Author(s): John Sweetman

Transport

On 16 May 1943, nineteen Lancaster bombers of No. 617 Squadron, commanded by Guy Gibson, set out from RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire on one of the most famous bombing operations of the Second World War. The breaching of the dams in Germany's industrial heartland was to have enormous consequences - both materially and as a symbol of ingenuity and courage.

Sixty years on, The Dambusters is the definitive account of this remarkable operation. It is a story that begins many years earlier, when pre-war RAF staff officers pinpointed the dams as Germany's 'Achilles heel'. But in 1942, despite the proposal of numerous schemes, the destruction of the dams seemed as far away as ever.

Accompanying a major new television documentary, The Dambusters also follows the attempt of a modern RAF crew to emulate their predecessors, revealing in the process just what an astonishing feat the operation was. Richly illustrated, the book captures the brilliance of the scientists and the bravery of the crews.