Australian-born, Harold ‘Mickey’ Martin arrived in England in 1940, trained as a pilot and joined 455 Squadron to fly the Handley Page Hampden against targets in Germany. On the night of February 21, 1942, he piloted the first all-Australian crew to bomb a German target.
After transferring to 50 Squadron, and converting to the Avro Lancaster, he completed 36 sorties before being rested and awarded the first of this three DFCs.
His aggressive spirit and low-flying skills attracted the attention of Wg Cdr Guy Gibson who selected Martin to be one of the founder members of 617 Squadron based at Scampton in Lincolnshire.
Martin soon became a key member of the squadron as training at low level was a priority. On the night of May 16, 1943, Operation Chastise was launched with Martin in Gibson’s lead formation to attack the Möhne Dam.
After Gibson’s attack, the second Lancaster was shot down and then Martin began his approach to the target, dropping his ‘Upkeep’ bomb accurately despite his aircraft being damaged by anti-aircraft fire.
The dam held and then Martin, with Gibson, flew in formation with the subsequent attacks in an attempt to distract the German flak gunners. Once the dam was destroyed, Gibson sent Martin home.
