Nichol - After the flood : what the dambusters did next

John Nichol is a former RAF flight lieutenant whose Tornado bomber was shot down on a mission over Iraq during the first Gulf War in 1991. He was captured and held as a prisoner of war. He is the bestselling co-author of Tornado Down, and the author of many books including Tail-End Charlies and The Red Line.

www.johnnichol.com

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Many people willingly gave their valuable time and considerable expertise whilst I researched and wrote this book. Without their input, my task would have been almost impossible. It is difficult to mention every person individually but I am eternally grateful to them all. My sincere thanks also go to:

Rob Owen, the 617 Squadron official historian, who introduced me to many of the veterans, provided countless personal accounts and pictures, and, most importantly, read and corrected the draft manuscript. Robs input was invaluable.

Charles Thompson and the team from TVT Productions (especially Willard, Matt, Thea and Victoria) it was Charles who invited me to help make and present the TV documentary What the Dambusters Did Next, which was the inspiration for this book.

Chris Ward, the author of Dambusters: The Forging of a Legend, which was a unique reference source for 617 Squadrons day-to-day operations. Chris also helped me locate a number of the veterans surviving relatives.

Charles Foster, author of Breaking the Dams, who accompanied me on a trip to the DortmundEms canal and provided a number of deceased veterans personal accounts.

Gordon Leith and Peter Elliot at the RAF Museum Hendon who guided me through their archives.

My editor Arabella Pike and the truly excellent team at William Collins for their expertise and patience. And Neil Hanson for his dedication to the cause.

My friend and agent Mark Lucas, who has always been there to offer guidance, advice and encouragement.

I am indebted to countless other historians, authors and researchers who offered invaluable advice and sources. It is impossible to name them all, but the following provided important leads, accounts and background information: Tom Allett, Alex Bateman, Malcolm Brooke, Werner Bhner, Peter Carlyle-Gordge, Jan Cheney, Axel Frick, Derek Gill, John Gumbley, Bruce Hebbard, Martin Mace, Dr Marcus Meyer, Richard Morris, Valrie Nol, Joe OConnor, Alan Parr, Mark Postlethwaite, Peter Rice, John Saunders, Mary Stopes-Roe, Bruce Vigar and Terry Wiltshire.

To my wife Suzannah and daughter Sophie for their ever-present love and support.

Finally, to the countess veterans and their relatives who told me their stories, some long supressed, I am truly grateful I could use only a fraction of the incredible accounts I heard, but I hope I have done you all justice.

NON-FICTION

The Red Line

Arnhem

Medic

Home Run

Tail-End Charlies

The Last Escape

AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Tornado Down

Team Tornado

FICTION

Point of Impact

Vanishing Point

Exclusion Zone

Stinger

Decisive Measures

Aprs moi, le dluge

King Louis XVs last words became the motto of the most famous bomber squadron in history 617 Squadron RAF the Dambusters. Their role in Operation Chastise the attack on the Mhne, Eder and Sorpe dams at the heart of the industrial Ruhr valley on 17 May 1943 has been celebrated in print and on screen for more than seventy years. But what 617 Squadron did in the aftermath of this iconic raid is far less well known.

617 Squadron was a specialist squadron, formed from some of the RAFs most brilliant and experienced aircrews for one specific task: breaching the dams. However, British commanders were soon finding other targets for their elite Dambusting squadron, and it was to play the lead role in a series of much less well-known but almost equally eye-catching attacks that destroyed some of the Nazis most deadly weapons and wrecked key parts of Germanys industrial infrastructure.

617 Squadrons devastating raids caught the imagination, raised the morale of the British public and made headlines around the world. More important, they also helped to tip the balance of hostilities in the Allies favour, saved countless thousands of lives and arguably contributed to shortening the war.

John Bell

Don, Gladys and Jan Cheney

Colin Cole

David Fellowes

Basil Fish

Lawrence Benny Goodman

Sydney and Iris Grimes

Gerry Hobbs

Tony Iveson

George Johnny Johnstone

Arthur Joplin

John Langston

Les Munro

Klaus Rohwedder

Fred Sutherland

Frank Tilley

Murray Valentine (Vagnolini)

Russell Rusty Waughman

Air Secretary to L. Gumbley, 7 January 1949, 5/2/5451 PRS

Brookes, Mrs M., A WAAFs Tale, 2 July 1993, IWM 93/22/1

Buhner, Werner, Civilian Accounts of the Bombing of the Arnsberg Viaduct

Damn Busters dinner menu, RAF Museum, Hendon, AC 96/12

Frick, Axel, Bielefeld Viaduct Civilian Accounts

Gill, Ken, letters and correspondence with relatives

Gumbley, Bernard Barney, letters and correspondence with relatives

Gumbley, John, letter to Sydney Grimes, 2005

Harris, Sir Arthur Bomber, letter to 617 Squadron Reunion, 18 April 1980, RAF Museum, Hendon

Hebbard, Loftus, correspondence with relatives

Hobbs, G. H., IWM Documents 1839

Holt, A. A., IWM Documents 8597

Knilans, Nick, A Yank in the RCAF, private memoir, RAF Museum

Muirhead, Campbell, diary

Pryor, John, personal recollections supplied by Robert Owen, Official 617 Squadron Association Historian

Wakefield, H. E., DFC, IWM Documents 15411

Walsh, J., IWM Documents 12812

Wilshire, Cyril Charlie, correspondence with relatives

Bickley, Wilfred George, IWM Sound 14588

Briars, Ralph Algernon, IWM Sound 13924

Curtis, Lawrence Wesley, IWM Sound 92111

Cheshire, Geoffrey Leonard, IWM Sound 9861

Drobinski, Boleslaw Henryk, IWM Sound 12892

Hamilton, Malcolm Lennox, IWM Sound 18264

Hobday, Harold Sydney, IWM Sound 7298

Johnson, Edward Cuthbert, IWM Sound 8204

Kearns, Richard Stansfield Derek, IWM Sound 9302

Knights, Robert Edgar, IWM Sound 9208

Munro, John Leslie, IWM Sound 33077

Poore, Arthur Frank, IWM Sound 20261

Reid, William Bill, IWM Sound 4993

Sanders, John Aelred, IWM Sound 14803

Shannon, David John, IWM Sound 8177

Tait, James Brian Willie, IWM Sound 2519

Ware, David R., IWM Sound 24932

Watts, Frederick Henry Arthur, IWM 21029