Max Hastings - Chastise

William Collins

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This eBook first published in Great Britain by William Collins in 2019

Copyright © Max Hastings 2019

The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Cover photograph © IWM

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Source ISBN: 9780008280567

Ebook Edition © September 2019 ISBN: 9780008280543

Version: 2020-04-28

In memory of the aircrew who achieved the almost impossible on the night of 16/17 May 1943; and of the men, women and children on both sides who perished

1 Cover

2 Title Page

3 Copyright

4 Dedication

5 Contents

6 List of Illustrations

7 Epigraph

8 RAF Ranks and Army Equivalents

9 Abbreviations Used in the Text

10 Introduction

11 Prologue

12 1 Grand Strategy, Great Dams 1 THE BIG PICTURE 2 HARRIS 3 THE ‘PANACEA MERCHANTS’

13 2 The Boffin and His Bombs 1 WALLIS 2 GESTATION 3 FIRST BOUNCES

14 3 Command and Controversy 1 TARGETS 2 GIBSON 3 ‘A DISASTER OF THE FIRST MAGNITUDE’

15 4 Men and Machines 1 FLIERS 2 FLYING

16 5 The Brink of Battle 1 SIXTY FEET 2 ‘NO NEWS THAT WOULD INTEREST YOU FROM HERE’

17 6 Chastise 1 TAKE-OFF 2 GETTING THERE

18 7 At the Dams 1 THE MÖHNE AND THE SORPE 2 THE EDER AND AFTER

19 8 The Möhnekatastrophe 1 ‘A WALL OF WATER, BLACK AS COAL’ 2 ‘CLOSE TO A SUCCESS’

20 9 Heroes 1 GARNERING THE LAURELS 2 SQUANDERING THE SACRIFICE

21 10 Landings 1 ‘GOODNIGHT, EVERYONE’ 2 RECONCILIATIONS

22 Appendix I: 617 Squadron’s Crews Who Flew on the Night of 16/17 May 1943

23 Appendix II: Landmark Dates in the Evolution of Chastise

24 Appendix III: A Chronology of Operation Chastise 16/17 May 1943

25 Picture Section

26 Acknowledgements

27 Notes and References

28 Bibliography

29 Index

30 Also by Max Hastings

31 About the Author

32 About the Publisher

Landmarks CoverFrontmatterStart of ContentBackmatter

List of Pages iv v xi xii xiii xiv xv xvii xix xx xxi xxii xxiii xxiv xxv xxvi xxvii xxviii xxix xxx xxxi xxxii xxxiii xxxiv xxxv 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 6970717273747576777879808182848586 87888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126 127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154 155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175178179180181182183184185186187 188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235 236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261 262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288 289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308 309 315316318 319320322 323324325326 327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343 345346347348349350 351352353354355356357358359360361362363364 ii

The Möhne, the Eder and the Sorpe.

Barnes and Molly Wallis in 1925. (Estate of Mary Stopes-Roe)

The Wallis home in Effingham, Surrey. (Cambridge University Library/MS Vickers)

Wallis in his study with an assistant. (Cambridge University Library/MS Vickers)

1940 cartoon showing the Wallis-designed Wellington bomber.

The scaled-down model of the Möhne at Nant-y-Gro in Powys, eight minutes after a test explosion in 1942. (The National Archives/AVIA 10/369)

Recording apparatus attached to scale-model dam at Watford. (The National Archives/DSIR 27/43)

Test explosion at Nant-y-Gro. (The National Archives/AVIA 10/369)

Cherwell, Portal, Pound and Churchill watching a display of anti-aircraft gunnery, June 1941. (Imperial War Museum/H 10306)

Air Vice Marshal the Hon. R.A. Cochrane. (Imperial War Museum/CH 14564); Sir Charles Craven. (Cambridge University Library/MS Vickers); Sir Norman Bottomley. (National Portrait Gallery, London/Howard Coster); Arthur Collins; Air Marshal Sir John Linnell. (Imperial War Museum/CM 5259); Gp. Capt. F. W. Winterbotham. (Barry James Gilmore/Fairfax Media/Getty Images)

Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris. (Imperial War Museum/CH 13020)

Harris with his wife Jill and daughter Jackie. (Leonard McCombe/Picture Post/Getty Images)

Avro Lancaster ED932 (G-George) being flown by Guy Gibson during tests at Reculver. (Imperial War Museum/FLM 2343)

An Upkeep bounces onto the seafront during tests at Reculver. (Imperial War Museum/FLM 2343)

Tests at Reculver. (Imperial War Museum/FLM 2360; FLM 2362; FLM 2363)

Melvin Young in the victorious 1938 Oxford Boat Race crew. (The Times/News Licensing)

Young’s miraculous October 1940 Atlantic rescue. (Trinity College Oxford, with help from Arthur G. Thorning)

Young with his rescuer’s captain. (Trinity College Oxford, with help from Arthur G. Thorning)

Melvin and Priscilla Young. (Trinity College Oxford, with help from Arthur G. Thorning)

John ‘Hoppy’ Hopgood. (Hopgood family)

Hopgood with his sister Betty and his mother. (Hopgood family)

Hopgood with his siter Marna. (Hopgood family)

Aircrew of 106 Squadron. (Imperial War Museum/HU 91941)

Henry Maudslay at Eton. (Maudslay family)

Maudslay as squadron leader. (Lincolnshire County Council Archives)

Guy Gibson and his wife Eve. (Trinity Mirror/Mirrorpix/Alamy)

Gibson in 1944. (Imperial War Museum/CH 13618)

Gibson with Nigger. (Associated Newspapers/Rota/Shutterstock)

Gibson, Spafford, Hutchison, Deering and Taetum at Scampton. (CNP Collection/Alamy)

Bill Astell and his family on a pre-war outing in Derbyshire. (Ray Hepner)

Gibson with Dave Maltby. (CNP Collection/Alamy)

Australian crew members on leave in London after the raid. (Imperial War Museum/CH 9942)

F/Lt. Bill Astell. (Lincolnshire County Council Archives)

F/Lt. Joe McCarthy and his crew. (CNP Collection/Alamy)

P/O John Fraser at his wedding, a week before Chastise. (Cavendish Press)

F/Lt. David Shannon. (Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty)

F/Lt. Les Munro.

The aircrew who took part in Operation Chastise. (Imperial War Museum/CH 11049)

Lancaster taking off from Scampton for Chastise. (Imperial War Museum/CH 18006)

Wreck of a 617 Squadron Lancaster on a Dutch beach. (The National Archives/AIR 20/4367)

Harris and Cochrane at the debriefing of Gibson’s crew. (CNP Collection/Alamy)