Photo from 617 Squadron The "dambusters"

Photo submitted by Roger Shenton - (taken by John Kramer)

Photo of the Dambusters Memorial at Woodhall Spa. Photo submitted by Roger Shenton)

Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson VC DSO and bar DFC and bar RAF (12 August 1918 – 19 September 1944), was the first CO of the RAF's 617 Squadron, which he led in the "Dam Busters" raid (Operation Chastise), in 1943, resulting in the destruction of two large dams in the Ruhr area. He was killed later in the war. Photo of Victoria Cross recipient Guy Penrose Gibson, migrated from the Victoria Cross Reference site with permission. ... Photo of Victoria Cross recipient Guy Penrose Gibson, migrated from the Victoria Cross Reference site with permission. ... Grave photo of Victoria Cross recipient Guy Penrose Gibson, migrated from the Victoria Cross Reference site with permission. ... Grave photo of Victoria Cross recipient Guy Penrose Gibson, migrated from the Victoria Cross Reference site with permission. ... Photo of the Dambusters Memorial at Woodhall Spa. ... Photo of the Dambusters Memorial at Woodhall Spa. ... A Wing Commanders sleeve/shoulder insignia A Wing Commanders command flag Wing Commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. ... Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar. ... DSO medal The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other Commonwealth countries, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat. ... This article is about the award given in the United Kingdom; a separate article describes the award given in the United States. ... August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... No. ... 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. ... 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. ... Map of the Ruhr Area The Ruhr Area (German Ruhrgebiet, colloquially Ruhrpott or Kohlenpott or simply Pott) is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, consisting of a number of large (former) industrial cities bordered by the rivers Ruhr to the south, Rhine to the west, and Lippe to...

Early life and career

Gibson was born in Simla, India, during the British Raj, the son of Alexander James Gibson and Norah Gibson. He moved with his family to Porthleven, Cornwall, England in 1921 aged three. He was educated at St Edward's School, Oxford. Shimla Shimla (शिमला) is the capital of Himachal Pradesh and a hill station in North India. ... Porthleven is a fishing village near Helston in Cornwall. ... Cornwall (Cornish: Kernow) is a county in South West England on the peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... St Edwards School is a co-educational, independent school in north Oxford, England. ... Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). ...

In 1936 he joined the RAF and by the outbreak of the Second World War was a bomber pilot with 83 Squadron, flying the Handley Page Hampden. In July 1940 he won the Distinguished Flying Cross. After completing his first tour of duty of 27 operational sorties, Gibson volunteered for Fighter Command, avoiding the normal six-month rest from operations at a flying training establishment. As a night fighter pilot flying the Bristol Beaufighter with 29 Squadron he claimed four kills in 99 sorties and won a bar to his DFC. Promotion to Wing Commander followed and at the age of 23 he was posted back to Bomber Command in 1942. During the next 11 months he led 106 Squadron now flying the Avro Manchester and then the Avro Lancaster, personally completing 46 sorties. He was remembered by his subordinates as a tough, brash and often aloof, a disciplinarian who bore a professionalism and arrogance derived from his position as one of the most experienced bomber pilots in the RAF. The Handley Page HP.52 Hampden was a twin-engine medium bomber of the Royal Air Force that was one of the main front-line bombers at the start of World War II. Along with the Whitley and Wellington bombers, the Hampden bore the brunt of the early bombing war... The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Companys earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design. ... The Avro 679 Manchester was a twin-engined heavy bomber developed during World War II by the Avro aircraft company in the United Kingdom. ... The Avro Lancaster was a four-engine World War II bomber aircraft made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force (RAF). ...

After several operational sorties with 106 Squadron he considered two members of his allotted crew sub-standard and had them replaced. However, when a visiting Air Ministry team considered his 5' 11" tall rear-gunner (Pilot Officer John Wickens) too tall to be a Lancaster gunner, Gibson told them to forget the rules, as his gunner was staying.

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 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. 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 a British scientist, engineer and inventor. ...

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. Kollsman-type barometric aircraft altimeter as used in North America An altimeter is an active instrument used to measure the altitude of an object above a fixed level. ... The Avro Lancaster was a four-engine World War II bomber aircraft made initially by Avro for the 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). ... 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.

Victoria Cross

After the Dams raid, Gibson was awarded the Victoria Cross in recognition not just of the raid, but his leadership and valour demonstrated as master bomber on many previous sorties. 8bit 300dpi Scanned Image of VC Medal Ribbon & Bar File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar. ...

Wing Commander Gibson, whose personal courage knew no bounds, was quickly recognised to be an outstanding operational pilot and leader. He served with conspicuously successful results as a night bomber pilot and also as a night fighter pilot, on operational tours. In addition, on his "rest" nights he made single-handed attacks on highly defended objectives such as the German battleship Tirpitz. Wing Commander Gibson was then selected to command a squadron formed for special tasks. Under his inspiring leadership this squadron executed one of the most devastating attacks of the war - the breaching of the Moehne and Eder dams. Wing Commander Gibson personally made the initial attack on the Moehne dam. Descending to within a few feet of the water, he delivered his attack with great accuracy. He then circled very low for thirty minutes, drawing the enemy fire and permitting as free a run as possible to the following aircraft. He repeated these tactics in the attack on the Eder dam. Throughout his operational career, prolonged exceptionally at his own request, he has shown leadership, determination and valour of the highest order.

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Royal Air Force Museum (Hendon, England). An Avro Lancaster in the main hangar of the RAF Museum Hendon The Royal Air Force Museum (RAF Museum) is a museum dedicated to the history of aviation, and the British Royal Air Force in particular. ...

After the Dams Raid

After receiving his VC Gibson wrote an account of his wartime career, Enemy Coast Ahead and was sent on a lecture tour of the United States by the government, partly to keep the new hero safe. The tour was "at a time when the first American airmen were coming home 'tour expired' after 25 operations. During questions one young lady asked `Wing Commander Gibson, how many operations have you been on over Germany?' 'One hundred and seventy-four.' There was a stunned silence." [From Sir Robert Thompson's autobiography Make for the Hills]. Sir Robert Thompson is/was a British counter-insurgency expert. ...

Return to Operations

Gibson returned to operational duties in 1944, after pestering Bomber Command, and was killed on a bombing raid on Rheydt operating as the Master Bomber, when his de Havilland Mosquito crashed near Steenbergen, the Netherlands, on 19 September 1944. It was assumed for many years that he had been shot down, but following the discovery of the wreckage of his plane, it was found that a fault with the fuel tank selector had meant that the aircraft had simply run out of fuel. Rheydt is a borough of the German city Mönchengladbach, located in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia. ... The de Havilland Mosquito (The Wooden Wonder, also known as The Timber Terror) was a British combat aircraft that excelled in a number of roles during the Second World War. ... Steenbergen is a municipality and a city in the southern Netherlands. ... September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ...

Barnes Wallis described Gibson best of all by saying: Sir Barnes Neville Wallis Sir Barnes Neville Wallis, CBE, FRS, RDI, commonly known as Barnes Wallis, (September 26, 1887 – October 30, 1979) was a British scientist, engineer and inventor. ...

For some men of great courage and adventure, inactivity was a slow death. Would a man like Gibson ever have adjusted back to peacetime life? One can imagine it would have been a somewhat empty existence after all he had been through. Facing death had become his drug. He had seen countless friends and comrades perish in the great crusade. Perhaps something in him even welcomed the inevitability he had always felt that before the war ended he would join them in their Bomber Command Valhalla. He had pushed his luck beyond all limits and he knew it. But that was the kind of man he was…a man of great courage, inspiration and leadership. A man born for war…but born to fall in war.

"Bomber" Harris described him as "As great a warrior as this island ever produced" Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur Travers Harris, 1st Baronet (April 13, 1892 - April 5, 1984), commonly known as Bomber Harris, and often within the RAF as Butcher Harris[1], was commander of RAF Bomber Command and later a Marshal of the...

Other

Gibson's grave and a memorial are in Steenbergen en Kruisland R.C. Churchyard, the Netherlands. Steenbergen can mean: A town in North Brabant, Netherlands: Steenbergen (Brabant) A village in the South of Drenthe, Netherlands: Steenbergen (South Drenthe) A village in the North of Drenthe, Netherlands: Steenbergen (North Drenthe) This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ...

He was survived by his wife, Eve Mary Gibson of Westminster.

Gibson was played by Richard Todd in the film The Dam Busters. Richard Todd (born June 11, 1919) is a British actor. ... The Dam Busters is a 1954 British war film, set during World War II, 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. ...

References Books

• Enemy Coast Ahead (Guy Gibson, 2003)
• British VCs of World War 2 (John Laffin, 1997)
• Dam Buster: the Life of Guy Gibson, VC (Susan Ottaway, 1996)
• The Dam Busters (Paul Brickhill, 1983)
• Enemy Coast Ahead (Guy Gibson, 1984)
• Enemy Coast Ahead (Guy Gibson, 1946)
• Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
• The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)

External links

• Guy Gibson biography from UK educational site
• Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson (39438) (detailed biography and military service record)
• The Dambusters (Website in Dutch)
  • Dedicated page at St Edward's School