return of the survivors.
I was surprised by the several inconsistencies in the various eyewitness accounts, but these were totally understandable in the fog of war and fear of violent death. Interestingly many of the aircraft did not fly their pre-planned routes due to low-level navigational issues, but were able to find their way to their targets.
As we are all aware, the overwhelming bravery and skill of the crews of the crews plus the leadership of Guy Gibson made this operation an amazing success. But we must also take into account the tenacity of Barnes Wallis and the hard-working ground crews who made it possible.
I have a particular interest in the dam raids, my mother was a WAAF who worked directly for Gibson at that time. My father flew Lancasters with 57 Squadron, who were also stationed at Scampton during this period. His squadron couldn’t understand why 617 Squadron weren’t flying nightly operations into Germany, and why they were having such a ‘cushy’ life. The day following the raid, my father and his colleagues were shocked by the significant losses of aircrew from their sister unit.
A brilliant book and thoroughly recommended to WW2 buffs.
The author has undertaken massive research into the 617 Squadron’s dam’s raid and has brought to light many previously unpublished, very detailed facts from both the RAF and the German perspectives. The book gives a minute-by-minute account of the raid, from the pre-operational briefings through to the final return of the survivors.
I was surprised by the several inconsistencies in the various eyewitness accounts, but these were totally understandable in the fog of war and fear of violent death. Interestingly many of the aircraft did not fly their pre-planned routes due to low-level navigational issues, but were able to find their way to their targets.
As we are all aware, the overwhelming bravery and skill of the crews of the crews plus the leadership of Guy Gibson made this operation an amazing success. But we must also take into account the tenacity of Barnes Wallis and the hard-working ground crews who made it possible.
I have a particular interest in the dam raids, my mother was a WAAF who worked directly for Gibson at that time. My father flew Lancasters with 57 Squadron, who were also stationed at Scampton during this period. His squadron couldn’t understand why 617 Squadron weren’t flying nightly operations into Germany, and why they were having such a ‘cushy’ life. The day following the raid, my father and his colleagues were shocked by the significant losses of aircrew from their sister unit.
A brilliant book and thoroughly recommended to WW2 buffs.
April 7, 2023
A truly interesting story on raid by the British on the German dams in WW2. The story takes you through the planning, development, execution of the mission and the results. The men who participated in the raid were inspirational and what they endured was heartbreaking. A great read!
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews