Australia's Dambusters: The Men & Missions of 617 Squadron

by Colin Burgess

A truly comprehensive account of 617 Squadron, RAF, ?who carried out one of the most dangerous and audacious aerial bombing raids of World War II.It was the evening of 16 May 1943, as 19 modified Lancaster bombers from 617 Squadron RAF, under the command of youthful Wing Commander Guy Gibson, roared into the night sky from their Lincolnshire base. They were on a top-secret Bomber Command mission, codenamed Operation Chastise, now regarded as one of the most dangerous and audacious bombing raids of World War II – an attack on the formidable, well-defended dams of Germany’s Ruhr Valley. Slung beneath the belly of each aircraft was one of the war’s greatest secrets – a bouncing bomb. Against the odds, and flying straight and level into the teeth of terrifying enemy fire, they succeeded in breaching the two principal dams. Many of the 133 airmen involved that fateful night hailed from Australia, and several would be counted among the 56 who would not return to base next morning.The Dams Raid led to the men of this gallant company – often referred to as a suicide squadron – taking on even more hazardous operations in the final two years of the war. Under valorous leadership, and now armed with massive Tallboy and Grand Slam ‘earthquake’ bombs, they obliterated vital Nazi installations, destroying such defiant targets as the heavily-defended Kembs Barrage and the German battleship, Tirpitz , often at a terrible cost in lives.First published in 2003, this deeply researched, revised and updated edition of Australia’s Dambusters offers a truly comprehensive account of the most famous bombing raid of the war through the words and stories of the courageous Australian airmen and others who flew on this and later perilous missions, remembered and forever immortalised as The Dambusters.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Aviation, Australia

173 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some amazing stories, but unfortunately it felt like the book suffered at times from what it originally was - a series of shorter stories which have subsequently been stitched together.

It also felt as though the book lacked an overarching narrative and was more a collation of individual anecdotes. Still, it seems to be a very well researched book, and a clear passion project for the author.

[Roo · Rating 4 out of 5]

From a WW2 perspective, the contents in this book, of which a huge part naturally involve the RAAF pilots & the action played out over Europe etc is unbelievable.
Though hard to get into initially, the thread of the 'plot' was maintained despite the feeling of many stories coming together to formalise it into a book.
Excellent reading. My father in law, at 89, said it was brilliant also! He's a war-buff. 4.5*

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice dive into Australia's role of the Dambuster raid and their role in that squad for the rest of the war. The only thing keeping it from a 5 is that it reads like what it is, a mashing of articles. All very good but at the intersection you get pulled out of the story a bit. If you are a WWII buff it is a worthwhile read.