Enemy Coast Ahead is the title of the book written by Wing Commander Guy Gibson V.C.. One of the most recognized and popular books ever to come out of World War Two, it is the story of Gibson's wartime career in the Royal Air Force which ends in his leading the famous dams raid on the Ruhr Valley. Written by Gibson in 1944, it was published in 1946 after his death in action. Previously published in a version subjected to wartime censorship, an uncensored version was released in 2003.[1] Photo from 617 Squadron The dambusters Photo submitted by Roger Shenton - (taken by John Kramer) Photo of the Dambusters Memorial at Woodhall Spa. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Cover of the first English edition of 1793 of Benjamin Franklins autobiography. ... 1961 Pan Books edition of Ian Flemings James Bond novel Goldfinger is an example of the type of publication for which Pan Books became popular. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Wing Commander (rank) is a rank in the Royal Air Force, equivalent to a Lieutenant Colonel in most Armies, the Royal Marines and the United States Marine Corps. ... Photo from 617 Squadron The dambusters Photo submitted by Roger Shenton - (taken by John Kramer) Photo of the Dambusters Memorial at Woodhall Spa. ... Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar. ... This article is becoming very long. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Operation Chastise was the official name for the attacks on German dams on May 17, 1943 in World War II using a specially developed bouncing bomb. The attack was carried out by Royal Air Force No. ... For the conurbation see Ruhr Area. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Censorship is the removal or withholding of information from the public by a controlling group or body. ...

Operation Chastise

In 1943 he was selected to command the newly formed 617 Squadron who were tasked to destroy dams in the Ruhr area. To accomplish this they were provided with the bouncing bomb designed and developed by Barnes Wallis. The bombs had to be dropped from 60 feet (18.3 metres) from a predefined distance to skip across the water into the dam face and then roll down it to explode at predefined depth. To stand any chance of success the mission had to be flown at night. Operation Chastise was the official name for the attacks on German dams on May 17, 1943 in World War II using a specially developed bouncing bomb. The attack was carried out by Royal Air Force No. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1943: Events January January 27 - the USAAF makes its first daylight raid on Germany January 30 - Royal Air Force de Havilland Mosquitos make the first daylight air-raid on Berlin January 30-31 – the H2S radar is used by RAF... No. ... The bouncing bomb was a kind of bomb designed by Barnes Wallis of Vickers-Armstrong at Brooklands, Surrey. ... Sir Barnes Neville Wallis Sir Barnes Neville Wallis, CBE, FRS, RDI, commonly known as Barnes Wallis, (September 26, 1887 – October 30, 1979) was an English scientist, engineer and inventor. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... The metre (or meter, see spelling differences) is a measure of length. ...

Flying at such a low level at night was deemed difficult by even the most experienced pilots. Altimeters (using air pressure) were unreliable in the mountainous terrain so close to the ground. To achieve the correct height they fixed two spotlights to the nose and tail of the Lancaster and directed their beams downwards so that they crossed 60 feet under the craft. The navigator would direct the pilot up or down until the spots touched, forming a figure 8. The bomb aimer found the correct distance from the dam by looking through a simple hand-held wooden triangle with dowel markers. When the dowels lined up with the towers on the dam he released the bomb. Diagram showing the face of a three-pointer sensitive aircraft altimeter displaying altitude in feet. ... The Avro Lancaster was a British four-engine Second World War bomber aircraft made initially by Avro for the British Royal Air Force (RAF). ...

On the night of May 16, 1943, despite the full moon, both Bomber Command and Fighter Command flew a number of sorties which were spread widely over Germany and the Low Countries. As 617 Squadron needed a full moon to carry out their mission, it was thought that the only way they could penetrate German anti-aircraft defences was to fly the whole mission as close to the ground as possible. The 19 Lancasters carried one bomb each. It took five attempts to breach the Moehne Dam. Gibson then led the three remaining Lancasters to attack and breach the Eder Dam. Two other dams were attacked but not breached. Only 11 of the bombers survived the mission; 53 crew members died in the raid. May 16 is the 136th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (137th in leap years). ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Bomber Command badge RAF Bomber Command was the organisation that controlled the RAFs bomber forces. ... Fighter Command was one of three functional commands that dominated the public perception of the RAF for much of the mid-20th century. ... The Möhne Reservoir is an artificial lake in North Rhine-Westphalia, some 45 km east of Dortmund. ... The Eder barrier, which creates the Edersee. ...

The devastation caused by the raids was extensive but the Germans managed to rebuild and recover much more quickly than was expected. However they were forced to use assets to protect key installations like dams to a greater extent than they had before. These assets would have been useful on other fronts. The propaganda boost given to the allied war effort was considerable.

The Dam Busters

In 1954 a film was made based on both Enemy Coast Ahead and on Paul Brickhill's The Dam Busters. Named after the latter, the movie starred Richard Todd as Gibson and Michael Redgrave as Wallis. The Dam Busters is a 1954 British war film, set during the Second World War, and documenting the true story of the RAFs 617 Squadron, the development of the bouncing bomb, and Operation Chastise - the attack on the Ruhr dams in Germany. ... See also: 1953 in film 1954 1955 in film 1950s in film years in film film Events May 12 - The Marx Brothers Zeppo Marx divorces wife Marion Benda. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... Paul Chester Jerome Brickhill (December 20, 1916 – April 23, 1991) was an Australian writer, whose World War II books were turned into popular movies. ... The Dam Buster is a 1951 book by Paul Brickhill about Operation Chastise a mission by the British Royal Air Force to destroy German dams during World War II. ... The Dam Busters is a 1954 British war film, set during the Second World War, and documenting the true story of the RAFs 617 Squadron, the development of the bouncing bomb, and Operation Chastise - the attack on the Ruhr dams in Germany. ... Richard Todd (born June 11, 1919) is a British actor. ... Michael Redgrave and Margaret Lockwood in The Lady Vanishes (1938) Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave, KBE (March 20, 1908 — March 21, 1985) was an English actor and the son of the Australian silent film star Roy Redgrave and the actress Margaret Scudamore. ...

References

• Enemy Coast Ahead: Uncensored - Guy Gibson - 2005