Dambusters Anniversary

[ciderally]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7404052.stm

just watching the old lancaster bomber fly past ....65 years on...these pilots at the time were only aged about 24 years old or younger...and a lot of them were lost on that sortie...deserve remembering this day...

[Lord Flasheart]

Lovely old bird the Lanc aint she ??

I agree that these brave men should be remembered, Barnes Willis who invented the bouncing bomb was distraught after the raid when he learned of the numbers of aircrew that were lost.

Im looking forward to the remake of the film by Peter Jackson. Although the name of the dog will be changed as is the way today when history doesnt fit in with the PC crowd.

RIP to those lost on the raid and indeed the 55,000 Bomber Command aircrew lost during the last war.

PS .. 617 are known in the RAF as "The hole in the wall gang" .. ;)

[MadPict]

If only I could get to Derbyshire...

[scorrie]

Im looking forward to the remake of the film by Peter Jackson. Although the name of the dog will be changed as is the way today when history doesnt fit in with the PC crowd.



The dog was originally called "Nigger" and that is bound to cause offence in today's climate. You could argue that it enhances authenticity to leave it as it was at the time but it is hardly central to the telling of the story. Would you risk alienating a large number of potential customers? It is hardly comparable to the "Baa, Baa, Woolly sheep" nonsense.

Personally speaking, I think the guy was coming the bag anyway with the name "Nigger", after all, the dog was a Red Setter ;)

[MadPict]

Gibson's dog was a black Lab...


If you look closely at the end of the film a black dog can be seen running through the trees behind "Gibson" as he talks to "Wallis"...
Ghost or what?...

[superted]

The dambusters sortie has to be one of the most amazing military flights ever!!! These men were young, mostly inexperienced and had to fly in the dark, low and in an enclosed space....amazing!!! I was was lucky enough to see this aircraft flying, what a beast!!!!:lol:

[scorrie]

Gibson's dog was a black Lab...




You've just punctured a delicious ironic imagery.

[George Brims]

The dambusters sortie has to be one of the most amazing military flights ever!!! These men were young, mostly inexperienced and had to fly in the dark, low and in an enclosed space....amazing!!! I was was lucky enough to see this aircraft flying, what a beast!!!!:lol:
They were young, but not inexperienced. Indeed one of the sad things about the aftermath of the raid was that 617 had been assembled from the best crews from many other squadrons. All over Bomber Command morale was badly affected by their loss.

[superted]

They were young, but not inexperienced. Indeed one of the sad things about the aftermath of the raid was that 617 had been assembled from the best crews from many other squadrons. All over Bomber Command morale was badly affected by their loss.


Yes agreed, I mean't inexperienced for that type of mission. They all trained hard prior to the sortie, however nothing could have really prepared them for the real thing.

[the_count]

My dad used to be in the RAF and his last station before leaving the forces was Scampton which was where the Dambusters flew from. They used to have one of the Lancs (non-flying) complete with a mock up of the bouncing bomb at the main gates to the camp :D

[percy toboggan]

The dog's name should stay if there is a remake.
Why bother though? The film has been made and it's a fitting tribute.
Put simply, it will not be bettered.
The Avro Lancaster - built near here...my mother was a rivetter (I recall her saying) on wing panels...and the testing of the aiming device was carried out on Derwent Water...just up the road about twenty miles.
These men were heroes...so many made the ultimate sacrifice but I cannot believe where the country is now has rendered that sacrifice to have been worthwhile.

Subsequent generations have revealed themselves to be wishy-washy , dissolute and the great masses of population have turned flabby and apathetic...I do not exclude myself from this criticism. That said...'The Dambusters' film should be compulsory viewing for all ten year olds ... all over Europe. Perhaps the music could be lyricised and used as England's new national anthem.

[Mik.M.]

The dog's name should stay if there is a remake.
Why bother though? The film has been made and it's a fitting tribute.
Put simply, it will not be bettered.
The Avro Lancaster - built near here...my mother was a rivetter (I recall her saying) on wing panels...and the testing of the aiming device was carried out on Derwent Water...just up the road about twenty miles.
These men were heroes...so many made the ultimate sacrifice but I cannot believe where the country is now has rendered that sacrifice to have been worthwhile.

Subsequent generations have revealed themselves to be wishy-washy , dissolute and the great masses of population have turned flabby and apathetic...I do not exclude myself from this criticism. That said...'The Dambusters' film should be compulsory viewing for all ten year olds ... all over Europe. Perhaps the music could be lyricised and used as England's new national anthem.Wholeheatedly Agree,Percy

[Tighsonas4]

Yes agreed, I mean't inexperienced for that type of mission. They all trained hard prior to the sortie, however nothing could have really prepared them for the real thing.
these chaps didnt have anything like the resourses of the modern day
the poor rear gunner was out on his own in a turret
wonder what they would think if they could see the state of the country they fought for today tony

[Tugmistress]

I must have seen this film about a dozen times if not more, i am not old enough to remember the war but this film held my interest as a child and still holds it now 40+ years later. I even have the book.
Great Men they all were, if there really is to be a remake, I hope they do it justice for a change.

[Tilter]

This is the story of my life. I spent many years of my life in the company of an engineer on a Lancaster (father of an old boyfriend) - I was 18 at the beginning and I never asked him about it because I wasn't remotely interested. I had a grandfather in the trenches in the Great War and never asked him about it because I wasn't interested. I had a father in North Africa in WW2 and never asked him about it because I wasn't interested.

I regret it and I think today's kids are more clued up than I was.

[Cedric Farthsbottom III]

They were brave lads the whole lot of them.Ma mate bought a dodgy curry in Edinburgh and did a bouncing bomb of his own.That beast widnae have just destroyed a dam but a country,I still havnae regained ma sense of smell.

[TBH]

They were brave lads the whole lot of them.Ma mate bought a dodgy curry in Edinburgh and did a bouncing bomb of his own.That beast widnae have just destroyed a dam but a country,I still havnae regained ma sense of smell.Did ye manage to remove it from the nostril that it bounced up?

[Cedric Farthsbottom III]

Did ye manage to remove it from the nostril that it bounced up?

Remove it,I still think chicken smells like pink shrimps.Must admit The Dambusters film is still one of ma favourite "awld" films.Thats what ye see as a kid,when things happen before yer time.Ye rely on movies and newpapers.History is brilliant.

[TBH]

Remove it,I still think chicken smells like pink shrimps.Must admit The Dambusters film is still one of ma favourite "awld" films.Thats what ye see as a kid,when things happen before yer time.Ye rely on movies and newpapers.History is brilliant.Indeed, history like this should never be forgotten.

[darkie@dreamtilt.com.au]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7404052.stm

just watching the old lancaster bomber fly past ....65 years on...these pilots at the time were only aged about 24 years old or younger...and a lot of them were lost on that sortie...deserve remembering this day...
Thanks for the link ciberally,just came back from it,great to see the Lancaster,went for a ride as bombaimer,then had to come back to earth,again thanks for that,realy enjoyed it

[brokencross]

Could a Lancaster have landed at Wick "aerodrome".
I have vague memories of a few R.A.F. planes being at Wick in the early 1960's. They were parked up on the apron; I only saw them from the road, don't know if they were Lancasters or their smaller brother the Shackelton from the Coastal Command. Anyone remember or shed any light on this.

Have been to a couple of airshows where the RAF Memorial Flight have done a fly past and it certainly makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

[George Brims]

Those planes were Shackletons. I don't think they were a smaller brother to the Lancaster. The Shackleton was developed from the Lincoln, which was an updated version of the Lancaster. They were used for many years as anti-submarine aircraft.

[percy toboggan]

A Shackleton 'lives' in the museum of science and technology in Manchester. An impressive sight close up but I'd guess a bit smaller than a Lanc. If memory serves me well I think they were the forrunner of the Nimrod...kind of early surveillance roles and keeping a general eye out...I think they could stay airborne for a relatively long time.

Mail on Sunday yesterday printed a double page colour photo of a Lancaster cockpit fascia - impressive and the stuff of schoolboy dreams and adult nightmares. Cold and noisy I'd bet...not to mention terminally dangerous for those fine men who flew them. I can visualise one now, lifting off against a setting sun from Scampton, or any number of Lincolnshire Airfields,...G for George...off on ops.... to rain fury down upon the foe. If any other image sums up the battling bulldog breed that is British then I haven't seen it.

(Yes, I know bombing cities was bad form...but they should never have allowed the sewing of the wind - when faced with an enemy of Germany's size....civilities are off)

[George Brims]

On the relative sizes of the Lanc and the Shackleton:
The Shackleton had 120 foot wingspan as opposed to 102 for the Lanc.
Shackleton body was shorter at 57ft3, against 69ft4 for the Lanc.
Height 16ft9 Shackleton, 19ft7 Lanc, though the difference may be down to the form of the undercarriage.
My source notes that the fuselage of the Shack was almost twice the volume of the Lincoln. The Land and Lincoln were very parallel shaped, whereas they made the Shackleton fatter.

[northener]

I remember being back home in Yorkshire on leave in 1983.

I was minding my own business cleaning my bike ( Benelli 900 Sei - if anyone's interested) in the back yard. I remember hearing a distant noise, I'd never heard it before in my life - but by God I knew it was a Merlin engined beastie!

I looked up to see the 'City Of Lincoln' Lancaster come roaring over our coalshed.

Ye Gods, the hairs stood up on the back of my neck. What really topped it off was one of my neighbours (I'll not name him, wouldn't be right) ran out into the street shouting:

"%+*&&% Hell, I used to @{+)^&$£ service that @##@==+ crate!!!"

Wonderful, I'll never forget it.

They should still call the dog 'Nigger' IMO.....

[Lord Flasheart]

I agree with you Northener ref the dogs name, history is history and it was a different time. It was also the codeword to be transmitted for a succesful mission so it will be interesting to see how they get around it.

What would be great is for some of the filming to be done at Scampton, all the buildings are still there and I think it would add a little bit of realism to it all. Plus the BBMF Lanc is just down the road at Coningsby.

Found some photo links to the Derwnet flypast on May 16th if anyone is interested showing the Lanc as well as the Tornado they currently fly.

Here you go .. http://forums.airshows.co.uk/cgi-bin/ukarboard/ikonboard.cgi?;act=ST;f=36;t=47953 .. and .. http://forums.airshows.co.uk/cgi-bin/ukarboard/ikonboard.cgi?;act=ST;f=36;t=47859 .. and if your wondering about the nose art on the Lanc .. http://www.bbmf.co.uk/bomber.html

[evelyn]

Could a Lancaster have landed at Wick "aerodrome".
I have vague memories of a few R.A.F. planes being at Wick in the early 1960's. They were parked up on the apron; I only saw them from the road, don't know if they were Lancasters or their smaller brother the Shackelton from the Coastal Command. Anyone remember or shed any light on this.

I remember that too, they were Shackletons from No 8 squadron then based at Kinloss. I mostly remember the awsome noise when they all started up their engines (Rolls Royce Griffons I think).

Have been to a couple of airshows where the RAF Memorial Flight have done a fly past and it certainly makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

Absolutely. It can be very humbling if you also happen to see a moist eyed old gent just standing looking up perhaps with his own memories.

[evelyn]

Sorry I made a right pigs ear of that reply. The middle bit in Brokencross`s quote was meant to be in answer to his first paragraph. Please don`t lob over any bombs, bouncing or otherwise.

[Tighsonas4]

WICK AIRPORT
the airport here was capable of flying all of these kites as the runways were extended tremendously.
as a matter of fact i think im right in thinking it was the second largest bomber command that was going
it also had fighter squadrons for cover as well as skitten and casletown
regards tony

[Camra]

Type in 'Spitfire Low pass presenter' in your search engine.

Excellent video

[George Brims]

These men were heroes...so many made the ultimate sacrifice but I cannot believe where the country is now has rendered that sacrifice to have been worthwhile.

Subsequent generations have revealed themselves to be wishy-washy , dissolute and the great masses of population have turned flabby and apathetic...I do not exclude myself from this criticism.

Hmmm. I think there is always a tendency, at least on the part of people of a certain peculiar mindset, to think the current generation wouldn't rise to the occasion if asked. But when it came time to fight the IRA in the streets of Belfast and the hedgerows of Co Armagh, it got done. When it was time to kick the Argentinians out of the Falklands, or the Iraqis out of Kuwait, our boys did a stunning job.

[ciderally]

thanks all for your info on this i have enjoyed all your comments....its a good thing we have these annivesaries.....least we forget xx