| Why was the Avro Lancaster chosen to carry out the famous ‘Dam Busters’ raid? | An Avro Lancaster could carry the heaviest bombload of any aircraft in the European theatre of operation during the Second World War.
Powered by four Rolls Royce Merlin engines, it could produce over five and a half thousand horsepower. As a result, it could reach an altitude of over twenty thousand feet and speeds of up to 240mph.
Earlier British bombers, like the Vickers Wellington and the Handley-Page Hampden, were rather antiquated aircraft. Between 1939 and 1941, some statistics estimated that only 1 in 10 RAF bombers were getting to within five miles of their target.
The Lancaster’s predecessor, the Avro Manchester, would often struggle to reach ten thousand feet and 200mph. Peter Huggins, a pilot with bomber command, recalls what it was like to fly the Lancaster compared to earlier British bombers:
‘It (was) almost faultless… (a) lovely aeroplane. More comfortable, warmer, more room in the cockpit, much better equipment, faster of course.’
Typically, a Lancaster would be manned by seven men. A crew usually consisted of the pilot, a flight engineer, a bomb aimer who doubled as a front gunner, a navigator, a wireless operator, one gunner in the mid-upper turret and one in the tail turret.
The tail turret gunner occupied the loneliest and most vulnerable position in the aircraft. Len Manning remembers how it felt climbing into the tail turret:
‘you were completely enclosed… you were stuck there until you got back… You were really lonely out the back there.’
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 | | | | IWM In Conversation: Lancaster Filmmakers | IWM Duxford, Saturday 25 June 2022
Join the filmmakers behind the new feature documentary Lancaster as they discuss bringing the iconic aircraft to life through the words of the last surviving crew members.
Ticket price includes an inside view of Duxford's Lancaster KB889, a talk and Q&A session with the filmmakers, a screening of the film and admission to IWM Duxford. | |
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| The Lancaster’s design and its huge, cavernous bomb bay meant it could be adapted to carry specific bombs to destroy specific targets. It was for this reason that it was chosen to take part in Operation Chastise, otherwise known as the ‘Dam Busters’ raid.
In 1943, Germany used hydroelectricity to power its steel mills. Millions of gallons of water were kept in the Ruhr Valley, held back by three huge hydroelectric dams. These were the Möhne, the Edersee and the Sorpe.
The plan was to destroy the dams, causing widespread flooding and hampering Germany’s ability to produce materials for the war effort. Barnes Wallis, assistant chief designer at Vickers, designed the bomb to take on the job. Codenamed Upkeep, it would become known as ‘the bouncing bomb’.
A four and a half ton back spinning mine filled with Torpex explosive, the bomb would need to be thrown low and fast at the target. A hand-picked secret squadron was tasked with carrying out the raid. In late March 1943, they convened at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.
Initially codenamed Squadron X, 617 Squadron was led by 24-year old Wing Commander Guy Gibson. It was made up of aircrew from Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the USA. With one month to go before the raid, they began intensive training in low-level night flying and navigation.
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| | |  | | Every Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 11:30am and 2:30pm |
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The Inside View:
The Lancaster | IWM Duxford
Join one of our expert guides and get behind the ropes of our iconic Avro Lancaster. You will be guided through the bomber’s history, from its design to the 'Dam Busters' raid and the controversy of ‘area bombing’.
Then enter the rear of the fuselage and learn about the heroism of the young men in Bomber Command and the harsh conditions they faced in combat. | |
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| From 9:28pm on 16 May, 133 aircrew in 19 Lancasters took off in three waves from RAF Scampton. Intelligence reports had suggested that the Möhne dam was only lightly defended. This turned out to be incorrect.
Gibson was first to attack the dam at 12:28am. Dropped from just 60 feet, his bomb skipped over the water exactly as intended but fell just short of its target. Joseph Sumpter, a bomb aimer during the raid, remembers the first attacks on the dam:
‘You saw (Gibson) dive down… all the flack and the guns started firing at him… he dropped his bomb…nothing happened…you just saw the big spout of water... When he got back, he said, ‘come in number two'...that was Mickey Martin... while Martin was doing his run, Gibson flew alongside him to try and draw the flack.’
Five bombs were dropped before the Möhne Dam was eventually breached. At 1:52am, the Eder Dam was also breached. Aircraft from the second and third waves attacked the Sorpe, but it remained intact.
Of the 133 aircrew that took part in the raid, 53 were killed and three became prisoners of war. On the ground, 1,300 people were killed in the resulting flooding.
Although the impact on industrial production was limited, the raid gave a significant morale boost to the people of Britain. On their return, the surviving aircrew of 617 Squadron were lauded as heroes. Guy Gibson was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions.
The brand-new feature documentary Lancaster tells the story of the iconic aircraft through the words of the last surviving crew members. See the film and hear behind-the-scenes insights from the filmmakers at our IWM In Conversation event on Saturday 25 June 2022 at IWM Duxford. |
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| | | | Duxford Summer Air Show | Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 June 2022
Just five weeks to go! Fast-flying, all-action aerobatics, and spectacular sights in the air and on the ground. We’ve got all the ingredients for a day out full of highs!
Confirmed so far: Avro Lancaster (Saturday only), North American TF-51D Mustang 'Contrary Mary', B-17G Flying Fortress 'Sally B', Republic P-47D Thunderbolt + lots more! | |
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