On the night of May 16/17, 1943, 19 specially adapted Avro Lancasters growled into skies of Lincolnshire – under each hung an Upkeep mine. Bound for the dams of Germany’s Ruhr Valley, the pilots dropped low-level as the guys ‘down the back’ went about their duties – for them it was just another mission. In all, 133 men of 617 Squadron flew into the history books that night for their part in what was dubbed the “greatest raid” of the war – an audacious strike to hit the heart of Germany’s industry, christened Operation Chastise. Eight of those aircraft and 53 men failed to return.
Now 80 years on, the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (RAF BBMF), based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire is preparing to commemorate the anniversary of what is now known the world over as the ‘Dams Raid’. As such, on the evening of May 16, 2023, the BBMF’s Lancaster PA474 will fly over all Bomber Command bases in Lincolnshire to mark the anniversary.
With a flypast over the RAF Museum Hendon already slated for that date, BBMF Operations Officer Flt Lt Giles Croft said: “We are working hard to produce an achievable plan that allows us to showcase the Lancaster, commemorate the unsung heroes of Bomber Command and also incorporate the tasking we already had for the evening of May 16. At this stage, the Lancaster sortie for that evening includes 34 flypast locations, which is far more than we would normally plan in a single sortie.”
The timings for PA474’s Lincolnshire Bomber Command bases are as follows:
Spitalgate - 18:58
Fulbeck - 19:02
Swinderby - 19:04
RAF Waddington - 19:07
Lincoln - International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) - 19:08
Skellingthorpe - 19:12
Scampton - 19:15
Dunholme - 19:16
Wickenby - 19:18
Faldingworth - 19:19
Ingham - 19:21
Hemswell Cliff - 19:22
Blyton - 19:24
Elsham Wolds - 19:30
Kirmington - 19:31
North Killingholme - 19:32
Grimsby - 19:37
Binbrook - 19:39
Ludford - 19:41
Kelstern - 19:42
Strubby - 19:47
Spilsby - 19:51
East Kirkby - 19:53
Bardney - 19:58
Fiskerton - 20:00
Metheringham - 20:03
Woodhall Spa - 20:05
RAF Coningsby - 20:07
Croft added: “We will try to ‘make up the time’ by reducing most events to a single overflight so that we can meet our fixed time over the RAF Museum in Hendon but still manage a tour of the Lincolnshire Bomber Command airfields prior to landing before sunset. I personally can’t wait to see our Lancaster over her home turf, against the same backdrop she would have had in the 1940s; I just hope that backdrop is clear evening skies with less than 15kts crosswind!”
As always with aviation and due to the nature of operating historic aircraft, the plan is subject to the usual weather and serviceability caveats, while the published timings may be subject to change.
Officer Commanding BBMF Sqn Ldr Mark Sugden commented: “The Dambusters raid was one of the most audacious raids in the history of the Royal Air Force, and we at the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight are proud to commemorate the bravery, dedication and sacrifice of all those involved.”
