Enemy Coast Ahead - Uncensored: The Real Guy Gibson

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Some of the technical details of the Dams raid were omitted for obvious reasons (and were still not known when the famous film was made in 1955) but the book is fascinating none the less.

Borden from Gerard d'Erlanger, founder of BOAC, on British European Airways paper, dated 17th December 1946, with handwritten Christmas greeting below signature of Baron d'Erlanger. Probably one of the greatest features of the narrative is its complete lack of any hindsight on the events of the war. On February 1940, he and some members of the Squadron were put on temporary secondment to Coastal Command, R. He had by this time completed two full tours, each of 30 operations, with Bomber Command (with 83 and 106 Squadrons), another one as a night-fighter pilot with 29 Squadron and, as leader of the famous Dam Busters against raid the dams of the Ruhr Valley ( Operation Chastise) with 617 Squadron in May 1943. Gibson was often a singularly unattractive character - some people, largely ex-public schoolboys like himself - loved him, but many despised him, and the reasons often seep through here.Reading it closely, I was startled by the juxtaposition of bits that are obviously true and well-described, immediately followed by paragraphs of total bushwah.

One point of note is the speed with which the military and scientists brought the plans for this raid to fruition. Near the end of the book there is a brilliant narrative that shows just how far the RAF had come in night bombing. Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson VC DSO DFC (12 August 1918 - 19 September 1944), was the first Commanding Officer of the Royal Air Force'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 of Germany. In it Gibson takes us through a typical bombing raid - from getting out of bed in the morning right through to falling back into it at night/next morning.As a modern touch there is a centre set of glossy paper photographs, some of which are colourised versions of the monochromes. His natural aptitude for Leadership, his outstanding skill and his extraordinary valour marked him early for command ; for Great Attempts and Great Achievements. A feature of Gibson's book which is so often overlooked is the 'Battle of the Barges' - Bomber Command's contribution to the Battle of Britain. He sounds like he's reading from a book in a school english class and he's only doing so because the teacher forced him to. I found that fascinating and somewhat awe inspiring given that he did this along with many others in his early twenties when (at that age) I was still feeling sorry for myself because some girl or another thought I was a bit spotty.

The concussion would crack the structure, and the water’s mass held back by the dam would push open the crack, creating a breach in the wall.

They worked in what to us is a bizarre environment, facing, at very young ages, often in their early 20s, death every time they flew into the air, with a mixture of bravery, fear, recklessness and fatalism. Aged just 25, Gibson had completed two full tours, each of 30 operations, with Bomber Command, and had led the now-famous Dam Busters raid against the dams of the Ruhr Valley in May 1943. This item is probably now only available on the secondary market and because availability constantly changes can’t be purchased online at the moment.