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By 1943 scientist Barnes Wallis had invented and tested a huge bouncing bomb capable of destroying the great German dams supplying water to the industrial Ruhr valley. A new Squadron, 617, was formed at RAF Scampton and staffed with experienced flyers. 617 would be led by one of the great bomber pilots, Wing Commander Guy Gibson VC. The scene was set for the most daring and famous air attack carried out by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War - 617 Squadron's Dambusters Raid on the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe Dams.
Grounded after the dramatic Dambusters raid, for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross, Guy Gibson was killed in a Mosquito flying ‘one last raid’ as a Master Bomber. He lies with his Navigator, Jim Warwick, in Steenbergen cemetery. On this schools battlefield and education second world war trip, we set the scene with audio and visual aids. The tour follows 617 Squadron aircraft routes, visits the dams, crash sites and the last resting places of the RAF crews. We also pay our respects to the German civilians killed when the dams burst and the torrent poured down the valleys. In May 1943 the British people needed a boost and the Dambusters Raid provided that - but at the cost of 8 Lancaster aircraft (of the 19 taking part) and 58 men. The Bombing Campaign of the Second World War has created some post war controversy, but the Airmen’s attitude can be summed up in one word - Duty! |
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| Day 1 | Drive to Folkestone/ Dover. Ferry or Tunnel to Calais. Drive east through France, Belgium and Holland to Germany. (with lunch break). Hotel/Hostel in Dortmund area. | |
| Day 2 | The Mohnesee, visit the Dam and take a boat trip on the lake. Lunch break. Himmelpforten destroyed church. Neederenser high water mark. Crash site of Flt Lt Hoppy Hopgoods M ‘Mother’. The Sorpe Dam. Wickede memorial. | |
| Day 3 | Warner Ottleys crash site north of Hamm. The Eder Dam and museum. See Waldeck Castle. Lunch break. Affolden civilian cemetery and memorial. | |
| Day 4 | Depart for the Reichswald CWGC cemetery, where several of the crews are buried (including Guy Gibson’s crew) Lunch break and west to Calais for the journey home. |
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| NB. Guided tour throughout |