The Complete Dambusters: The 133 Men Who Flew on the Dams Raid

by Charles Foster

On 16 May 1943, nineteen Lancaster aircraft from the RAF's 617 Squadron set off to attack the great dams in the industrial heart of Germany. Flying at a height of 60ft, they dropped a series of bombs which bounced across the water and destroyed two of their targets, thereby creating a legend. The one-off operation combined an audacious method of attack, technically brilliant flying and visually spectacular results. But while the story of Operation Chastise is well known, most of the 133 'Dambusters' who took part in the Dams Raid have until now been just names on a list. They came from all parts of the UK and the Commonwealth and beyond, and each of them was someone's son or brother, someone's husband or father. This is the first book to present their individual stories and celebrate their skill, heroism and, for many, sacrifice.

321 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 8, 2018

About the author

Charles Foster is a Fellow of Green Templeton College at the University of Oxford. He is a qualified veterinarian, teaches medical law and ethics, and is a practicing barrister. Much of his life has been spent on expeditions: he has run a 150-mile race in the Sahara, skied to the North Pole, and suffered injuries in many desolate and beautiful landscapes. He has written on travel, evolutionary biology, natural history, anthropology, and philosophy.

Reviews

[Pete daPixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charles Foster's 'The Complete Dambusters' may not posses the easy readability of the Max Arthur or Paul Brickhill 'Dambusters' accounts, or the attraction of Gibson's 'Enemy Coast Ahead' or the authority of Sweetman's 'The Dambusters Raid', yet for a fully inclusive historical compendium of the men that crewed the nineteen Lancasters that took part in the raid on the 16th of May 1943, this is the book.
As the sub-title of 'The 133 Men Who Flew on the Dams Raid' states, the main section of research is dedicated to every member of every aircraft. Each 'Lanc' carried a crew of seven and each man is given a brief but detailed biography, his WWII flying career, both before, and where applicable, after this operation with 637 squadron. Foster also provides pictures of each man.
Many of the erroneous parts of Gibson's book are herein corrected as well as the myths in the 'memory of a repeat of a fiction' as the author puts it.
These exploits have never failed to amaze me ever since the release of the film with Richard Todd, or perhaps that my mother was secretary to A.V. Roe's Sir Roy Dobson in Manchester. It is little wonder that there are dozens of books available covering Operation Chastise in one way or another, but this is the first to provide a history of the 113, and for that, four stars.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this book 3 stars because it was easy to read and full of information. However, I took off two stars because some of the information is incorrect. My grandad is a friend of the family of one of the gentlemen who unfortunately died during the raid. The book says he is the eldest of two brothers but he is in fact one of four brothers and also had a sister in the forces.

[Jennefer Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly interesting read.