Lost Voices of the Dambusters Raid

The definitive oral history of the raid featuring contributions from Mission Commander Guy Gibson and Bouncing Bomb creator Barnes Wallis.The Dambusters raid was one of the most iconic missions of the Second World War. Three dams along Germany’s Ruhr Valley, which powered the nation’s industrial war effort, were the target. To overcome the torpedo nets and other defences, Barnes Wallis invented the ‘bouncing’ bomb to skim along the surface of the reservoirs before breaching the dam walls. 617 Squadron was chosen to deliver them. On the night of 16–17 May 1943, nineteen specially modified Lancaster bombers left Britain. Weeks of training under absolute secrecy were put to the test. Here, acclaimed oral historian Max Arthur has gathered together the voices of the Lancaster crews as well as the German civilians who endured the attack, compiling a unique picture of how the mission unfolded, and the devastation it caused. ‘A masterpiece of concise storytelling’ Sunday Express