Operation Chastise
Operation Chastise, or the Dambusters Raid, marked a turning point for the Allies during the Second World War. The objective for the No. 617 Squadron (Sqn) was to destroy key German dams in the Ruhr River Basin; the Möhne, Eder, and Sorpe Dams would be targeted. Despite the high risk and significant losses endured by the Allies, the mission was a success. It demonstrated the bravery and strength of the Allied forces.
The Training:
A special squadron, No. 617, was officially formed for Operation Chastise. It was stationed at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, in the United Kingdom. Wing Commander (W/C) Guy Gibson of the Royal Air Force (RAF) led the squadron and one hundred and thirty-three men were hand-picked to be a part of the team; the selection was based on their skills and experience, and approximately one quarter of them were Canadian. Their mission was kept a secret, even from the squadron’s airmen themselves. The men believed they were training to drop mines at sea – they were not told of their real targets until the night before the mission.
The squadron started to prepare on March 31st, 1943. They trained at multiple locations across Britain where they practiced low-level navigation, precision manoeuvres, and how to drop bombs into water. Nineteen specially modified Lancaster bombers were prepared for the operation. It was only after the successful completion of the mission that the No. 617 Sqn was given the nickname: Dambusters.
Wing Commander Gibson and his crew. F/Lt Taerum is also featured on the right. (Credit: Imperial War Museum)
The Objective:
The objective of the mission was to interrupt the German war effort by targeting dams in the Ruhr Basin, Germany’s industrial heartland. The river’s watershed is home to many factories important to the steel and weapons industry; these factories relied on the water and the hydroelectricity the dams provided . . . if the Allies were to destroy these factories, they would be able to significantly weaken their European opponent.
The Möhne Dam was the primary target due to the devastating flood that would be unleashed downstream. At the time, Möhne was the largest dam in Europe and was heavily fortified by anti-torpedo nets and air defences. Although the Eder and the Sorpe Dams were considered secondary targets, the latter was more strategically important because it was made from compacted earth and analysts thought it would be easier to breach.
Some of the airmen of No. 617 Squadron. (Credit: Bomber Command Museum of Canada/ Gordon Robertson via CBC)
The Mission:
On the evening of May 16th, 1943, the squadron took off from Britain armed with special weapons: “Upkeep” bouncing bombs. These barrel-shaped munitions were designed to breach dams by detonating underwater alongside the wall of a dam. The difficult part, however, was in figuring out how to position the explosive device in the most effective location, and then putting it there. To place the bomb correctly, it had to be released from a height of 60 ft while the aircraft flew at 386 km/h – and before being dropped, the munition needed to be spun in the direction opposite to its direction of travel . . . the spin was to facilitate the bouncing of the bomb once it contacted the water, much like a skipping stone would move across a pond. To have a successful drop, the aircraft had to be perfectly level at release, the bomb had to target the very centre of the dam, and the skip distance must put the explosive device as close to the wall of the dam as possible.
Sequence of events diagram of a dam raid. (Credit: Imperial War Museum)
The operation was executed in three waves. The first wave of nine Lancasters (led by Guy Gibson) targeted Möhne and Eder, the second wave of five Lancasters targeted Sorpe, and the third wave of five Lancasters served as a reserve unit.
W/C Gibson led the first wave, but the attack did not go according to plan. It took four bombing runs for the Möhne to be successfully destroyed and two Lancasters were shot down during the attack. With the dam breached and the valley flooded, the remaining Lancasters continued to Eder.
The towering mountains surrounding Eder made it challenging for any aircraft to manoeuvre in, so the dam had no established air defences. It took the Dambusters eight bombing runs to take out the second target. One Lancaster was lost during the attack.
A Lancaster equipped with a bouncing bomb. (Credit: World History Encyclopaedia)
Of the five planes destined for Sorpe, only one survived the journey. That courageous Lancaster (and crew) attacked Sorpe single-handedly, making ten approaches before successfully dropping its bomb. Despite the effort, the dam was only slightly damaged rather than destroyed.
Meanwhile, the third wave of Lancasters already lost three of their planes due to heavy enemy fire. The remnants of the third wave made their way to the Ennepe Dam but the heavy flooding of the Möhne and Eder Dams disorientated the pilots, and as a result, they mistakenly bombed the Bever Dam.
After completing the mission, the squadron flew back to England. However, along the way, a few more Lancasters were shot down by enemy fighters and anti-air defences.
Canadian Involvement:
Canadian involvement in Operation Chastise was significant and demonstrated the bravery and skill of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Out of the 133 airmen who were involved in the mission, 29 were Canadian.
Among the Canadian airmen, Flight Lieutenant (F/Lt) John Fraser served as a bomb aimer. His aircraft was shot down over the Möhne and five of his crew were killed. F/Lt Fraser survived but was captured and spent the next two years as a Prisoner of War (POW) in Germany.
Another notable Canadian airman was Flight Lieutenant (F/Lt) Terry Taerum, who was personally handpicked to be navigator for Wing Commander Guy Gibson’s crew. F/Lt Taerum played a crucial role in breaching the Möhne Dam; for his actions he was later awarded with a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). A few months afterwards, Taerum was shot down and killed during a raid on the Dortmund-Ems Canal in Germany.
Fourteen Canadians were killed during Operation Chastise. Fred Sutherland of Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, was the last surviving Canadian Dambuster. He sadly passed away on January 21st, 2019, at the age of 95.
The Möhne Dam breached four hours after the raid. (Credit: Imperial War Museum)
Outcome:
Operation Chastise was considered a success: the Möhne and Eder Dams were breached and Sorpe was damaged. 53 Allied airmen were killed and 8 of the 19 Lancasters were lost. The flooding from the failures of the Möhne and Eder Dams killed an estimated 1,300 civilians, caused widespread destruction of homes and factories, and disrupted German industrial production only temporarily. This disaster is referred to in Germany as the “Möhnekatastrophe.”
The legacy of Operation Chastise is complex. It showcased the strength and power of the Allies, significantly boosted morale in both civilians and soldiers, and rewarded the crew of No. 617 with celebrity-like status. However, the high civilian death toll and the widespread destruction of infrastructure have led to a reassessment of the operation. Today, the bombing of civilian infrastructure, such as dams, is considered a war crime according to the Geneva Convention.
Main: A depiction of Operation Chastise. (Credit: Robert Taylor via Aviation Art World)
References:
“Canadian Airmen Were Key to the WWII Dam Busters | CBC Radio.” CBC News, November 2, 2018. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/sunday/the-sunday-edition-november-4-2018-1.4888960/canadian-airmen-were-key-to-the-wwii-dam-busters-1.4888985.
Cartwright, Mark, and Jerry Fray. 2024. “Operation Chastise.” World History Encyclopedia, March. https://www.worldhistory.org/Operation_Chastise/.
BomberAdmin. 2019. “John Fraser & ‘Hoppy’ – Bomber Command Museum of Canada.” January 25, 2019. https://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/chronicles/john-fraser-hoppy/.
BomberAdmin. 2018. “Dambusters Raid – the Canadian Contribution – Bomber Command Museum of Canada.” July 16, 2018. https://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/bomber-command/dambusters-raid-the-canadian-contribution/#:~:text=Of%20the%20133%20airmen%20that,action%20later%20in%20the%20war.