![]() ![]() The bombers faced little resistance and around 20,000 civilians were killed. On the night of 13/14 February 1945, 796 Lancasters took part in a joint British and American mission to bomb the eastern German city of Dresden. In 1942 in an attempt to break German morale the RAF began attacking German towns and cities in earnest. This was the home of the Nazis’ secret missile program, which was developing deadly V1 and V2 rockets.ĥ96 planes, including 324 Lancasters dropped 1,800 tons of bombs on Peenemunde, destroying the factories and research facilities and setting back the missile program by between three and six months. On 17 and 18 August 1943, they took part in ‘Operation Hydra’ bombing the military test site at Peenemunde in Northern Germany. However the mission became legendary and was a great boost to British morale. Eight of the 19 Lancasters that took part were lost with the loss of 56 men: 53 died and 3 were captured. Two of the four dams targeted were destroyed and the raids flooded mines, factories and houses for 50 miles. The missiles were designed to skim across the water, hit the dam and sink to the bottom unleashing enough explosive power to breach the structure. In a series of moonlit raids the Lancasters flew very low and dropped ‘bouncing bombs’. 617, of 19 modified Lancasters attacked dams across Germany to disrupt industrial production. Here are some of the operations you could have faced… The ‘Dambusters’ I put the guns in their positions and lifted the receiver, put in the. Lancaster crews took part in 156,000 missions and dropped 618,378 tons of bombs on targets in Germany and Nazi-occupied Europe. Bomber Crew: A Day In Their Lives Flight Journal2019 Special Issue: WWII Air War. It has been operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. The Lancaster was the work-horse of RAF Bomber Command and the most successful bomber of World War Two. 744 1 The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber.
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