Dambusters Aircraft and Aircrew

On the 16th May 1943, nineteen Lancasters from No. 617 Squadron, led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, took off from RAF Scampton to attack a number of dams in the Ruhr Valley, Germany. Known as Operation Chastise, and as the Dambusters Raid, eight failed to return, and of the 133 aircrew who took part, fifty three died and three became prisoners of war. As a result of the raid, the Mohne and Eder Dams were breached, killing around 1,300 people.

Notes

All aircraft were Avro Lancaster B.III (Special).
The squadron code was AJ.
The code name for the bomb used was Upkeep.
The aircraft were sent in three waves.
Aircrew role in green means they returned, purple, became prisoners of war and red, killed in action.

First Wave (nine aircraft)

Lancaster (ED932) G- George

Dam attacked	Mohne
Upkeep dropped	Yes, no hit.

Aircraft

Returned to base.

Pilot		Wing Commander Guy Gibson
Flight Engineer		Sergeant John Pulford
Navigator		Pilot Officer Harlo Taerum
Wireless Operator		Flight Lieutenant Robert Hutchinson
Bomb-aimer		Pilot Officer Frederick Spafford
Front Gunner		Flight Lieutenant George Deering
Rear Gunner		Flight Lieutenant Richard Trevor-Roper

Lancaster (ED925) M - Mother

Dam attacked	Mohne
Upkeep dropped	Yes, no hit.

Aircraft

Crashed after dropping Upkeep.

Pilot		Flight Lieutenant John Hopgood
Flight Engineer		Sergeant Charles Brennan
Navigator		Flying Officer Kenneth Earnshaw
Wireless Operator		Sergeant John Minchin
Bomb-aimer		Pilot Officer John Fraser
Front Gunner		Pilot Officer George Gregory
Rear Gunner		Pilot Officer Anthony Burcher

Lancaster (ED909) P - Popsie

Dam attacked	Mohne
Upkeep dropped	Yes, no hit.

Aircraft

Returned to base.

Pilot		Flight Lieutenant Harold Martin
Flight Engineer		Pilot Officer Ivan Whittaker
Navigator		Flight Lieutenant Jack Leggo
Wireless Operator		Flying Officer Leonard Chambers
Bomb-aimer		Flight Lieutenant Robert Hay
Front Gunner		Pilot Officer Bertie Foxlee
Rear Gunner		Flight Sergeant Thomas Simpson

Lancaster (ED887) A - Apple

Dam attacked	Mohne
Upkeep dropped	Yes, small breach caused.

Aircraft

Crashed in the Netherlands on the way back.

Pilot		Squadron Leader Henry Young
Flight Engineer		Sergeant David Horsfall
Navigator		Flight Sergeant Charles Roberts
Wireless Operator		Sergeant Lawrence Nichols
Bomb-aimer		Flying Officer Vincent MacCausland
Front Gunner		Sergeant Gordon Yeo
Rear Gunner		Sergeant Wilfred Ibbotson

Lancaster (ED906) J - Johnny

Dam attacked	Mohne
Upkeep dropped	Yes, dam collapsed.

Aircraft

Returned to base.

Pilot		Flight Lieutenant David Maltby
Flight Engineer		Flight Sergeant William Hatton
Navigator		Sergeant Vivian Nicholson
Wireless Operator		Sergeant Anthony Stone
Bomb-aimer		Pilot Officer John Fort
Front Gunner		Sergeant Victor Hill
Rear Gunner		Sergeant Harold Simmonds

Lancaster (ED929) L - Leather

Dam attacked	Eder
Upkeep dropped	Yes, no breach.

Aircraft

Returned to base.

Pilot		Flight Lieutenant David Shannon
Flight Engineer		Sergeant Robert Henderson
Navigator		Flying Officer Daniel Walker
Wireless Operator		Flying Officer Brian Goodale
Bomb-aimer		Flight Sergeant Leonard Sumpter
Front Gunner		Sergeant Brian Jagger
Rear Gunner		Flying Officer Jack Buckley

Lancaster (ED937) Z – Zebra

Dam attacked	Eder
Upkeep dropped	Yes, no hit.

Aircraft

Shot down near Emmarch, Germany by anti-aircraft fire while returning to base.

Pilot		Squadron Leader Henry Maudslay
Flight Engineer		Sergeant Jack Marriott
Navigator		Flying Officer Robert Urquhart
Wireless Operator		Warrant Officer Alden Cottam
Bomb-aimer		Pilot Officer John Fuller
Front Gunner		Flying Officer William Tytherleigh
Rear Gunner		Sergeant Norman Burrows

Lancaster (ED864) B - Baker

Dam attacked	None
Upkeep dropped	No

Aircraft

Crashed near Marbeck, Germany after hitting power cables on its way to the Eder Dam.

Pilot		Flight Lieutenant William Astell
Flight Engineer		Sergeant John Kinnear
Navigator		Pilot Officer Floyd Wile
Wireless Operator		Warrant Officer Albert Garshowitz
Bomb-aimer		Flying Officer Donald Hopkinson
Front Gunner		Flight Sergeant Francis Garbas
Rear Gunner		Sergeant Richard Bolitho

Lancaster (ED912) N - Nuts

Dam attacked	Eder
Upkeep dropped	Yes, breach caused

Aircraft

Returned to base.

Pilot		Pilot Officer Leslie Knight
Flight Engineer		Sergeant Raymond Grayston
Navigator		Flying Officer Sydney Hobday
Wireless Operator		Flight Sergeant Robert Kellow
Bomb-aimer		Flying Officer Edward Johnson
Front Gunner		Sergeant Frederick Sutherland
Rear Gunner		Sergeant Henry O'Brien

Second Wave (five aircraft)

Lancaster (ED927) E - Easy

Dam attacked	None
Upkeep dropped	No

Aircraft

Crashed near Rees, Germany due to hitting high tension cables on its way to the Sorpe Dam.

Pilot		Flight Lieutenant Robert Barlow
Flight Engineer		Pilot Officer Samuel Whillis
Navigator		Flying Officer Philip Burgess
Wireless Operator		Flying Officer Charles Williams
Bomb-aimer		Pilot Officer Alan Gillespie
Front Gunner		Flying Officer Harvey Glinz
Rear Gunner		Sergeant Jack Liddell

Lancaster (ED921) W - Willie

Dam attacked	None
Upkeep dropped	No

Aircraft

Returned after encountering anti-aircraft fire near Vlieland, Netherlands, badly damaging the aircraft.

Pilot		Flight Lieutenant John Munro
Flight Engineer		Sergeant Frank Appleby
Navigator		Flying Officer Francis Rumbles
Wireless Operator		Warrant Officer Percy Pigeon
Bomb-aimer		Sergeant James Clay
Front Gunner		Sergeant William Howarth
Rear Gunner		Flight Sergeant Harvey Weeks

Lancaster (ED934) K - King

Dam attacked	None
Upkeep dropped	No

Aircraft

Shot down near Texel, Netherlands by anti-aircraft fire on its way to the Sorpe Dam.

Pilot		Pilot Officer Vernon Byers
Flight Engineer		Sergeant Alastair Taylor
Navigator		Flying Officer James Warner
Wireless Operator		Sergeant John Wilkinson
Bomb-aimer		Pilot Officer Arthur Whitaker
Front Gunner		Sergeant Charles Jarvie
Rear Gunner		Flight Sergeant James McDowell

Lancaster (ED936) H - Harry

Dam attacked	None
Upkeep dropped	No

Aircraft

Returned after hitting the sea near Texel, Netherlands on its way to target.

Pilot		Pilot Officer Geoffrey Rice
Flight Engineer		Sergeant Edward Smith
Navigator		Flying Officer Richard Macfarlane
Wireless Operator		Warrant Officer Chester Gowrie
Bomb-aimer		Warrant Officer John Thrasher
Front Gunner		Sergeant William Maynard
Rear Gunner		Sergeant Stephen Burns

Lancaster (ED825) T - Tommy

Dam attacked	Sorpe
Upkeep dropped	Yes, no breach.

Aircraft

Returned to base.

Pilot		Flight Lieutenant Joseph McCarthy
Flight Engineer		Sergeant William Radcliffe
Navigator		Flight Sergeant Donald MacLean
Wireless Operator		Flight Sergeant Leonard Eaton
Bomb-aimer		Sergeant George Johnson
Front Gunner		Sergeant Ronald Batson
Rear Gunner		Flying Officer David Rodger

Third Wave (five aircraft)

Lancaster (ED910) C - Charlie

Dam attacked	None
Upkeep dropped	No

Aircraft

Shot down near Hamm, Germany by anti-aircraft fire on its way to the Lister Dam.

Pilot		Pilot Officer Warner Ottley
Flight Engineer		Sergeant Ronald Marsden
Navigator		Flying Officer Jack Barrett
Wireless Operator		Sergeant Jack Guterman
Bomb-aimer		Flight Sergeant Thomas Johnston
Front Gunner		Sergeant Harry Strange
Rear Gunner		Sergeant Frederick Tees

Lancaster (ED865) S - Sugar

Dam attacked	None
Upkeep dropped	No

Aircraft

Shot down on its way to the Sorpe Dam near Gilze-Rijen, Netherlands by anti-aircraft fire.

Pilot		Flying Officer Lewis Burpee
Flight Engineer		Sergeant Guy Pegler
Navigator		Sergeant Thomas Jaye
Wireless Operator		Pilot Officer Leonard Weller
Bomb-aimer		Flight Sergeant James Arthur
Front Gunner		Sergeant William Long
Rear Gunner		Warrant Officer Joseph Brady

Lancaster (ED918) F - Freddie

Dam attacked	Sorpe
Upkeep dropped	Yes, no breach.

Aircraft

Returned to base.

Pilot		Flight Sergeant Kenneth Brown
Flight Engineer		Sergeant Harry Feneron
Navigator		Sergeant Dudley Heal
Wireless Operator		Sergeant Herbert Hewstone
Bomb-aimer		Sergeant Stefan Oancia
Front Gunner		Sergeant Daniel Allatson
Rear Gunner		Flight Sergeant Grant McDonald

Lancaster (ED886) O – Orange

Dam attacked	Ennepe
Upkeep dropped	Yes, no breach.

Aircraft

Returned to base.

Pilot		Flight Sergeant William Townsend
Flight Engineer		Sergeant Dennis Powell
Navigator		Pilot Officer Cecil Howard
Wireless Operator		Flight Sergeant George Chalmers
Bomb-aimer		Sergeant Charles Franklin
Front Gunner		Sergeant Douglas Webb
Rear Gunner		Sergeant Raymond Wilkinson

Lancaster (ED924) Y - York

Dam attacked	None
Upkeep dropped	No

Aircraft

Returned after weather conditions and navigation problems meant it couldn't find the Sorpe Dam.

Pilot		Flight Sergeant Cyril Anderson
Flight Engineer		Sergeant Robert Paterson
Navigator		Sergeant John Nugent
Wireless Operator		Sergeant Douglas Bickle
Bomb-aimer		Sergeant Gilbert Green
Front Gunner		Sergeant Eric Ewan
Rear Gunner		Sergeant Arthur Buck

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