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Lost Voices of the Dambusters Raid
The definitive oral history of the raid featuring contributions from Mission Commander Guy Gibson and Bouncing Bomb creator Barnes Wallis. The Dambusters raid was one of the most iconic missions of the Second World War.
Three dams along Germany’s Ruhr Valley, which powered the nation’s industrial war effort, were the target. To overcome the torpedo nets and other defences, Barnes Wallis invented the ‘bouncing’ bomb to skim along the surface of the reservoirs before breaching the dam walls.
617 Squadron was chosen to deliver them. On the night of 16–17 May 1943, nineteen specially modified Lancaster bombers left Britain. Weeks of training under absolute secrecy were put to the test.
Here, acclaimed oral historian Max Arthur has gathered together the voices of the Lancaster crews as well as the German civilians who endured the attack, compiling a unique picture of how the mission unfolded, and the devastation it caused.
‘A masterpiece of concise storytelling’ Sunday Express
Three dams along Germany’s Ruhr Valley, which powered the nation’s industrial war effort, were the target. To overcome the torpedo nets and other defences, Barnes Wallis invented the ‘bouncing’ bomb to skim along the surface of the reservoirs before breaching the dam walls.
617 Squadron was chosen to deliver them. On the night of 16–17 May 1943, nineteen specially modified Lancaster bombers left Britain. Weeks of training under absolute secrecy were put to the test.
Here, acclaimed oral historian Max Arthur has gathered together the voices of the Lancaster crews as well as the German civilians who endured the attack, compiling a unique picture of how the mission unfolded, and the devastation it caused.
‘A masterpiece of concise storytelling’ Sunday Express
332 pages, Paperback
Published April 10, 2025
About the author
Max Arthur
87 books41 followersMax Arthur is an author who specialises in first-hand recollections of historical events. He has worked closely with the Imperial War Museum to bring together two books in the Forgotten Voices series, Forgotten Voices of the Great War and Forgotten Voices of the Second World War. Prior to becoming a writer, he served with the Royal Air Force and for some years was an actor.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 5, 2026
It's rare that I give a 5 star rating to any book, let alone a book about probably one of the most famous/infamous raids on Germany in WW2.
The Dambusters Raid was one of the iconic missions of the aforementioned conflict. Three dams, the Möhne, the Eder, and the Sorpe, were the targets of 617 Squadron, on the night of 16th and 17th May 1943. Made up of nineteen modified Lancaster bombers. The dams along the Ruhr Valley powered the nation's industrial war effort. To overcome torpedo nets and other defences, Barnes Wallis invented the bouncing bomb to skim, like a stone, along the surface of the reservoirs before breaching the dam walls.
Here, Max Arthur has gathered together not only the voices of the crews, but also German civilians and defenders who endured the attack.
The Dambusters Raid was one of the iconic missions of the aforementioned conflict. Three dams, the Möhne, the Eder, and the Sorpe, were the targets of 617 Squadron, on the night of 16th and 17th May 1943. Made up of nineteen modified Lancaster bombers. The dams along the Ruhr Valley powered the nation's industrial war effort. To overcome torpedo nets and other defences, Barnes Wallis invented the bouncing bomb to skim, like a stone, along the surface of the reservoirs before breaching the dam walls.
Here, Max Arthur has gathered together not only the voices of the crews, but also German civilians and defenders who endured the attack.
January 30, 2026
A very interesting read and outlines the bravery plus the losses and sacrifices of WWII
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews