 |
|
|
 | |
PA474, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's aircraft
© Crown Copyright
|
| |  |
Home of the Dambusters |
 |
The Dambusters legend is based on the flying precision and skills of 617 Squadron and, partly, on the military planning behind the operation. Top secret talks about attacking the dams and reservoirs in the Ruhr area were being discussed as early as 1937. However, the operation was not undertaken until 1943. In 1942 an emergency pumping system for the Ruhr industries, using the Rhine, was completed. Had Operation Chastise been executed the previous year the damage would have been considerably longer lasting and a greater hindrance to the German war effort.
A Lancaster B Mk l(Special) during trials
© Crown Copyright |
Thus, on closer inspection Operation Chastise was not the phenomenal military success the legend would have us believe. That is not to say that Chastise was without success; it provided a huge boost to the civilian and military morale of Britain and her Allies. For those Brits under the bombardment of the Blitz, the photographs of the damage inflicted by the Dambusters would have brought some hope in the dark years of the war. While for those in Lincolnshire and for future generations to come there remains a sense of county pride for their role in the Dambusters legend.
Your comments
| |
 Print this page |
|
Archive
Look back into the past using the Legacies' archives. Find nearly 200 tales from around the country in our collection.
Read more > |
| | |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| The 大象传媒 is not responsible for the content of external Web sites. |
| | | |
| | |
| |
|
