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65th Anniversary of the Dambusters raid

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Mike - one of the fascinating aspects of that mission was the way they "held altitude".

Just before departure, the pilots were told they'd have to fly the most dangerous part of the mission *at 60 feet*.

Altimeters of the day weren't all that accurate, so they had to figure out a way of measuring a *very* low altitude above ground/water.

Interesting: each plane had two "search lights" underneath. They were angled inward from the sides, so that the beams overlapped at 60 feet below the plane's belly. Too high or low, the beams showed as two separate white patches. But at 60 feet, the beams overlapped to form one bright patch.

Now that is cool. As were these guys:

3.jpg


From BBC: <span style="font-style: italic">"On the night of 16-17 May [1943], 19 specially-modified Avro Lancaster bombers from 617 Squadron, led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, set off to attack dams on the River Ruhr in Germany.

They are loaded with "bouncing" bombs, designed by Barnes Wallis. Five Lancasters successfully breach the Eder Dam. Wg Cdr Gibson (centre) is awarded the Victoria Cross."</span>

Tom
 
I remember that aspect of it too Tom! Kinda the same concept behind the bomb sight they used, but in reverse! Two pins in the aimers peripheral vision which when lined up with the right spots on the ends of the dam was time to push the button!!
 
I know I should know this yet I can't recall....both Rolls Royce and Packard built the Merlin? Which aircraft got which?
 
From Wikipedia:

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]The Packard V-1650 [Packard Merlin] so outperformed the Allison V-1710 that it supplanted the Allison in the North American P-51 Mustang, which then became one of the best fighters of the war. It was also incorporated into some models of the Curtiss P-40, specifically the P-40F and P-40L. Packard Merlins powered Canadian-built Hurricane, Lancaster, and Mosquito aircraft, as well as UK-built Spitfires in the shape of the Mark XVI, otherwise the same as the Mark IX with its British-built Merlin. [/QUOTE]

I don't know how many P-40Fs and P-40Ls were built, but my guess is not many.
 
Tom, what is not mentioned, is that Wing Cmdr. Guy Gibson was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously, his plane having gone down during the raid!!
 
Are you sure? I thought he went down later on - in a Mosquito that ran out of fuel.
 
<span style="font-style: italic">"Guy Gibson died on September 19, 1944 during an action, with his de Havilland Mosquito KB 267, with Squadron Leader James Warwick, near Steenbergen. His grave is on the cemetery of Steenbergen and Kruisland, the Netherlands.

In Steenbergen, streets were named to commemorate the crash (the Gibsonstraat, Warwickstraat and Mosquitostraat). Also a memorial Plaque was erected at the crash site."</span>

https://www.ww2awards.com/person/60

If you get a chance, read this excerpt from The London Gazette of 1943:

https://www.bomber-command.info/vcgibson.htm

One of the heroes.
Tom
 
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