Australia S Dambusters

Author : Colin Burgess
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 294 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2021-07-07
Category : History
ISBN : 9781760859244

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Australia's Dambusters by Colin Burgess Pdf

A truly comprehensive account of 617 Squadron, RAF, ​who carried out one of the most dangerous and audacious aerial bombing raids of World War II. It was the evening of 16 May 1943. Nineteen modified Lancaster bombers from 617 Squadron RAF, under the command of youthful Wing Commander Guy Gibson, roared into the night sky from their Lincolnshire base. They were on a top-secret Bomber Command mission, codenamed Operation Chastise, now regarded as one of the most dangerous and audacious bombing raids of World War II – an attack on the formidable, well-defended dams of Germany’s Ruhr Valley. Slung beneath the belly of each aircraft was one of the war’s greatest secrets – a bouncing bomb. Against the odds, and flying straight and level into the teeth of terrifying enemy fire, they succeeded in breaching the two principal dams. Many of the 133 airmen involved that fateful night hailed from Australia, and several would be counted among the 56 who would not return to base next morning. The Dams Raid led to the men of this gallant company – often referred to as a suicide squadron – taking on even more hazardous operations in the final two years of the war. Under valorous leadership, and now armed with massive Tallboy and Grand Slam ‘earthquake’ bombs, they obliterated vital Nazi installations, destroying such defiant targets as the heavily defended Kembs Barrage and the German battleship Tirpitz, often at a terrible cost in lives. First published in 2003, this deeply researched, revised and updated edition of Australia’s Dambusters offers a truly comprehensive account of the most famous bombing raid of the war through the words and stories of the courageous Australian airmen and others who flew on this and later perilous missions, remembered and forever immortalised as the Dambusters.

Author : Colin Burgess
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2013
Category : World War, 1939-1945
ISBN : 0987238736

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Australia's Dambusters by Colin Burgess Pdf

Author : Max Hastings
Publisher : HarperCollins UK
Page : 464 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 2019-09-05
Category : History
ISBN : 9780008280543

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Chastise: The Dambusters by Max Hastings Pdf

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER A masterly history of the Dambusters raid from bestselling and critically acclaimed Max Hastings.

Author : Paul Brickhill
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2017-09-07
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1509860061

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The Dam Busters by Paul Brickhill Pdf

A special edition of The Dam Busters by Paul Brickhill reissued with a bright retro design to celebrate Pan's 70th anniversary. On 17 May 1943, nearly 350 million tons of water crashed into the valleys of the Ruhr when the Lancaster bombers of 617 Squadron breached the giant Moehne and Eder Dams with colossal 'blockbuster' bombs. The Dam Busters tells the story of the raid and the squadron of fearless airmen who carried it through. Again and again, the crews of 617 Squadron Bomber Command used their flying skills, their tremendous courage and Barnes Wallis' highly accurate bouncing bombs to deal devastating blows to Nazi Germany.One of the most daring true stories to emerge from the Second World War, Paul Brickhill's The Dam Busters inspired the famous 1955 film starring Michael Redgrave and Richard Todd.

Author : Susan Ottaway
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 250 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2017-06-21
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 1786080257

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Dambuster by Susan Ottaway Pdf

FEW MEN HAVE A BETTER CLAIM TO BE CALLED A LEGEND IN THEIR OWN LIFETIME THAN GUY GIBSON. Leader of the famous Dambuster Raid of May 1943, which became part of the popular folklore of the Second World War after the film in which Richard Todd took the part of the hero, Gibson himself was tragically in an air crash in 1944. Born in India in 1918 and brought up in England, Guy Gibson joined the RAF in November 1936. Thereafter his career can be seen as a battle between, on the one hand, his uncertain temperament and less than ideal private life, and, on the other, his undoubted skills as an airman and as a leader of men. The war was to bring him adventure and, later, fame. He took part in the first aerial attack of the war, on the Kiel Canal; he served in Fighter Command and then, in 1943, came the famous raid on the Mohne and Eder dams for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. By now a hero of international fame, he was sent on a Public Relations tour of North America, but he was above all a flyer and, refusing to remain grounded, he died an airman's death. This new edition, which draws on conversations with members of Gibson's family and on notes made by his widow, expands upon his early life in a severely dysfunctional family, his unhappy marriage and the possible reason for his untimely death in September 1944.

Author : Charles Foster
Publisher : The History Press
Page : 511 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2018-05-08
Category : History
ISBN : 9780750988483

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The Complete Dambusters by Charles Foster Pdf

On 16 May 1943, nineteen Lancaster aircraft from the RAF's 617 Squadron set off to attack the great dams in the industrial heart of Germany. Flying at a height of 60ft, they dropped a series of bombs which bounced across the water and destroyed two of their targets, thereby creating a legend. The one-off operation combined an audacious method of attack, technically brilliant flying and visually spectacular results. But while the story of Operation Chastise is well known, most of the 133 'Dambusters' who took part in the Dams Raid have until now been just names on a list. They came from all parts of the UK and the Commonwealth and beyond, and each of them was someone's son or brother, someone's husband or father. This is the first book to present their individual stories and celebrate their skill, heroism and, for many, sacrifice.

Author : Chris Ward,Andy Lee,Andreas Wachtel
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
Page : 439 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2009-07-19
Category : History
ISBN : 9781783035199

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Dambusters: The Forging of a Legend by Chris Ward,Andy Lee,Andreas Wachtel Pdf

617 Squadron of 5 Group RAF Bomber Command was without doubt the most famous RAF Squadron in World War II. It was formed to carry out the precision low-level attack on the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe Dams, using Barnes Wallaces newly developed rotating mine, now commonly referred to as The Bouncing Bomb. The raid was a tremendous success, although at great cost to the squadron, and proved to be a great moral booster for the war-weary British public. Guy Gibson VC was tasked with organizing the formation and training of the new squadron and the Dambusters have been national heroes ever since. Although several books have previously been written on this epic adventure, this is a new look at their first raid and then the long and envious history of 617 until the end of the war. This new version of the Dams raid within the book, pays particular attention to timings, as it is easy to overlook the fact, that this was a complex three-phase operation, spanning 8 hours and 47 minutes, with action occurring simultaneously at widely dispersed locations. It also attempts to settle finally the circumstances of the losses, by examining the testimony of eyewitnesses on both sides, and presenting arguments to help readers decide for themselves what actually happened where previous accounts are contradictory or at variance. In the later war years 617 suffered greatly during an attack on the Dortmund-Ems Canal but recovered and their list of priority special targets then included the German missile research plant at Peenemunde, Hamburg, the U boat pens at La Pallice and the sinking of the battleship Tirpitz. The legendary Leonard Cheshire VC led the Squadron for much of that period. This newly researched account of 617s wartime record contains many first-hand accounts from squadron members and also German and Dutch witnesses who were present at some of the most spectacular raids and have explained many of the mysterious losses of the Squadrons aircraft.Lengthy appendices contain a Roll of Honour, Commanders, Airfields and aircraft, Operational statistics and Aircraft Histories.

Author : Alan Cooper
Publisher : Pen and Sword
Page : 224 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2013-06-26
Category : History
ISBN : 9781781594742

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The Dambusters by Alan Cooper Pdf

Seventy years ago, 133 airmen of 617 Squadron, later known as the Dambusters, set out to destroy the Ruhr Dams in Germany. This one operation amongst many carried out by Bomber Command has become one of the most well known in the whole history of WWII. Indeed, a very successful film was made about it which became a classic, etching the dramatic events of the Dambuster raids in the minds of young and old alike. The book covers every facet of this enthralling episode.??It also works as a poignant tribute to the 53 men who were killed on the operation, as well as the men who returned from the operation but were later killed on further sorties with 617 and other squadrons. Cooper brings together various narrative threads, focussing on stories recorded in document form and acquired on a first-hand basis to give a real insight into the daily operations of the squadron.

Author : James Holland
Publisher : Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Page : 322 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2013-11-04
Category : History
ISBN : 9780802193063

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Dam Busters by James Holland Pdf

The story of the British-made bombs, Upkeep and Highball, successfully dropped on Nazi dams “has never been told in such depth before” (Daily Mail, UK). The night of May 16, 1943: Nineteen specially adapted Lancaster bombers take off from an RAF airfield in Lincolnshire, England, each with a huge nine-thousand-pound cylindrical bomb strapped underneath it. Their mission: to destroy three hydroelectric dams that power the Third Reich’s war machine. It was a suicide mission from the outset. First the men had to fly extremely low, at night, and in tight formation over miles of enemy-occupied territory. Then they had to drop with pinpoint precision a complicated spinning cylindrical bomb that had never before been used operationally. More than that, the entire operation had to be put together in less than ten weeks in order to hit the dams when water levels were still high enough for the bombs to be effective. The visionary aviation engineer Barnes Wallis hadn’t even drawn up plans for his concept when the bouncing bomb was green-lighted. What followed was an incredible race against time that, despite numerous setbacks, became one of the most successful and significant bombing raids of all time. “Holland has delved into the new trove” of declassified documents “to shed light on this weapons program, the politics of its development and the eventual mission” (The Wall Street Journal). “An impeccably researched work in the style of a fast-paced techno-thriller.” —Publishers Weekly “Extremely detailed but never dull . . . Holland offers a definitive, nuts-and-bolts history.” —Kirkus Reviews “A well-written study of engineering and invention operating under great pressure. . . . For all World War II history buffs.” —Library Journal, starred review

Author : Marcus Fielding
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 150 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2019-05
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 0648355284

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Les Knight by Marcus Fielding Pdf

This is the remarkable story of one brave Australian who answered his country's calling and who demonstrated courage far beyond expectation. His gravestone carries the inscription 'Let us be Worthy'. The village of Den Ham have never forgotten the bravery of this young Australian pilot.

Author : John Sweetman
Publisher : Air World
Page : 286 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2024-06-13
Category : History
ISBN : 9781399063838

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The Dambusters - 'Was it Worth it?' by John Sweetman Pdf

On the evening of 16 May 1943, nineteen Avro Lancasters took off from RAF Scampton to undertake 617 Squadron’s first offensive attack since its formation a few weeks earlier. Loaded with Barnes Wallis’ newly designed bouncing bombs, the Bomber Command crews set course for their targets – the vital Möhne, Eder and Sorpe dams that served the Ruhr, the Third Reich’s industrial heartland. By the time the survivors began landing back at base at 03.11 hours the following morning, eight of the Lancasters had been shot down. However, both the Möhne and Eder dams had been breached, while the Sorpe was damaged. The flood waters that the attacks unleashed poured downstream, wreaking havoc on the surrounding countryside. Albert Speer, Hitler’s Minister of Armaments and War Production, later wrote: “That night, employing just a few bombers, the British came close to a success which would have been greater than anything they had achieved hitherto with a commitment of thousands of bombers.” In 1990, the renowned historian and author Dr John Sweetman published his seminal work on the events before, during and after Operation Chastise. His book was the result of decades of research into the famous attack, in the course of which Dr Sweetman corresponded with or interviewed many of the individuals involved – from the scientists to senior officers, and from groundcrew to the very airmen who delivered Barnes Wallis’ bouncing bombs to the dams. Such was the relationships that developed over the years, Dr Sweetman became a close friend to many of these individuals and their families. Some of the information contained in the interview transcripts and letters he received was included in his original book; much more, however, was never used. This is particularly the case with the many letters and conversations which Dr Sweetman received or had after his book was first published – much of which adds to, or elaborates on, the narrative of the events in May 1943. Dr John Sweetman has delved into his remarkable archive of material to present unseen sections of it here, for the historian or general reader, for the very first time.

Author : Gary Eason
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2015-09-18
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1320369170

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Flight Artworks by Gary Eason Pdf

Collected in book form for the first time – and also available as an ebook – are some of Gary Eason's acclaimed Flight Artworks: carefully researched and crafted photorealistic pictures of historical air combat. This first volume presents images of WWII scenes, selected from artworks created since 2011."From my point of view as a pilot for the last 43 years and an RAF fighter pilot for 30 years, the realism he captures is uncanny ...". - Squadron Leader Clive Rowley MBE RAF (Retd)Third edition, September 2015

Author : Peter den Hertog
Publisher : Frontline Books
Page : 267 pages
File Size : 54,8 Mb
Release : 2020-09-30
Category : History
ISBN : 9781526772398

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Why Did Hitler Hate the Jews? by Peter den Hertog Pdf

This investigation into the Nazi leader’s mindset is “an inherently fascinating study . . . a work of meticulously presented and seminal scholarship”(Midwest Book Review). Adolf Hitler’s virulent anti-Semitism is often attributed to external cultural and environmental factors. But as historian Peter den Hertog notes in this book, most of Hitler’s contemporaries experienced the same culture and environment and didn’t turn into rabid Jew-haters, let alone perpetrators of genocide. In this study, the author investigates what we do know about the roots of the German leader’s anti-Semitism. He also takes the significant step of mapping out what we do not know in detail, opening pathways to further research. Focusing not only on history but on psychology, forensic psychiatry, and related fields, he reveals how Hitler was a man with highly paranoid traits, and clarifies the causes behind this paranoia while explaining its connection to his anti-Semitism. The author also explores, and answers, whether the Führer gave one specific instruction ordering the elimination of Europe’s Jews, and, if so, when this took place. Peter den Hertog is able to provide an all-encompassing explanation for Hitler’s anti-Semitism by combining insights from many different disciplines—and makes clearer how Hitler’s own particular brand of anti-Semitism could lead the way to the Holocaust.

Author : Charles Foster
Publisher : The History Press
Page : 270 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2023-09-07
Category : History
ISBN : 9781803992143

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Guy Gibson and his Dambuster Crew by Charles Foster Pdf

The Dams Raid is the RAF’s most famous bombing operation of the Second World War, and Guy Gibson, who was in command, its most famous bomber pilot. Of the six men who made up his crew — two Canadians, an Australian and three Englishmen – only one had previously flown with him, but altogether they had amassed more than 180 operations. Drawing on rare and unpublished sources and family archives, this new study, written by the author of the acclaimed 2018 title, The Complete Dambusters, is the first book to fully detail their stories. It explores the previous connections between the seven men who would fly on just one operation together and examines how their relationships developed in the few months they spent in each other’s company.

Author : Tom Carver
Publisher : Short Books
Page : 247 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2013-08-22
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781780720982

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Where The Hell Have You Been? by Tom Carver Pdf

In November 1942 a young British army officer was captured. This gripping story tells of Richard"s internment in a POW camp in northern Italy and of his subsequent escape.