Operation Chastise (the Dambusters Raid) (hour by hour)
WW2/Battles of WW2/Hour-by-Hour • Curated by Admin Timeline.sg
Hour-by-hour account of RAF 617 Squadron's night raid using Barnes Wallis's bouncing bomb to breach the Möhne and Eder dams in the Ruhr. (16–17 May 1943)
Chronological Storyline (16 Milestones)
May 16, 1943 CE
Final briefing at RAF Scampton
Wing Commander Guy Gibson briefs 133 aircrew of 617 Squadron on their targets—the Möhne, Eder, and Sorpe dams—and reveals the bouncing bomb for the first time, ending months of secrecy. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chastise
Photograph of the breached Möhne Dam taken by Flying Officer Jerry Fray of No. 542 Squadron from his Spitfire PR IX, six Barrage balloons are above the dam By Flying Officer Jerry Fray RAF - Chris Staerck (editor), Allied Photo Reconnaissance of World War II (1998), PRC Publishing Ltd, ISBN 1571451617, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2511220The true story of World War Two's Dambusters raid | BBC Global
May 16, 1943 CE
Second wave departs for Sorpe
Five Lancasters of the second wave take off from Scampton to attack the Sorpe Dam, a different type of earth-fill structure requiring a different attack approach than the gravity dams. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chastise
Photograph of the breached Möhne Dam taken by Flying Officer Jerry Fray of No. 542 Squadron from his Spitfire PR IX, six Barrage balloons are above the dam By Flying Officer Jerry Fray RAF - Chris Staerck (editor), Allied Photo Reconnaissance of World War II (1998), PRC Publishing Ltd, ISBN 1571451617, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2511220
May 16, 1943 CE
First wave aircraft begin takeoff
Gibson's aircraft, code-named G-George, lifts off from RAF Scampton at 21:28 BST, leading the first wave of nine Lancasters toward the Möhne Dam, with subsequent aircraft departing at intervals. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._617_Squadron_RAF
No. 617 Squadron RAF badge (Tudor crown) By Royal Air Force - https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/squadrons/617-squadron/, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=185485573
May 16, 1943 CE
Third wave launches as reserve
A third wave of five aircraft departs as a reserve force, intended to attack secondary targets or be recalled depending on the success of the earlier waves against the primary dams. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chastise
Photograph of the breached Möhne Dam taken by Flying Officer Jerry Fray of No. 542 Squadron from his Spitfire PR IX, six Barrage balloons are above the dam By Flying Officer Jerry Fray RAF - Chris Staerck (editor), Allied Photo Reconnaissance of World War II (1998), PRC Publishing Ltd, ISBN 1571451617, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2511220
May 16, 1943 CE
First wave crosses Dutch coast
Gibson's formation crosses the Dutch coast at low level, navigating by moonlight toward Germany while maintaining strict radio silence to avoid detection by German air defences. ) · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chastise
Photograph of the breached Möhne Dam taken by Flying Officer Jerry Fray of No. 542 Squadron from his Spitfire PR IX, six Barrage balloons are above the dam By Flying Officer Jerry Fray RAF - Chris Staerck (editor), Allied Photo Reconnaissance of World War II (1998), PRC Publishing Ltd, ISBN 1571451617, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2511220
May 17, 1943 CE
Gibson makes first Möhne attack
Gibson flies G-George across the Möhne reservoir at 60 feet and releases his bouncing bomb, which skips across the water but detonates short of the dam crest; he then circles to draw flak and support the next attacker. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chastise
Photograph of the breached Möhne Dam taken by Flying Officer Jerry Fray of No. 542 Squadron from his Spitfire PR IX, six Barrage balloons are above the dam By Flying Officer Jerry Fray RAF - Chris Staerck (editor), Allied Photo Reconnaissance of World War II (1998), PRC Publishing Ltd, ISBN 1571451617, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2511220
May 17, 1943 CE
Eder Dam finally breached
Maltby's bomb detonates against the dam face and breaches the Eder, releasing 210 million tons of water into the Eder valley; Gibson then signals the success codeword 'Dinghy' and orders the force to return home. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edersee
Blick auf den Edersee. Standort: Kahle Haardt südlich von Basdorf bei Vöhl - Schöne Aussicht in Richtung Bringhausen und Liebesinsel. Erstellt anlässlich des Basdorfer Stumpetreffs 2006 in der Basdorfer Grillhütte. mit Canon EOS 300D By Copyright 07-2006 bei Guido W. Stumpe - Bonn - www.stumpe.de - Own work, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=934979
May 17, 1943 CE
Force arrives at Eder Dam
The surviving aircraft reach the Eder Dam, which proves a far more difficult target due to its location in a steep, fog-filled valley requiring a sharp diving turn before release at precisely 60 feet. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edersee
Blick auf den Edersee. Standort: Kahle Haardt südlich von Basdorf bei Vöhl - Schöne Aussicht in Richtung Bringhausen und Liebesinsel. Erstellt anlässlich des Basdorfer Stumpetreffs 2006 in der Basdorfer Grillhütte. mit Canon EOS 300D By Copyright 07-2006 bei Guido W. Stumpe - Bonn - www.stumpe.de - Own work, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=934979
May 17, 1943 CE
Sorpe Dam attacked by second wave
Flight Lieutenant McCarthy, the only second-wave aircraft to reach the Sorpe, makes ten difficult runs over the earth-fill dam before releasing his bomb, which detonates but fails to breach the structure. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorpe_Dam
Sundern-Amecke and Sorpesee, Germany; vorne Landschaftsschutzgebiet Ortsrandlagen und landwirtschaftliche Vorrangflächen im Landschaftsraum zwischen Amecke, Bruchhausen, Allendorf und Stockum und Wald um Sorpesee gehört zum Landschaftsschutzgebiet Sundern By Dr.G.Schmitz - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4069805
May 17, 1943 CE
Möhne Dam breached by Maudslay
Squadron Leader Maudslay delivers a bomb that detonates against the dam wall, followed by Flight Lieutenant Shannon's attack; the combined explosions finally breach the Möhne Dam, unleashing a massive torrent into the Ruhr valley. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%B6hne_Reservoir
The dam of the Möhne Reservoir, Germany. By Dominik Schäfer - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=915070
May 17, 1943 CE
First Eder attacks miss target
Pilot Officer Maltby and Shannon make several aborted runs through the treacherous valley before releasing their bombs; one bomb strikes the parapet but the dam holds, raising tension among the remaining crews. ) · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chastise
Photograph of the breached Möhne Dam taken by Flying Officer Jerry Fray of No. 542 Squadron from his Spitfire PR IX, six Barrage balloons are above the dam By Flying Officer Jerry Fray RAF - Chris Staerck (editor), Allied Photo Reconnaissance of World War II (1998), PRC Publishing Ltd, ISBN 1571451617, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2511220
May 17, 1943 CE
Gibson signals Möhne success
Gibson transmits the codeword 'Nigger' to base, confirming the Möhne Dam breach, then leads the three remaining armed aircraft south toward the Eder Dam, the next primary target. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chastise
Photograph of the breached Möhne Dam taken by Flying Officer Jerry Fray of No. 542 Squadron from his Spitfire PR IX, six Barrage balloons are above the dam By Flying Officer Jerry Fray RAF - Chris Staerck (editor), Allied Photo Reconnaissance of World War II (1998), PRC Publishing Ltd, ISBN 1571451617, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2511220
May 17, 1943 CE
Second wave suffers early losses
Flying at extremely low level, one aircraft of the second wave strikes the sea and loses its bomb; another is shot down near the Dutch coast, depleting the force assigned to the Sorpe Dam. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chastise
Photograph of the breached Möhne Dam taken by Flying Officer Jerry Fray of No. 542 Squadron from his Spitfire PR IX, six Barrage balloons are above the dam By Flying Officer Jerry Fray RAF - Chris Staerck (editor), Allied Photo Reconnaissance of World War II (1998), PRC Publishing Ltd, ISBN 1571451617, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2511220
May 17, 1943 CE
First wave arrives at Möhne Dam
Gibson's formation reaches the Möhne Dam and begins orbiting nearby reservoirs while the crews assess the target, the moonlit water, and the German anti-aircraft defences protecting the dam. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%B6hne_Reservoir
The dam of the Möhne Reservoir, Germany. By Dominik Schäfer - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=915070
May 17, 1943 CE
Survivors return to Scampton
Gibson and the surviving crews begin landing back at RAF Scampton; of 19 aircraft dispatched, 11 return, with 53 aircrew killed and 3 captured, making it the RAF's costliest raid to date proportionally. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chastise
Photograph of the breached Möhne Dam taken by Flying Officer Jerry Fray of No. 542 Squadron from his Spitfire PR IX, six Barrage balloons are above the dam By Flying Officer Jerry Fray RAF - Chris Staerck (editor), Allied Photo Reconnaissance of World War II (1998), PRC Publishing Ltd, ISBN 1571451617, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2511220
May 17, 1943 CE
Second and third bombs fail
Flight Lieutenant Hopgood's bomb bursts on the dam parapet and his aircraft is destroyed; Squadron Leader Martin's bomb skips over the dam wall, leaving the Möhne intact after three attempts. ) · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chastise
Photograph of the breached Möhne Dam taken by Flying Officer Jerry Fray of No. 542 Squadron from his Spitfire PR IX, six Barrage balloons are above the dam By Flying Officer Jerry Fray RAF - Chris Staerck (editor), Allied Photo Reconnaissance of World War II (1998), PRC Publishing Ltd, ISBN 1571451617, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2511220
