Dambusters 80th Anniversary year
Welcome to this latest edition of our Workbench blog and all the news, updates and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix.
This year will mark a significant anniversary for one of the most famous bombing attacks in the history of warfare and the heroic exploits of the crews who took part in it, the 80th Anniversary of the Dambusters raid. Undertaken by a specially selected gathering of the most capable crews from within Bomber Command, this newly formed squadron would strike at the very heart of the German war machine, utilising technologies which had never before been used operationally and would require every ounce of their flying skill and personal resolve. Little did they know that each and every one of them would be writing their names into the pages not only of aviation history, but that of the entire 20th Century.
In this latest edition of Workbench, we use the impending re-introduction of our hugely popular 1/72nd scale Avro Lancaster B.III (Special) model kit to pay our own blog tribute to the 133 airmen of RAF No.617 Squadron on the night of 16th/17th May 1943. Showcasing the stunning new box artwork produced in support of this 2023 release, we will also be taking a closer look at the two Dambusters Lancasters which are presented as scheme options with the kit and the roles each played on that historic, heroic and extremely costly night. We will see why this relatively small number of Lancasters were very different to any others which went before or after them, but how the mission they undertook created an aviation legacy which endures to this day. Our scale subject for this latest Airfix development update is the Avro Lancaster Type 464 (Provisioning) and the aircraft of Operation Chastise.
A very different Lancaster payload
An extremely rare picture of a 464 (Provisioning) modified Lancaster prior to the Dambusters raid with an Upkeep mine fitted. In this fascinating image, you can see the Vickers designed and produced support callipers and drive gear which allowed the mine to be rotated and just how ingenious the engineering was. This aircraft is ED932 AJ-G, the Lancaster flown by Guy Gibson and his crew.
We suspect that for those Workbench readers who have many years invested in the modelling hobby, the carefree days of our youth was a time spent making as many models as we could get our hands on, looking into the histories of the models we were currently working on, or planning the next kits which we would be trying to get our parents and relatives to secure on our behalf. Even though life tended to get in the way of modelling activities soon after, as relationships, sport and careers all got in the way, we always have the memories of those formative years to fall back on and they can always be relied upon to raise a smile. Many of our fellow modellers will have similar shared experiences, in part due to the fact that when we were young, the lack of the technological distractions today's youngsters have access to ensured that modelling really was the centre of our universe back then.
If we think back to those times, perhaps one of the most engaging aspects of the hobby was the fact that many of the scale kit representations we were building were of machines which may have only been withdrawn from service a few years earlier, even such famous subjects as Spitfires and Lancasters. Indeed, some of the personalities who could recount their fascinating wartime experiences flying these aircraft still made regular appearances on national television and when talking about such historic subjects as the Battle of Britain or the Dambusters raid, those events really didn't seem to have occurred all that long ago to us back then, perhaps just 25 or 30 years previously.
One of the many unfortunate drawbacks of getting older is how when we commemorate anniversaries these days, most took place a lifetime ago, with many of the people who took part back then all now having passed away, but thankfully leaving us with the interviews and written accounts which continue to enthral and inspire. Indeed, as we prepare to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Dambusters raid in May this year, for many Workbench regulars, the events of that fateful few hours in history are now closer to marking their centenary than they were the number of years past, back in the days of our youth. Nevertheless, we always have the enjoyment of modelling to ease our pain, something which has been a constant throughout our lives, bur for those who are much younger, modelling still allows them to engage with a wide variety of subject matter in a tactile and engaging manner, producing scale recreations of aircraft, military vehicles and other machines from history, something which really helps to bring them and those who flew, operated, designed and maintained them all those years ago, back to life.
Over the coming few months, so much will be published and articulated about the Dambusters raid that we really wanted to try and take a slightly different viewpoint with this latest update blog, something more than simply recounting the incredible details behind this famous raid - maybe that should be saved for a future Club Magazine feature. Instead, we thought modellers might find it interesting if we concentrated on this unique batch of Lancasters themselves, what made them different from other Lancasters and how they were produced. We will follow this by looking a little more closely at the histories of the two aircraft covered by the schemes included with this impending new kit release, to help modellers decide which one they will replicate in their own tribute build. As always, we hope this will meet with your approval.
Before we do that, it's probably appropriate to spend a moment looking at the raid from a historical perspective, why the dams were attacked and why the raid would require the skills of a very special group of airmen.
Artwork produced to support our previous Anniversary release of a Dambusters Avro Lancaster B.III (Special) kit in 1/72nd scale, a kit which is still available on the Airfix website in extremely low quantities.
For a nation to be victorious in any modern conflict, it wasn't only going to be achieved by destroying more aircraft and tanks than your enemy could, it would also involve disrupting their ability to keep the war machine supplied and if possible, to demoralise the resolve of the enemy population in the process. This was very much in the thinking of British military planners during the Second World War and specifically, how they intended to use their bomber force to bring about eventual victory. The beating heart of Germany's mighty industrial leviathan was the Ruhr Valley, a region which produced everything from steel to synthetic oil and quite literally, the region which fed the German war machine.
As a consequence, Bomber Command were regular visitors to the area with their mighty night bombing campaign, however, the strength of German defences in the area and the inaccuracy of area saturation bombing dictated that whilst no decisive blow had been achieved, losses were now at a worrying level. An improvement in this situation presented itself in early 1942, when a new bomber, the Avro Lancaster, entered squadron service, an aircraft which proved superior to all other Bomber Command aircraft and one which would become their main strike bomber from that point forward. Now they really did have a weapon with which to press home their night bombing campaign and when combined with the greater resource being directed towards technical innovation, maybe now they could take a more strategic view regarding target selection.
Bomber Command had produced a list of potential strategic targets they wanted to hit prior to embarking on the Battle of the Ruhr, a list which included the great dams of the Ruhr Valley. A series of mighty dams which supplied the region with the water and electricity it needed to fuel Germany's vital industries, surely if they could be destroyed, it would be catastrophic for the region and for Germany, whilst also providing a significant propaganda victory for the Allies. The dams had been a target consideration for the British since 1937, but whilst area saturation bombing had been attempted, results were disappointing to say the least - it was clearly going to take the use of a very special new weapon if they were to stand any chance of success.
As the bombers continued with their campaign, celebrated British inventor and engineer Barnes Wallis had been working on an ingenious method of designing an air launched bomb which could skip across the surface of a body of water and when delivered correctly, might well be the ideal way in which to target the supporting wall of a dam. Perhaps now, Bomber Command had the very weapon they had been looking for, but how could they deliver such a weapon and how could they design a new aircraft around it at this crucial stage of the war?
In the hope that Wallis would be successful with his design and manage to devise a modification to standard Lancaster bombers to allow delivery of his new bouncing bomb, the RAF instructed the highly regarded Guy Gibson to form a crack new squadron to be made up of some of the most proficient Lancaster crews in Bomber Command. The group would include men from Britain, Canada, Austria, New Zealand and America within their number and they would all gather at RAF Scampton to train exhaustively in low flying, by both day and night, whilst at the same time testing the navigational skills of each and every crew. Flying a collection of standard Lancasters at first, crews couldn't help wondering what was all this effort was leading to and what their intended target would be? All would be revealed soon enough.
A built example of our 1/72nd scale Avro Lancaster B.III (Special) kit, with this build representing ED825/G, AJ-T 'T for Tommy', the Lancaster flown by Flight Lieutenant Joe McCarthy and his crew on the night of 16th/17th May 1943.
During April 1942, Barnes Wallis produced a paper entitled 'Spherical Bomb - Surface Torpedo', where he introduced his idea for a weapon which could bounce along the surface of water until striking its intended target, before sinking to a pre-determined weight and exploding, in a similar manner to how a naval depth charge was used. It went on to describe how the pulse-blast of such a weapon would be significant and how this explosive force could be used to damage or even destroy hydro- electric dams and large surface vessels, both of which were of huge interest to the Royal Air Force as targets.
In the summer, Wallis arranged for a demonstration of his theory and to say it was successful was an understatement, captivating gathered officials and ensuring the project received continued development funding. This would prove to be an incredibly busy time for Wallis, as he was still performing the majority of his usual tasks at the Vickers Armstrong Company, whilst also working to prove his bouncing bomb theory, however, Vickers Armstrong would prove instrumental in the design and development of this new weapon and its method of delivery.
As the project progressed and held real promise, the challenge was on to find a delivery method and to quite literally, get the mine into the air. The next phase of the project was therefore to find a suitable aircraft and to devise a reliable method of delivery for the weapon, but all with as little delay as possible. Initial testing commenced in late 1942 and made use of a modified Vickers Wellington bomber, however, although encouraging data continued to be obtained, it quickly became apparent that the Wellington would not be suitable and for the weapon to stand any chance of success, it would have to be carried by the RAF's most capable bomber at that time, the Avro Lancaster. In view of the very different type of bomb it would be required to carry and its unique method of delivery, some changes would have to be made to the design of the aircraft and would see the Avro and Vickers companies closely collaborating to produce a rather 'Special' number of Lancasters.
The large cylindrical mine Barnes Wallis designed was referred to as 'Upkeep', but within the Vickers company was known as the 'Vickers Type 464'. Its explosive power was provided by Torpex, a substance which had been designed for use in torpedoes, but possessed the explosive properties Wallis needed for his new submerged detonation weapon. With the Avro Lancaster now identified as the delivery aircraft for the Upkeep mine and the supporting technology all now designed and available, the job of fitting the new equipment to 23 new Lancasters could begin in earnest, however, the success of the proposed raid would then pass to the crews of No.617 Squadron, who were busy making their own preparations, using standard Lancasters at that time.
Avro Lancaster B.III Type 464 (Provisioning)
Stunning new artwork has been produced to support the release of our 80th Anniversary Dambusters Avro Lancaster B.III (Special) kit for 2023. The artwork shows Gibson's ED932 AJ-G making the first Upkeep delivery of the Dambusters raid.
At the outset, it does have to be stressed that the work being undertaken on Upkeep by Wallis, Vickers Armstrong and Avro in support of this project was of a highly secret nature and as such, researchers looking to obtain specific details and original photographs in the years following the end of WWII have found it incredibly difficult to do so. Information has started to surface over recent years which only serves to confirm just how impressive the entire project was and how talented and resourceful the various teams involved actually were. What we do know is that 23 Lancaster B.III airframes were taken from the Avro assembly line at Woodford for conversion to Type 464 (Provisioning) standard. The actual difference between the Lancaster B.I and the B.III variant was in the powerplants each model used, with the B.I fitted with Rolls Royce produced Merlin engines, whilst the B.III was equipped with the licence built American Packard versions.
Visually, the most noticeable differences between standard Lancasters produced at that time and the 23 selected for Type 464 (Provisioning) conversion was the removal of both the top ventral turret and the aircraft's mighty bomb doors, the latter allowing the unique Vickers designed mine support frame to be installed under the aircraft. With this unit and the loaded Upkeep mine extending far beneath the line of a Lancaster's bomb bay, there was no question that these could be retained and with the time available to them, the design team actually did quite a tidy job in fairing over the deletions to make the aircraft as streamlined as possible.
The most important modification was the installation of the Vickers designed and manufactured mounting frame and supporting struts for the Upkeep mine, made from a combination of cast aluminium and machined steel and attached to the supporting frame by a series of heavy duty brackets. Everything about this installation was robust, as it had to hold the 9,250lb mine securely in place, allow it to rotate at 500 rpm and release it correctly on demand, quite the feat of engineering. The cast aluminium calliper arms were fixed to the frame by several heavy duty brackets, but also utilised a series of thick steel cables for tensioning and to allow the arms to release the mine at the precise moment. On loading the mine, it would be offered into the supporting frame, which would be clamped around it at the centrally located disc pivot points. The cables would then be tensioned to pull the arms securely into place and a degree of fine tuning and final tensioning could be achieved by use of the cables and their securing bolts.
The 23 Avro Lancaster B.III Type 464 (Provisioning) airframes were taken from the final assembly lines at Woodford and would be unique amongst the production of almost 7400 of these mighty bombers.
Once in position and in order to allow the mine to skim over the surface of the water, it would have to be rotated at exactly 500 rpm in reverse prior to release, an important aspect of the weapon's delivery which was achieved by the installation of the Vickers Variable Speed Gear Motor. This was located in front of the mounting frame and fixed to the roof of the front section of the bomb bay, an area which was then covered by a newly fabricated front section of the bomb bay, but a covering which could be removed to allow access to the VSG hydraulic motor installation if required. The unit employed a large drive wheel on its starboard side to power the rotation of the mine, connected to the wheel on the starboard calliper arm by a heavy duty rubber drive belt.
The Vickers Variable Speed Gear Motor unit operated under its own hydraulic system and was controlled by a gearing mechanism, the control lever for which was passed through the roof of the bomb bay, to protrude through the floor of the wireless operator's station. For the dams attack, the normal procedure would for the Wireless Operator to start the motor ten minutes prior to mine release, then turning the control lever to regulate the mine's rotation speed. What he was aiming for was an optimum rotation velocity of 500 rpm and as you might well imagine, the spinning 9,250lb mine did create quite an amount of vibration, so whilst ten minutes was actually quite a short period of time for the mine to get up to speed and to stabilise, it was long enough for the crew to bear. Once the mine had been released, the drive system was disengaged and the motor shut down for the rest of the sortie - now it was just a case of fighting their way home over enemy territory.
With grateful thanks to our friends at the Avro Heritage Museum, these original drawings show the design modification required to produce the 23 Type 464 (Provisioning) Lancasters for the Dambusters raid. Marked as 'MOST SECRET', they are a fascinating link to the Dambusters story and form part of their magnificent collection.
Specific instructions added to the drawing above, warning anyone viewing it about the highly sensitive nature of the details it contained. A fascinating insight into how the Dambusters raid came together from a Lancaster modification and Barnes Wallis perspective.
The calliper arms held the heavy mine in place by utilising a series of incredibly strong cables, with the arms themselves employing strong springs at their pivot points to force them outwards at the moment of release. In order to release the mine, the bomb aimer had an electrical release button fitted in his forward station and at the precise moment, a press of this unit would release the cables and cause the main calliper arms to spring outwards, not by much, but just enough to allow the mine to drop away from the aircraft. Clearly, this release operation required both the port and starboard callipers to release the mine at exactly the same time, otherwise it could cause the mine to fall in an unstable manner and more than likely, fail to skim off the surface of the water as intended, effectively a wasted mine.
In the event of an emergency situation developing or a problem with either the drive mechanism or mine itself, the pilot also had access to two failsafe release mechanisms in the cockpit, both of which were only to be used as a last resort and only if the bomb aimer was not in a position to use his release switch. The pilot had an electrical switch similar to the one in the bomb aimers position, plus the security of an additional manual release for use if all else failed.
When trying to process all these incredible details, we are certainly left with a feeling of huge respect and admiration for everyone who was involved with the development, design and manufacture of all these components and systems, particularly as they had very little time to complete their work. Despite having little opportunity to test, assess and make modifications to these components, everything thankfully worked as intended. Perhaps even more than this, the Lancaster crews who had to learn how to use all this new equipment in just a matter of a few days and then use it operationally on one of the most daring, most dangerous and most demanding raids any of them had ever been involved with really is quite astonishing, not to mention the fact that they would also be under heavy enemy fire. No wonder the Dambusters raid has always been a source of such enduring fascination and how the crews who took part continue to receive our respect and gratitude to this day,
This seems like an appropriate point at which to look at the two scheme options which will be included with an impending release which is certain to be amongst the most popular kits of the year, starting with the aircraft flown by the inspirational leader of the Dambusters raid, Wing Commander Guy Gibson.
It's interesting to note that even though the Lancasters which took part in the Dambusters raid would become some of the most famous aircraft in the history of aviation, only 23 Type 464 (Provisioning) Lancasters were ever produced and indeed for some, the raid would be their only operational sortie. Without doubt, the most famous of all the Dambusters Lancasters, ED932 was not only the mount of raid leader Wing Commander Guy Gibson and his crew, but it was also the subject of only a handful of official photographs which were subsequently published showing an Upkeep equipped Type 464 Lancaster.
The aircraft was delivered to RAF Scampton on 30th April 1943 and immediately allocated to Gibson, where it would wear the rather appropriate fuselage codes AJ-G. Due to the responsibilities of command, Gibson didn't fly his Lancaster on training sorties for as many hours as most of the squadron's other pilots, however, it did go on to drop the unit's first inert Upkeep mine on 11th May, with the Wing Commander at the controls. Unlike the other aircraft of the squadron, it is thought that because of its celebrated assigned pilot, ED932 may have received some preferential treatment during her time at Scampton. Rather than joining the rest of the Lancasters at dispersal areas some distance away from the main building complex, this Lancaster would regularly be parked on the grass outside Gibson's office, clearly one of the perks of his command position.
On the night of the Dambusters raid, this aircraft would lead the first section of the main attack wave with Gibson at the controls. The second wave with the Sorpe Dam as their primary target, actually left Scampton first, due to the fact that these aircraft would be flying a more northerly course to try and confuse German night defences. By 21.39, the main attack wave were ready to set course for the Ruhr, taking off in sections of three aircraft, with Gibson leading the first section. Their target was the Möhne Dam and Gibson himself would perform the first attack run of Operation Chastise. Whilst his attack didn't result in a breach, he would remain in the area and fly alongside each aircraft undertaking its attack run, attempting to draw enemy defensive fire in the hope of giving the attacking Lancaster crew a better chance of achieving a dam breach.
One of the most famous aircraft in RAF history, ED932 led the Dambusters raid and would be the first to release an Upkeep mine in anger. For his heroic actions on the night of 16th/17th May 1943, Wing Commander Guy Gibson would be awarded the Victoria Cross.
Once a breach of the dam had been achieved, Gibson then led the remaining Upkeep equipped Lancasters on to their secondary target, the Eder Dam, where he once again tried to help his comrades by remaining on station until the final mine had been released. For his incredible bravery, leadership and devotion to duty, Gibson would later be the recipient of the nation's highest award for valour in the face of the enemy.
An interesting footnote relating to all the Type 464 (Provisioning) Lancasters concerns the aircraft's serial numbers and how they are often shown with a /G added to the end of them. This was an instruction to base security teams that this aircraft carries secret equipment and must therefore be under armed guard at all times when on the ground. This system was in widespread use throughout WWII, but was not noted as being an official part of the Type 464 Lancaster serial number allocation process and indeed, it appears that this secretive prefix was removed prior to the raid itself.
Avro Lancaster ED932 would remain with No.617 Squadron after the raid and was eventually handed over to the care of the unit's new commander. She would be one of six former Dambusters Lancasters to be converted back to standard configuration, with the return of its ventral turret, but this time featuring bulged bomb bay doors. She would conduct further operational sorties, most noticeably when dropping a 12,000lb 'Blockbuster' bomb on the Antheor Viaduct. Interestingly, she would later be converted back to Type 464 configuration and used during 'Operation Guzzle', sorties mounted to dispose of the remaining Upkeep mines in the Atlantic Ocean.
It was reported that by the time of the 'Guzzle' missions, the aircraft was in quite a poor state and would spend the next few months languishing on the ground at Scampton, where she was eventually scrapped in July 1947.
Avro Lancaster ED921 arrived at Scampton on 27th April 1943, where she was given the codes AJ-W and allocated to New Zealand pilot Les Munro and his crew. They would use this aircraft throughout the hectic flight training schedule the unit flew, including taking part in 617 Squadron's first inert Upkeep releases on 12th may. It is thought that this aircraft was damaged by the water slash caused by the incorrect release of an Upkeep mine during one of these practice sessions, due to the fact that the mine was released whilst ED921 was flying too low to the surface of the water and too slow. Causing quite significant damage, whilst the aircraft did manage to return safely to Scampton, it did require quite an extended period in the workshops as repairs were made and indeed, Munro and his crew would not fly her again until the actual night of the dams raid.
Lancaster ED921 would be the second aircraft to leave Scampton's runway on the night of the raid, part of the second wave of aircraft with their primary target being the Sorpe Dam, with their more northerly course resulting in them having to leave before the main wave. The initial phase of the outbound flight passed without incident, but as the formation passed over the coast of enemy occupied Holland at Vlieland, one of the West Frisian Islands, the aircraft was hit by flak, with the shell ripping a large hole in the fuselage of the bomber. With the shell causing damage to the aircraft's compass and the rear turret, it also completely knocked out all communications equipment, leaving Munro with little option but to turn back. The aircraft arrived safely back at Scampton at around 00:36.
Full scheme details of Squadron Leader John Leslie (Les) Munro's Lancaster which was damaged whilst crossing the Dutch coast and had to turn back to Scampton on the night of the raid.
It would take around two weeks to repair the damage sustained during the outbound leg of the Dambusters raid, but once available, Munro and his crew would take her back into the air to continue flying training sorties, as they prepared for whatever targets the squadron would be given next. That target would prove to be a rather unusual one, the Derwent Dam in Derbyshire - she and several other Type 464 Lancasters would be used to simulate attacks on the dam, as officials were concerned that the Luftwaffe might attempt to mount a reprisal dam attack and they wanted to ascertain their realistic chances of landing a telling blow, should such a raid actually ever take place.
By the turn of the year, Lancaster ED921 was still carrying out practice Upkeep sorties, but as the likelihood of mounting further attacks continued to diminish, she would later spend time in storage. Her next flight operations would be to discover whether the Lancasters converted for use on the Dambusters raid could be used in a target towing role, but other than this, would see little time in the air over the next twelve months or so. Placed in storage once again, this time at RAF Lossiemouth, she would be scrapped in September 1946.
It really is interesting to see how the Dambusters Lancasters became some of the most famous aircraft of the entire Second World War, but how they were conceived and converted in a relatively short period of time and other than their use on Operation Chastise, would not be used on another Upkeep delivery mission. Several would be converted back to standard configuration, but other than their use in this most famous of bombing raids, would mainly slip into relative aviation obscurity. Nevertheless, as we prepare to mark the 80th Anniversary of this famous raid, the Type 464 (Provisioning) Lancasters of No.617 Squadron and their brave crews will once again be the centre of attention and will probably captivate a new generation of youngsters in the process, allowing them to join us in marvelling at the ingenuity of Barnes Wallis and the design teams at Vickers and Avro, and have nothing but respect and admiration for the 133 Dambusters raiders.
The full box artwork file produced in support of this Anniversary release, including side panels and all descriptions.
The same artwork in classic Airfix box top presentation. This impending release is certain to be a popular addition to many a build schedule over the coming months.
Hopefully available by the end of this month, the re-introduction of our Avro Lancaster B.III (Special) kit will serve as a fitting modelling tribute project with which to mark this year's anniversary and if we chose to finish our kit in the markings of Gibson's ED932, we will be producing a scale representation of one of the most famous aircraft of the entire Second World War and an aircraft in which its famous pilot earned a Victoria Cross. Could their possibly be a more fitting modelling project for us to take on in 2023?
You will have noticed that we have included several images of the existing Dambusters kit release in this update, a kit which is still currently available on the Airfix website. This kit is now only available in very small numbers and may well be out of stock by the time the new kit arrives, but as it features two different scheme options for modellers to consider, those who have both kits in their stashes will be able to replicate FOUR of the Avro Lancaster B.III (Special) aircraft taking part in the Dambusters raid in scale form.
Finally, we would like to thank our good friends at the Avro Heritage Museum once again for allowing us to include the fascinating Type 464 (Provisioning) Lancaster drawings in this edition. They are planning an exhibition to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the Dambusters raid at the museum and as they have many rare and historic artifacts amongst their collection, this could be a must for anyone interested in aviation history and the Dambusters raid in particular. Please visit their website for exhibition details.
We are afraid that's all we have for you in this latest edition of Workbench, but we will be back next Friday with more project development updates and the very latest Airfix kit exclusives. In the meantime, we are always keen to hear your views on all things Airfix and in particular, any thoughts and opinions you may have regarding our Workbench blog. If you would like to drop us a quick line, could we please ask that you use our workbench@airfix.com email for all correspondence.
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