Dambusters Lancasters

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20 years 5 months

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What actually happened with the Lancs that made it back to Scampton?

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24 years 2 months

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Mostly sold for scrap after the war, although I do know that the aircraft used by McCarthy (and indeed Johnny Johnson) was later shoot down over France while delivering weapons to the Resistence.

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17 years 10 months

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I thought one of the lancs survived to the late 50s on an airfield in the uk, Brain faid

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15 years 3 months

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ED886-O Missing France 10/12/43 with 617.
ED906-J Scrapped 7/47
ED918-F Burnt 21/1/44 with 617.
ED923-T Missing 8/9 july with 617.
ED929-L Broke up 10/46
ED909-P Scrapped 7/47
ED912-N Scrapped 9/46
ED921-W 46MU-1/45
ED924-Y Scrapped 9/46
ED932-G Scrapped 7/46
ED936-H Crashed 21/7/44

what a waste for G-George...fancy having that in the Bomber Command hall...

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17 years 10 months

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Late 40s then

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14 years 7 months

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The search / excavation of Johnny Johnson's Lanc was covered in a BBC documentary a few years back - it's online

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmDBmfLIqDY

It's a nice focus on the man himself too

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13 years 4 months

Posts: 346

Look HERE for details of the history of all the Dambuster raid Lancasters: http://www.lancaster-archive.com/bc_damsraid6.htm

"In summation:

ED817, ED912, ED915, ED921¸ ED924, ED929, ED933 all appear to have survived in storage in a Dam’s configuration or something close to it. All were scrapped at No. 46 Maintenance Unit (MU).

ED906, ED909, ED933 appear to have been reconfigured and used in some role after the Dam’s Raid. They were returned to Dam’s configuration after the war and used to dispose of the remaining “Upkeep’s”. After completing this task the aircraft were scrapped by what appears to have been a special AVRO contract team specifically tasked to do this.

ED918, was reconfigured back Mk.III Standard, apparently minus its bomb doors, and crashed in a training flight.

ED933 appears to have been reconfigured back Mk.III Standard, apparently minus its bomb doors, and by all accounts did not see further operational duties and served as a trials aircraft.

By the numbers:

Aircraft Lost On Dam’s Raid - 8
Aircraft Lost On Operations (post Dam’s Raid) - 2
Crashed on Training Flight - 1
Scrapped (post war) - 11
Total - 22
"

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13 years 4 months

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I thought one of the lancs survived to the late 50s on an airfield in the uk, Brain faid

You're possibly mixing up fact with fiction: a number of "nearly new" Lancasters (including NX673, NX679 and RT686) were drawn from storage in 1954 for use in the the film "The Dambusters". (Which was largely films at Hemswell, not Scampton). Modified to resemble the Dambusters raid Lancasters THESE survived well into the 1950s - and its the "movie" Lancasters that you are thinking of.

For example, NX679 was repainted to resemble ED932/G, the Lancaster flown by Guy Gibson on the raid; NX679 was still to be seen at Farnborough in September 1956

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17 years 10 months

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Ahhh Haaa, thank you Dr John, I was very young at the time.

TA

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18 years 3 months

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Of the 23 Type 464 conversions, 19 flew on the Dams raid and eight of them were lost. Afterwards none were returned fully to standard Lancaster configuration as it was too difficult or too costly to refit the bomb bay doors. Some were used by 617 squadron or other units, without doors, on bombing operations or SOE drops. Two were lost on operations after the Dams Raid and two destroyed in crashes. The remaining 11 were scrapped postwar.

Three of the Type 464 were recalled for Upkeep carrying duties between August and September 1946 for Operation Guzzle. The purpose was to dispose of remaining Upkeeps. ED906, ED909, and ED932 were attached to 61 Squadron at Waddington during those months. They were probably operated by 1 Group Major Servicing Unit, based at Scampton, with aircrew drawn from 1 Group. Codes appear to have been borrowed from Scampton's Station Flight. They flew several trips to drop the Upkeeps into the deep Atlantic from 10,000 ft in a drop zone centred on 56N 12W.

ED765 First prototype. 8th April 1943 to Farnborough for trials. Did not participate in Dams Raid. Later coded AJ*M. Lost 5th August 1943 crash at Ashley Walk bombing range.

ED7817 Second prototype. 10th April 1943 to Manston for Upkeep dropping trials at Reculver. Did not participate in Dams Raid. 30th April 1943 to 617 Squadron coded AJ*C used occasionally for operations, trials and training. Scrapped 23rd September 1946.

ED825 Third prototype. 22rd April 1943 delivered to A&AEE Boscombe Down then to 617 Squadron 16th May 1943 coded AJ*T. Spare aircraft used by McCarthy on Dams Raid. Returned safely. Shot down 10th December 1943 on SOE supply drop.

ED864. 22nd April 1943 to 617 Squadron coded AJ*B. Astell's aircraft on Dams Raid. Crashed after hitting electricity cables near Marbeck.

ED865. 22nd April 1943 to 617 Squadron coded AJ*S. Burpee's aircraft on Dams Raid. Crashed on Gilze-Rijen airfield en route to target.

ED886. 23rd April 1943 to 617 Squadron coded AJ*O. Townsend's aircraft on Dams Raid. Attacked the Ennepe or possibly Bever. Retained by 617 Squadron, used occasionally for operations, trials and training. Lost 9/10th December 1943 on SOE supply drop. Crashed near Amiens.

ED887. 22nd April 1943 to 617 Squadron coded AJ*A. Young's aircraft on Dams Raid. Shot down on way home. Coasting out from Holland crashed near Castricum an Zee.

ED906. 23rd April 1943 to 617 Squadron coded AJ*J. Maltby's aircraft on Dams Raid. Retained by 617 Squadron, used occasionally for operations, trials and training. From 15th April 1944 stored at 46 MU. August 1946 delivered to 61 Squadron for Operation Guzzle coded YF*A. Scrapped 29th July 1947.

ED909. 23rd April 1943 to 617 Squadron coded AJ*P. Martin's aircraft on Dams Raid. Retained by 617 Squadron, used occasionally for operations, trials and training. From 15th April 1944 stored at 46 MU. August 1946 delivered to 61 Squadron for Operation Guzzle coded YF*B. Scrapped 29th July 1947.

ED910. 28th April 1943 to 617 Squadron coded AJ*C. Ottley's aircraft on Dams Raid. Shot down en route to target near Hamm.

ED912. 3rd May 1943 to 617 Squadron coded AJ*N. Knight's aircraft on Dams Raid. Retained by 617 Squadron, used occasionally for operations, trials and training. Later recoded AJ*S. Scrapped 26th September 1946.

ED915. 3rd May 1943 to 617 Squadron coded AJ*Q. Unserviceable on startup so did not participate on Dams Raid. Retained by 617 Squadron, used occasionally for operations, trials and training. From February 1945 stored at 46 MU. Scrapped 8th October 1946.

ED918. 30th April 1943 to 617 Squadron coded AJ*F. Brown's aircraft on Dams Raid. Retained by 617 Squadron, used occasionally for operations, trials and training. 20th January 1944 crashed during night training flight near Snettisham. Crew of four, two killed, two injured.

ED921. 23rd April 1943 to 617 Squadron coded AJ*W. Munro's aircraft on Dams Raid. Hit by flak coasting in over Holland, mission aborted, returned with Upkeep. Retained by 617 Squadron, used occasionally for operations, trials and training. Scrapped 26th September 1946.

ED924. 30th April 1943 to 617 Squadron coded AJ*Y. Anderson's aircraft on Dams Raid. Mission aborted, returned with Upkeep. Retained by 617 Squadron, used occasionally for operations, trials and training. Scrapped 263rd September 1946.

ED925. 30th April 1943 to 617 Squadron coded AJ*M. Hopgood's aircraft on Dams Raid. Shot down at the Möhne.

ED927. 3rd May 1943 to 617 Squadron coded AJ*E. Barlow's aircraft on Dams Raid. Crashed en route to target after hitting electricity cables near Haldern.

ED929. 30th April 1943 to 617 Squadron coded AJ*L. Shannon's aircraft on Dams Raid. Retained by 617 Squadron, used occasionally for operations, trials and training. Scrapped 7th October 1946.

ED932. 30th April 1943 to 617 Squadron coded AJ*G. Gibson's aircraft on Dams Raid. Retained by 617 Squadron, used occasionally for operations, trials and training. Later recoded AJ*V. From 7th February 1945 stored at 46 MU. August 1946 delivered to 61 Squadron for Operation Guzzle coded YF*C. Sustained cat C damage on take-off 11th November 1946. Scrapped 29th July 1946.

ED933. 3rd May 1943 to 617 Squadron coded AJ*X. Damaged by splash dropping Upkeep 12th or 13th May at Reculver during training for operation. Not repaired on time to be used for Dams Raid. Later recoded AJ*N and used for trials. Scrapped 7th October 1946.

ED934. 3rd May 1943 to 617 Squadron coded AJ*K. Byer's aircraft on Dams Raid. Shot down coasting over Texel.

ED936. 12th May 1943 to 617 Squadron coded AJ*H. Rice's aircraft on Dams Raid. Hit water and lost Upkeep. Mission aborted, landed damaged and sent away for repair. Returned to 617 Squadron, used occasionally for operations, trials and training. Scrapped 29th July 1946.

ED397. 14th May 1943 to 617 Squadron coded AJ*Z. Maudslay's aircraft on Dams Raid. Shot down near Emmerich on return flight.

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20 years 5 months

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Thanks for that

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17 years 1 month

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Channel 5 18.05pm tonight, 'Last of the Dambusters' has more coverage of our recovery of ED825 back in 2007 and Johnny Johnson's return to the Sorpe.

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19 years 3 months

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So as most of the aircraft were used for trials and training after the raid, can one assume that the Upkeep specific modifications were removed? If so, to what level was this done? Was the mid upper turret fitted? Bomb doors? Do any images exist of the aircraft post raid?

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17 years 1 month

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The mid-upper was certainly refitted to ED825 as we found one of the taboo track wheels from it in France. As the 'Provisioning' suffix meant that the aircraft should be able to be returned to standard fit, then I'm sure that bomb-doors were refitted as well. Several of the aircraft took part in standard bombing raids post Chastise so it would have made sense to do this.

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16 years 10 months

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Here is the taboo track wheel. Interesting to find such a conclusive piece. I'm pretty sure the second part is the top of the rear crew door. It has been unpleasantly perforated by flack.

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20 years 5 months

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Any photos of the aircraft after the dams to their demise?

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14 years 1 month

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ED817, ED912, ED915, ED921¸ ED924, ED929, ED933 are probably in this photo, taken at Lossiemouth in 1946, showing loads of Lancasters waiting to get chopped by 46 MU...
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm14/handshifterAl/RAFLossiemouth1946.jpg?t=1273770652
Nearby, a scrapman fly-tipped parts he couldn't use into a disused quarry in Elgin's Oak Wood (also known as Quarry Wood, or sometimes Quarrel Wood), like instruments and switches. Literally hundreds of them, mainly from locally scrapped Lancasters, judging by the parts I dug up.
I was able to reconstruct one complete Lancaster starter switch, and it now starts my 1974 Harley-Davidson. So there is slight, but very real chance it is from one of the scrapped Dambusters Lancs!
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm14/handshifterAl/Button2.jpg?t=1278234214
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm14/handshifterAl/ButtonAssembly.jpg?t=1273775494