Must read Book, "Enemy Coast Ahead"

[Gibbs505]

The author is Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson VC, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, RAF (12 August 1918 – 19 September 1944).

This is the story of the man who lead the dambuster raid. It covers the period from the start of the war up to his return to england from the raid. While some of it is misdirection, the war was still on when he wrote it remember, there is still a lot of interesting reading in the book. Especially about the early raids.

In 1943, Gibson, still only twenty-five, was given command of the newly formed 617 Squadron. The task of this new unit was to attack and destroy the five dams in the Ruhr. This was a highly specialised mission and only the best air crew from Bomber Command were selected for 617 Squadron. The squadron had to practice low level bombing runs over water that would eventually have to be done at night. Such training was dangerous and became even more so when the crews were told just how low over water they would have to fly their Lancasters. The bouncing bomb had to be dropped at just sixty feet above water from a specific distance from the dam. The pilot had to fly the bomber at exactly the right height and speed while the bomb aimer had to calculate the exact time that the bomb had to be dropped. If the plane was going too slow or too fast or too high, the bomb would either overshoot or not bounce over the nets that protected the dams.



The raids on the dams took place on May 16th, 1943. The Moehne and Eder dams were breached but at a cost to 617 Squadron. Only eleven bombers out of nineteen survived and fifty three crew members were killed.

Guy Gibson was a controversial figure, in life and death. The manner of his aircraft being downed was surrounded in controversy. Although not a member of 630 Squadron or based at East Kirkby, Gibson did once visit East Kirkby, and in doing so he did not make himself very popular with the crew of 630 Squadron.

I remember it was about three months before Gibson died, we were all in the pub and my friend was noticeably very upset," he said.

"We asked him what was wrong and he said on their latest bombing sortie he and his pilot were joined at the last minute by a wing commander who insisted that he fly with them, but they should tell nobody about it."

The mysterious Wing Commander turned out to be Guy Gibson, who was officially banned from flying after the Dambusters raids.

"He flew with them over Germany and my mate said he was a nightmare," remembered Mr Parkins.

An interesting person.

 

[Rule 303]

The author is Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson VC, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, RAF (12 August 1918 – 19 September 1944).

This is the story of the man who lead the dambuster raid. It covers the period from the start of the war up to his return to england from the raid. While some of it is misdirection, the war was still on when he wrote it remember, there is still a lot of interesting reading in the book. Especially about the early raids.





An interesting person.

Also a movie by the same name, starring Richard Todd...as abrasive in the movie as Gibson appears to have been in real life.

 

[Gibbs505]

I have that movie. Very good with live footage of the tests of the bomb.

 

[stevebc]

I've got it too. There was even a version released in the states in which Hollywood spliced in some footage of US bombers for a few frames. I saw that one many years ago, it drew hoots and catcalls from all the males in the family.
I love how well they showed the tracer rounds they used. I believe all that was drawn onto the film frame by frame. Considering the technical limitations of the time, I think they did a brilliant job.

 

[MapleSugar]

"We asked him what was wrong and he said on their latest bombing sortie he and his pilot were joined at the last minute by a wing commander who insisted that he fly with them, but they should tell nobody about it."

The mysterious Wing Commander turned out to be Guy Gibson, who was officially banned from flying after the Dambusters raids.

It was customary to pull a recipient of the Victoria Cross from the battlefield, they did the same with Ernest "Smokey" Smith.

Here is some more info on Wing Commander Gibson:

...After receiving his VC, Gibson wrote an account of his wartime career, Enemy Coast Ahead, and was sent on a lecture tour of the United States by the government, partly to keep the new hero safe. The tour was "at a time when the first American airmen were coming home 'tour expired' after 25 operations. During questions one young lady asked `Wing Commander Gibson, how many operations have you been on over Germany?' 'One hundred and seventy-four.' There was a stunned silence."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Gibson

Apparently, he was only allowed back into combat after pestering Bomber Command.

Wing Commander Guy Gibson V.C. addressing some Boy Scouts:

[youtube]yq8lZhHcKP8[/youtube]

 

[Gibbs505]

I am now reading the book on 617 Squadron, Paul Brickhill's "The Dam Busters."

I actually met one of the later commanders of that squadron, Group Captain Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire, Baron Cheshire, VC, OM, DSO and Two Bars. When he visited New Zealand. Sadly I was too young and immature to really appreciate the experence.

 

[smellie]

I have 2 copies of the film "The Dam Busters" and still haven't seen it all the way through at a single sitting.

During the latter part of the War, there was a huge need for civilian passenger aircraft in Canada.... and none in production. The military gave permission for 12 sets of Lancaster engines, wings et cetera to go for civilian use, so they built them up as wide-bodied Lancs with 2 rows of seats down one side, a single row down the other side, and called them the North Star. My Dad was RCAF and was rather essential staff ( a Factory Inspector with Instrument Maker rating) and Mom had to make a flight to Vancouver. She took me with her, in arms, of course, and once the plane got up, I slept for the whole journey, being only a few months old myself.

So what happens now is I put in the bl*%#@*y movie, watch it all with great interest, the Lancs take off and, the very instant that those Merlins go into "cruise" condition.... I fall asleep! I wake up, generally, about the middle of the first bombing run, so there is a chunk of the movie which I have never seen, even though I have watched it a dozen times over the years!

But those Merlins have a sound all of their own.
.

BTW, Gibson didn't get the VC for leading the raid: he got it for escorting subsequent aircraft on the bomb run, acting as a target for the German gunners, drawing fire from the plane actually bombing. He had already dropped his own bomb.

I have no idea what some of those men were made of, but it's something which seems to be in pretty short supply these days.
.

 

[maxim08]

smellie,

The North Star, made by Canadair, was a Canadian made version of the Douglas DC-4 with Merlins. I believe that you are thinking of the 'Lancastrian', a civilian Lancaster built by Victory Aircraft at Malton, Ontario circa 1943 - 1945.

Regards,
John

 

[Dosing]

The manner of his aircraft being downed was surrounded in controversy.

IIRC, pilot error leading to fuel starvation.


The movie was not great, there have been some good docos on it though, also some incredibly horrible ones, like the recent one done with Canadian content for brit telly, just awful.

 

[smellie]

Maxim 08: thank you. I was a bit young at that time, as you might have guessed. So it must have been the Lancastrian, because that`s what Mom said they were on: a converted Lanc, essentially. My one and only claim to fame!

Thanks.
.

 

[lawn gnome]

"Enemy Coast Ahead" is a great account.

For some other really good reads let me suggest;
"A Thousand Shall Fall" by Murray Peden. Excellent personal account by prairie boy who does well in bomber command. It also contains a lot of good information comparing the night bombing campaign verses the USAAC dayligh bombing, as well as some special work in 100 Group.

"Lancaster to Berlin", another really good personal account of the bombing campaign. It also has some incredible details about the electronic war that went on between the bombers and the luftwaffe.

"Terror in the Starboard Seat" by Doug MacIntosh, a Mosquito intruder navigator that is both frightening and hilarious.

Canadians that can never be replaced.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

Just working my way through Lancaster by Leo Mc Kinstry. Touches on Gibson and the Dambuster saga, but explores the aircraft and its use very thoroughly.

Grizz