Return of the Dambusters: What 617 Squadron Did Next

Return of the Dambusters: What 617 Squadron Did Next
John Nichol

Previously published as After the Flood.Former RAF Tornado Navigator and Gulf War veteran John Nichol sets out on a personal journey to discover what happened to 617 Squadron after the flood.The role RAF 617 Squadron in the destruction of the dams at the heart of the industrial Ruhr has been celebrated in book, magazine and film for more than seventy years.On the 17th May 1943, 133 airmen set out in 19 Lancasters to destroy the Möhne, Eder and Sorpe dams. 56 of them did not return. Despite these catastrophic losses, the raid became an enormous propaganda triumph. The survivors were feted as heroes and became celebrities of their time.They had been brought together for one specific task – so what happened next? Of the 77 men who made it home from that raid, 32 would lose their lives later in the war and only 45 survived to see the victory for which they fought.Few are aware of the extent of the Dambuster squadron’s operations after the Dams Raid. They became the ‘go to’ squadron for specialist precision attacks, dropping the largest bombs ever built on battleships, railway bridges, secret weapon establishments, rockets sites and U-boat construction pens. They were involved in attempts on the lives of enemy leaders, both Hitler and Mussolini, created a ‘false fleet’ on D-day which fooled the Germans, and knocked out a German super gun which would have rained 600 shells an hour on London.In ‘After The Flood’, John Nichol retraces the path of 617 Squadron’s most dangerous sorties as their reputation called them into action again and again.

Copyright (#uad06135c-c554-5c44-9e3c-dbe88be51d22)

William Collins

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London SE1 9GF

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First published in Great Britain as After the Flood by William Collins in 2015

Text © John Nichol 2015

John Nichol asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Cover photographs © Fox Photos/Stringer (men); Shutterstock.com (http://www.Shutterstock.com) (plane, clouds)

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Source ISBN: 9780008100315

Ebook Edition © July 2015 ISBN: 9780008100865

Version: 2016-05-18

Dedication (#uad06135c-c554-5c44-9e3c-dbe88be51d22)

For Sophie

This book is dedicated to all the members of 617 Squadron, on the ground and in the air, who served during the Second World War with such courage and fortitude. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.

Contents

Cover (#ufa4fe0d2-ae68-5640-8dc3-57fcefa7e80b)

Title Page (#u49ac9227-f7fa-5c0d-9c8f-3585a5a5e9c2)

Copyright

Dedication

Maps (#u014830cd-801a-52d3-9224-81e45384997e)

Author’s Note

1. The Dams

2. What Next?

3. Press On, Regardless

4. Death or Glory

5. Spring 1944

6. The End of the Beginning

7. The Fight Goes On

8. Terror Weapons

9. Mac’s Gone!

10. Life and Death on 617 Squadron

11. The Beast

12. ‘What Have You Been Doing Today?’

13. Back to the Tirpitz

14. The Last Christmas?

15. The Final Days

16. Counting the Cost

Picture Section

Notes

Sources and Bibliography

Picture Credits

Index

Acknowledgements

About the Author