(Image: Sean via Wings Over NZ Aviation Forum; full scale Avro Lancaster bomber replica)
Of the 7,377 aircraft built, only around 17 intact Avro Lancaster bombers survive today – most of them in Canada – along with several substantial wrecks and a handful of (forward) fuselage sections. But if Peter Jackson’s long awaited remake of the classic 1955 war film The Dam Busters ever gets off the ground, the public could see another squadron of the iconic British aircraft, considered by many to be the greatest heavy bomber of World War Two.
(Image: Sean via Wings Over NZ Aviation Forum)
Jackson’s Lancs are of course full scale steel and fiberglass replicas rather than the real thing. But even so, they’re poised to offer an impressive recreation of the specially modified aircraft of No. 617 Squadron, the secret RAF unit which famously prosecuted Operation Chastise in 1943 against the heavily-defended dams of Germany’s industrial heartland.
(Image: Sean via Wings Over NZ Aviation Forum)
One of the full scale Lancaster replicas was revealed to the public in May 2009 at Hood Aerodrome in New Zealand. The airframe, which is understood to have been created by the Weta Workshop, cut an awesome form against the mountains around Masterton as crews reportedly tested new camera techniques. With its famous bouncing bomb fitted beneath, the replica Lanc looks highly convincing. Whether the other mockups are as detailed as this one remained to be seen.
(Image: Sean via Wings Over NZ Aviation Forum)
Last October, however, aviation enthusiasts in Wellington were afforded a closer look at the full scale replicas, as several dismantled Lancaster bombers were trucked into a warehouse, presumably for storage. Rumours had persisted for several years that at least some of the 10 Lancasters built for the eagerly anticipated Dam Busters remake were stored at the site. Thanks to a user of The Wings Over New Zealand Aviation Forum, their presence has been confirmed.
(Image: Sean via Wings Over NZ Aviation Forum)
Forum user Sean posted on October 19, 2015: “…the rumors that five Lancaster’s were / are stored next to where I work have now proven to be true, as over the last few days I have seen three truckloads of Lancaster parts being put back into storage. These included wings, and engines and other big parts. The trucks were uncovered, so they were not trying to hide anything. Have no idea where they came from but I am guessing Masterton, as that was where there were seen last.”
(Image: Sean via Wings Over NZ Aviation Forum)
Among the parts photographed was a fuselage section marked with the letters AJ-G, corresponding with the aircraft (G for George) flown by 24-year-old Wing Commander Guy Gibson, who led the famous Dambusters raid as the officer commanding 617 Squadron.
(Image: Sean via Wings Over NZ Aviation Forum)
Operation Chastise, which was carried out on the night of 16–17 May 1943, employed Barnes Wallis’ then-top secret bouncing bomb to breach the Möhne and Edersee Dams in a bid to cripple the German war effort in the industrial Ruhr Valley. A third dam, the Sorpe, was also damaged in the raid, which claimed 1,600 German and Soviet lives. Of the 19 Lancasters that took off from RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire that night in 1943, eight were lost and 53 aircrew killed.
(Image: Sean via Wings Over NZ Aviation Forum)
None of the specially modified Avro Lancaster Mk.IIIs (designated Type 464 Provisioning) that took part in Operation Chastise survive today. Those machines that did return from the raid went on to a variety of other roles, and the ones that survived the Second World War were broken up without ceremony when the conflict came to a close.
(Image: Sean via Wings Over NZ Aviation Forum)
Gibson’s Lancaster (G for George, serial number ED932) was converted back to conventional bombing status after Operation Chastise but the airframe had been so heavily modified for its Dambusters role that the bomb doors could never be refitted. Recoded AJ-V, ED932 became something of a utility aircraft. She filled in on the occasional operation, but was generally used for training duties and some trials work.
(Image: Sean via Wings Over NZ Aviation Forum)
Those interested in learning more about Operation Chastise should check out the Dambusters Blog, written by Charles Foster, the nephew of Dambusters pilot Flt Lt David Maltby. The site offers an incredible inside look at not just the dams raid itself, but the backgrounds of the crews who carried it out and much more.
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