Guy Gibson: ghost of Dambusters dog 'found' at airbase - Telegraph World War Two Guy Gibson: ghost of Dambusters dog 'found' at airbase A team of paranormal investigators have claimed they have made contact with the "spirit" of the dog owned by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, the heroic pilot who led the Dambusters raids during the Second World War. The Dambusters with Guy Gibson (Richard Todd) and N****r Photo: GETTY IMAGES Image 1 of 2 (Left) A reconstruction of the Dambusters raid in 1943 (Right) Dambusters hero Wing Commander Guy Gibson Photo: GETTY 7:00AM GMT 02 Nov 2011 Wing Commander Gibson led the Dambusters raid in 1943 from his base at RAF Scampton, near Lincoln, just hours after his black labrador, called Nigger, was run over and killed. Before taking off for the Ruhr Dams, Wing Commander Gibson left instructions for his faithful companion to be buried outside his office But a legend sprung up around Nigger after there were several reported sightings of a black dog seen around the base following his death.

His office has been empty for more than half a century and is now part of the RAF Scampton Historical Museum, near Lincoln, Lincs. Now paranormal investigators, given special permission to stake out the operational RAF base, have claimed that the spectre of the dog's spirit may have tried to speak to them as they have picked up activity on their electronic detection equipment. Related Articles Dambusters raid: background 10 Oct 2011 Filmed by the BBC, the team embarked on three all-night stakeouts at the base, now home to the Red Arrows. It came Paul Drake, the lead investigator, was inspired by a 1987 photograph showing a mystery black dog at the opening of a Damsbusters memorial in the nearby village of Woodhall Spa. "I saw a picture that had the dog in it, which the photographer said was not there when it was taken, and that has stayed in the back of my mind for a few years," said Mr Drake, 49, a computer engineer and founder of Paranormal Lincs. "After I saw the picture I got in contact with RAF Scampton to see if we could do an investigation.

I never dreamed they would say 'yes' as it is still an operational base and everything has to go through the base commander. "But they have been absolutely brilliant and have welcomed us with open arms." The name of Gibson's black labrador was used as a code word whenever one of Germany's Ruhr Dams was breached during the "bouncing bomb" mission in May 1943, and was immortalised in the 1955 film starring Richard Todd. Among the specialist kit used by the paranormal team were infra-red lights, proximity sensors and video cameras. Mr Drake added: "We have been up there on three different occasions, each time something different has happened. Something is definitely going on as there has been no power to the office for years. "The equipment we use to measure the electromagnetic field in a building is very sensitive, and every time we have been inside Guy Gibson's office there has been a reaction.

"When we have asked the question 'are you there?,' the metre has always gone up." Fellow paranormal investigator, Michelle Clements, added: "We are looking for the spirit of Guy Gibson, but there have been a lot of things reported about his dog." Before his death Nigger was always at the side of Gibson, who would take him for long walks around the airfield. The raid on the Möhne, Eder and Sorpe Dams was launched on 16 May 1943. Only hours before the raid Gibson was informed that Nigger had been run over by a car outside the camp and he was killed instantaneously. The Möhne and Eder Dams were breached, but it was a very costly operation with loss of nine aircraft and fifty-three men. Gibson returned and was subsequently awarded the Victoria Cross but was later killed on a raid against Germany in September 1944, when his Mosquito plane crashed in Holland. The first sighting of a dog matching Nigger's description was in February 1952 when a mess waiter working at RAF Scampton reported seeing a "phantom" black dog on the base.

Jim Shortland, a historian who specialises in the Dambuster raids, said he was sceptical about the paranormal but welcomed the investigation. "What they expect to find I don't know," Mr Shortland said. "But I think anything that helps to keep the memory alive of the things those lads did in the Second World War is a good thing." Mr Shortland said the exact location of the dog's grave was unknown, but it was thought to be near Guy Gibson's former office next to the 617 Squadron hanger. Real History and the N-word Dambusters 'offensive' dog cut by censor By TOM LEONARD MEDIA CORRESPONDENT ITV was criticised by anti-censorship campaigners yesterday after it expunged the name of Nigger, the famous black labrador owned by the Dam Busters leader Guy Gibson, from the film version of the bombing raid. Wing Commander Gibson's dog played an important role in both the 1943 raid on the Ruhr dams and the classic war film that celebrated it.

His name was used as the codeword for the bombers' main target in the raid, while in one of the film's more poignant moments, Gibson is told he has been run over and killed by a car. However, when the 1954 film -- starring Michael Redgrave and Richard Todd -- was screened on ITV on Saturday afternoon, all mention of the dog's name had been edited out. ITV and Granada, which had been responsible for ensuring the film complied with broadcasting standards, said they wanted to avoid offending viewers. They pointed to recent research by broadcasting regulators which suggested viewers nowadays regarded "nigger" as one of the most offensive words in the English language. An ITV spokesman said the network was inundated with complaints over an unedited version of the film In 1999 but had yet to receive any complaints about the censored film at the weekend. David Irving comments: DAMN! This just shows the problems we editors are now constantly up against in our urgent desire for political correctness. They have successfully expunged the N-word; Guy Gibson VC should have known better and called his dog "Black African American", or "American of Colour" (uh, "color?").

But that still leaves the Dambusters word itself. Dam-? That should be condemn, in case it is confused with the expletive damn. bust? Is that word, congruent with "breast," not now considered to be sexist? don't women prefer to talk of a boob? 'ers? Sexist too, ain't it? It should be 'is, to avoid offending women's susceptibilities. So Dambusters out. Condemn-boob-is in. Aaargh! Sounds like we're condemning Ignatz Bubis, who is dead: we'd be vilifying the memory of the dead, a criminal offence under German law. Back to square one, don't pass go, don't collect two hundred pounds. Ghost of Dambusters dog 'found' at airbase - Unexplained Mysteries Ghost of Dambusters dog 'found' at airbase Posted on Thursday, 3 November, 2011 | 10 comments | News tip by: Still Waters Image credit: CC 3.0 Victoria Cross By Offeiriad , Staff News Writer Paranormal investigators claim they've made contact with the spirit of the dog owned by Guy Gibson.

Wing Commander Guy Gibson is remembered for his heroics in World War II as leader of the Dambusters but he was also also a dog lover and the spirit of his beloved canine companion is believed to be roaming the base where he was stationed during the war. An investigation team was recently allowed on to the base to investigate the claims of a mysterious dog that some believe to be Gibson's black lab who was killed just before Gibson led the famous raid. "Wing Commander Gibson led the Dambusters raid in 1943 from his base at RAF Scampton, near Lincoln, just hours after his black labrador, was run over and killed." Recent comments on this story #1 Posted by TheSpoonyOne on 3 November, 2011, 9:59 I'm imagining the group desperately calling in the darkness 'Are you there ******?' '****** If you're there then give us a sign'. #2 Posted by tailormaneinafog on 3 November, 2011, 10:09 It's the black dog phenomenon of old and not a ghost. A.k.a male hyrax. Hope they get something tangible though.

#3 Posted by Rlyeh on 3 November, 2011, 10:42 It's the black dog phenomenon of old and not a ghost. A.k.a male hyrax. Hope they get something tangible though. Or you get a better excuse. #4 Posted by HoaxHunter on 3 November, 2011, 11:35 I love its name.....so original! #5 Posted by lil gremlin on 3 November, 2011, 11:52 Im glad someone mentioned the dogs name "******".......i saw dambusters not too long ago for the first time since my early teens, and was amazed that they'd been a bit fancy with their editing, and the name was never mentioned. #6 Posted by Rik13 on 3 November, 2011, 14:48 The dogs name was also the codeword they sent back to base so signify the destruction of the Mohne Dam. I think that is now edited out of the TV version.Wonder what the crews of 617 sqdrn would make of the politically sensitive world we have become?

#7 Posted by nyuk on 5 November, 2011, 6:53 I like the article, but i wonder how the dogs spirit tried to speak to the investigators. Is it likely someone could translate dog noise into english? #8 Posted by BrainDead928 on 5 November, 2011, 21:41 what the hell is up with the dog's name?? I thought i was the only one seeing it but i guess not. #9 Posted by Orcseeker on 5 November, 2011, 22:24 It's funny how shunning and disguising a word will only make it more effective but here we are. #10 Posted by Wearer of Hats on 5 November, 2011, 23:36 what the hell is up with the dog's name?? I thought i was the only one seeing it but i guess not. The dog was black, and it's name that racially charged word that starts with "N". The autofilter on this and IIRC most web fora automatically edits that word out. Please Login or Register to post a comment.

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Posted 8-2-2016 | 19 comments CCTV footage from Japan shows a mysterious figure getting in to a cab behind an unsuspecting passenger.... Posted 7-6-2016 | 53 comments A man and his three kids were left shocked after a swing started moving erratically all on its own.... Posted 6-29-2016 | 33 comments A photograph taken of workers at a linen mill over a century ago appears to contain an unexpected extra.... Posted 6-18-2016 | 20 comments The body of a 65-year-old man from India who died while watching the movie has since gone missing.... Sir Barnes Wallis - "The Dam Busters" The Dam Busters (1955) The film The Dam Busters premiered on 16th/17th May 1955 (the 12th anniversary of the raid), attended by numerous survivors of the raid.

Overall, the film is a very good portrayal of the story of the development of the "bouncing bomb" and Operation Chastise itself (and of the characters involved in the story), but like all cinematic versions, there are some inaccuracies, omissions or inconsistencies (for whatever reason). This list gives some detail on the factual inaccuracies in the film: Upkeep: the bomb shown beneath the attacking Lancasters in the film is too large and too spherical in shape; this suggests continuity with the earlier footage of real test drops, but is more likely due to the secret nature of the Upkeep weapon (it was still secret when the film was made, details only being released in 1963 - hence in some of the real test drop footage from the Wellington and Mosquito, the bomb is masked out by a black disc). There is no hint of the mechanism used to spin the bombs, this feature going unmentioned in the film as it was still secret. The shots of the bombs bouncing towards the dams in the film are actually archive shots of Highball tests on Loch Striven.

[There is no archive footage of Upkeep test drops with a suitable background.] Other Aircraft: During the crew briefing in the film (and very prominently in the cinema trailer for the film), Gibson remarks that 617 will be the only squadron operating that night. This is also stated in Gibson's book and Morpurgo's biography of Wallis, although Sweetman and Cooper note that other squadrons were flying that night (including "gardening" (mine-laying) operations all along the enemy coast (with 54 aircraft, one of which was lost), and a 9 Mosquito raid on Berlin; major bombing raids were off due to the full moon). [Cooper and Sweetman are correct, according to the Bomber Command diary for May 1943 .] The spotlights: The idea of the triangulated spotlamps to set the aircraft height is shown as being Gibson's, during a visit to the theatre; in fact it was Benjamin Lockspeiser (Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Supply) who came up with the idea, it having been used as far back as World War I.

Also in the film, the height spotlamps are shown under the nose and tail of the Lancasters; in fact the second spotlamp was in the rear of the bomb bay. In many art prints of the dams raid, the spotlamp beams are incorrectly shown shining down directly beneath the aircraft (where they could not have been seen from the cockpit). Hitting the dams: In the film, all the mines hit the dams (with the exception of Hopgood's at the Mï¿½hne and Maudley's at the Eder) and it appears to take several hits to break the dams, contrary to Wallis' theory that one hit in the right place would be enough. In fact, it was the first correctly placed mine which actually broke the dam in each case, just as Wallis predicted. The last mine was dropped at the Mï¿½hne (by Maltby) just as the dam was already crumbling following the hit by Young.

[This error, which actually reflects badly on Wallis, is probably down to wanting it to appear as though all the aircraft bombed accurately.] The Eder: In the film, the second mine dropped at the Eder (by Maudslay) is dropped too late and the explosion causes the aircraft to crash into the hillside after a last faint radio message. However, it is now known that Maudslay's aircraft actually crashed in Holland, so it was either not damaged by the explosion of the mine (other than perhaps the radio), or took longer to succumb to the damage than is suggested. [This error is probably due to the records of the time which showed Maudslay as lost over the Eder.] The Sorpe: Although mentioned as one of the raid's targets during the crew briefing in the film, the actual attack on the dam, and the different method of attack, are not shown.

[This omission is probably due the anti-climax it would have produced, as the Sorpe was not breached.] The Lancasters: The Lancasters that appear in the film came from the Maintenance Unit at RAF Hemswell, having the 617 Squadron code letters applied (Gibson's aircraft also got the ED932 registration, though others kept their real registrations) as well as having the dorsal turrets removed (as the real aircraft had had) and the addition of the oversized dummy Upkeeps. Most of the original Lancasters saw no further action during the war, and were scrapped after the war ended, including Gibson's aircraft (AJ-G / ED932) which incredibly was scrapped in 1946. All the aircraft used in the film were broken up for scrap in 1956. The film aircraft appear to have 2 x 0.5" machine guns in the rear turrets, though the original aircraft would have all had 4 x 0.303" machine guns there; ammo seen being loaded also appears to be 0.5". [ This detail was probably overlooked when making the film.

] Test dams and testing tank: The catapult shown for testing the bouncing bomb in the National Physical Laboratory's tank at Teddington is the original device; this is now owned by the RAF Museum. The sequences in the testing tank were filmed in the actual tank (although the number 1 tank was used, as it was more photogenic than the number 2 tank where Wallis did all but one of his actual tests); one of the tanks was demolished in 1998 , the other in 2007. The original model of the Mï¿½hne Dam used for explosives testing still exists (though a bit overgrown), and in 2003 was declared a "scheduled monument". The dam models seen in the film are the actual briefing models made by the PRU at RAF Medmenham, although the Eder model was not completed in time so was not available to the crews; these are now held by the Imperial War Museum (the Mï¿½hne model is on display at their London site).

The explosions: as real explosions on the scale of the dam models would not have been impressive, the film's explosion effects were created using a matte made from the film of the explosion of the only live test of an Upkeep. Young's oar: "Dinghy" Young was in the victorious 1938 Oxford crew in the Boat Race, and at the end of the film we see on his wall an oar painted with the names of the crew. The oar is a genuine souvenir of the race, having been borrowed from Young's family for use in the film. Gibson's Mae West: The lifejacket worn by Todd in the film is not the type worn by RAF servicemen in 1943. However, after shooting down a Heinkel 111 during his nightfighter days, Gibson went to Skegness (where the aircraft crashed) and claimed one of the German lifejackets as a prize, and he wore this himself from then on - it is thus (correctly) a German lifejacket that Todd is seen wearing in the film.

Wallis: Although Michael Redgrave's performance probably captures the essence of Wallis, his character in the film absorbs some of the other technicians involved, so that Wallis appears to be credited personally with some of the research and ideas that were not actually his. Michael Redgrave sat in on some meetings with Wallis to feed into his characterisation, and Wallis was mostly happy with his portrayal in the film. Redgrave is alleged to have told Wallis "I'm not going to imitate you, you know" to which Wallis replied "Oh no, you must create me!" Redgrave was 47 when the film was made (Wallis was 56 in 1943) and was knighted when he was 51 (Wallis had to wait until he was 81 for his knighthood)! The music: "The Dam Busters March" by Eric Coates is heard throughout the film; it appears to have been written for the film (one of few film commissions accepted by the composer), although some sources claim it was written earlier.

Coates died in 1957; he is well known for other light British classics, including "By a Sleepy Lagoon" used as the theme to the long-running Desert Island Discs on BBC radio (1942-present). Nigger: This was the name of Gibson's black Labrador dog, killed in a hit-and-run accident on the day of the mission (in the film). In fact, the fatal accident took place the day before, and the car did stop (it was driven by an RAF officer). "Nigger" was also the codeword to indicate the breaching of the Mï¿½hne Dam; although today deemed politically incorrect (despite the fact that it simply stems from the Latin word for black), it is still used in the recent UK DVD release of the film (some US releases of the film had all references to this word cut or overdubbed with "Trigger", although the Morse code transmission heard still said "Nigger", and it does appear in the US DVD release of the film). The UK Channel 4 screening in July 2007 also cut all uses of the word, although the digitally remastered version being shown in cinemas at the same time remained uncut.

Sharp-eyed viewers may spot the "ghost of Nigger" running through the trees at the end of the film (where Gibson is talking to Wallis at Scampton) - no dog was known to be on the base when the film was made, so the identity of the animal seen on film remains a mystery! The people: Many of the people who worked on the film went on to even greater things, including: Richard Todd (Guy Gibson): although The Dam Busters was probably his "finest hour", Richard went on to star in many other films including D-Day: the Sixth of June and The Longest Day (he had taken part in the real action in Normandy, and played the part of his real commanding officer in the film, with another actor playing Todd!) and more recently he did occasional guest appearances on TV such as Silent Witness and Holby City; died 2009. Robert Shaw (Pulford, Gibson's Flight Engineer): became a big name in Hollywood, and is probably best remembered as Quint in Steven Spielberg's Jaws (he got eaten by the shark); died 1978.

Bill Kerr (Harold "Micky" Martin): a regular on UK radio and TV in the 1960s, best known alongside Tony Hancock, he is still working in occasional guest roles in Australia. Nigel Stock (Spafford, Gibson's Bomb Aimer): well known on TV in the 1970s as Owen M.D. and as Watson alongside Peter Cushing's Sherlock Holmes; died 1986. George Baker (David Maltby): regularly seen as Inspector Wexford in The Ruth Rendell Mysteries and in many other guest roles in film (notably James Bond films) and on TV; died 2011. Richard Thorp (Henry Maudslay): since 1982, has played Alan Turner in TV series Emmerdale. Patrick McGoohan (uncredited, appears as a rather serious guard outside the briefing room in his first film role): later most famous as The Prisoner and as King Edward I in Braveheart; died 2009.

John Read (uncredited, special effects): became business partner of Gerry Anderson, and worked on many TV series including Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and Cloppa Castle; died 2006. Oops!: In a number of shots of the Lancasters doing low flying practice (before the bombs are ready) ... the bombs are clearly visible beneath the aircraft! When the practice with the range sight begins, we see close-ups of test bombs hitting a dummy target of two oil drums with a flag on top - but in the wide shots of the dam approach, this target is not seen. As Shannon goes over the Eder, we hear the engines running up before he pushes the throttles forward. In some of the long shots, the "Lancasters" in the background are actually post-war Avro Lincolns. The Wellington and Mosquitoes seen preparing for test drops are in post-war markings. Sharp eyes may spot a silver Canberra in the far distance of one shot. The train washed away in the flood is running on the left track (as in the UK) - but German trains would normally run on the right track!

As the aircraft lined up to attack the Eder Dam, Waldeck Castle was behind them on a hill on the east side of the lake, but the castle seen in the film appears (in some shots) to be on the west side of the lake. In fact, the castle is painted on glass, and the aircraft footage is re-used from the Mï¿½hne attack. Other movie and TV trivia related to The Dam Busters: The Dam Busters was nominated for an Oscar for "Best Special Effects", and for BAFTAs for "Best British Film", "Best British Screenplay" and "Best Film from any Source" - it didn't win any of them. The Dam Busters was first shown on TV in the UK on Sunday 30th May 1971 - two days after Wallis retired from the British Aircraft Corporation. The Death Star trench sequence in the film Star Wars (1977) was allegedly inspired by The Dam Busters or by 633 Squadron (1964) which was itself inspired by The Dam Busters.

Dick King-Smith's first novel The Fox Busters (1978) was also inspired by The Dam Busters; his later novel The Sheep-Pig was made into the film Babe and was a huge hit. In the film Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982), a clip of The Dam Busters is seen on a TV in Pink's room during the "One Of My Turns" scene (Roger Waters' father was killed at Anzio during WW2). Wallis lived in Effingham, Surrey, but "Wallis's house" in The Dam Busters is actually in Little Missenden, Buckinghamshire. The Dam Busters came 11th in the 2005 Channel 4 viewer poll to find the "100 Greatest War Films" (it was beaten by Bridge on the River Kwai, Black Hawk Down, Zulu, A Bridge Too Far, Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, Schindler's List, The Great Escape, Apocalypse Now and Saving Private Ryan which came 1st).

The Dam Busters came 5th in the 2014 Channel 5 viewer poll to find the "Greatest Ever War Movies" (it was beaten by Saving Private Ryan, Zulu, A Bridge Too Far and The Great Escape which came 1st). GHOST DOG FOUND AT AIRBASE | Weekly World News GHOST DOG FOUND AT AIRBASE By Tap Vann on November 2, 2011 Paranormal investigators made contact with the dog owned by Guy Gibson, the heroic pilot who led the Dambusters raids during WWII. Paranormal investigators made contact with the dog owned by Guy Gibson, the heroic pilot who led the Dambusters raids during WWII. Wing Commander Gibson led the Dambusters raid in 1943 from his base at RAF Scampton, near Lincoln, just hours after his black labrador, called Nigger, was run over and killed. Paranormal investigators say the dog is still more upset about his name than about being killed.

Before taking off for the Ruhr Dams, Wing Commander Gibson left instructions for his faithful companion to be buried outside his office But a legend sprung up around Nigger after there were several reported sightings of a black dog seen around the base following his death. And “ghost dog” is still hanging around the base – having fun with whomever stops by. Paranormal investigators, given special permission to stake out the operational RAF base, have claimed that the dog’s spirit spoke to them as they have picked up activity on their electronic detection equipment. Ghost Dog knew about all the latest current events and talked at length at about the Royal Family. “Ghost Dog doesn’t like Prince Charles at all, but is quite fond of Kate,” said RAF Commander, Doug Gipple. Filmed by the BBC, the team embarked on three all-night stakeouts at the base, now home to the Red Arrows. Paul Drake, the lead investigator, was inspired by a 1987 photograph showing a mystery black dog at the opening of a Damsbusters memorial in the nearby village of Woodhall Spa.

“I saw a picture that had the dog in it, which the photographer said was not there when it was taken, and that has stayed in the back of my mind for a few years,” said Mr Drake, 49, a computer engineer and founder of Paranormal Lincs. “After I saw the picture I got in contact with RAF Scampton to see if we could do an investigation. I never dreamed they would say ‘yes’ as it is still an operational base and everything has to go through the base commander. The name of Gibson’s black labrador was used as a code word whenever one of Germany’s Ruhr Dams was breached during the “bouncing bomb” mission in May 1943, and was immortalized in the 1955 film starring Richard Todd. Among the specialist kit used by the paranormal team were infra-red lights, proximity sensors and video cameras. Mr Drake added: “We have been up there on three different occasions, each time we had lengthy contact with Ghost Dog.

He’s still going strong, as lively as ever.” Fellow paranormal investigator, Michelle Clements, added: “We are looking for the spirit of Guy Gibson, but no luck so far.” Before his death Nigger was always at the side of Gibson, who would take him for long walks around the airfield. The raid on the Möhne, Eder and Sorpe Dams was launched on 16 May 1943. Only hours before the raid Gibson was informed that Nigger had been run over by a car outside the camp and he was killed instantaneously. Gibson returned and was subsequently awarded the Victoria Cross but was later killed on a raid against Germany in September 1944, when his Mosquito plane crashed in Holland. The first sighting of Ghost Dog was in February 1952 when a mess waiter working at RAF Scampton reported seeing a “phantom” black dog on the base. From The Telegraph The Dambusters raid - Historum - History Forums The Dambusters raid Need help with the website? Contact Us anytime.

War and Military History War and Military History Forum - Warfare, Tactics, and Military Technology over the centuries Page 1 of 4 From: The Dustbin, formerly, Garden of England Posts: 7,577 The Dambusters raid Seventy years ago to the minute as I am writing this, the groundcrews of 617 Squadron were carrying out the final checks on 19 Lancaster III bombers fitted with some rather special bombs and the aircrews were attending their briefing for what was to become the most famous air raid of WW2. The Dambustersï¿½ raids on the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams in the Ruhr took place on the night of 15/16th May 1943 when 19 Lanacasters of 671 Squadron performed precision, low level attacks using the Barnes Wallis designed ï¿½bouncingï¿½ bombs codenamed ï¿½Upkeepï¿½ in an action officially called ï¿½Operation Chastiseï¿½.

The raid was a major propaganda coup for the Allied forces at the time and has subsequently passed into legend despite revision attempts to belittle its effectiveness and the denigrate the major participants. Of the nineteen aircraft engaged on the raid eight were shot down and 53 of the 133 crew were killed and 3 taken prisoner. The aircrew came from Australia, New Zealand, Canada as well as Britain plus a lone American volunteer to the RAF. The average age of the aircrew was 21, slightly older than the average in Bomber Command as all were seasoned veterans. The Squadron Commander, Wing Commander Guy Gibson, the ï¿½old manï¿½ was just 24. Strategically, the raid was not a particular success as Bomber Command failed to follow up with additional raids to delay repairs although the action encouraged the Luftwaffe to move thousands of AA guns from the Kammhuber Line to defend key points and 6000 workers, construction equipment and tens of thousands of tons of materials were diverted from the Atlantic Wall defences. In pop culture, the legacy is a stirring tune, an image of British ï¿½can-doï¿½ and a famous name for a black Labrador dog.

BBC Lincolnshire - Dambusters Special, 06/05/2013 You can also download it using a programme called Radio Downloader, then scroll down and click on Factual and then scroll down again and click on history. This programme lets you download all the radio programmes and save them so it's handy if you can't access the stuff if you're outside of the UK. Just type in Radio Downloader on Google. BBC History Magazine has also done an interview: Quote: Britain's last surviving member of the Dambusters raid, 'Johnny' Johnson, recalls his adventures. Plus Sam Willis reveals how Antigua became Nelson's Caribbean hellhole.

Rob Attar presents Foto's en beelden van 70 years Since The Death Of Wing Commander Guy Gibson | Getty Images 70 years Since The Death Of Wing Commander Guy Gibson May 27, 1943 Licentie The Visit Of HM King George VI To No 617 Squadron (The Dambusters) Royal Air Force,...The Visit Of HM King George VI To No 617 Squadron (The Dambusters) Royal Air Force, Scampton, Lincolnshire, 27 May 1943, Wing Commander Guy Gibson, VC, DSO and bar, DFC and bar, with members of his Squadron. In the front row are Gibson's flight commanders, on his right Squadron Leader Dave Maltby, and on his left Squadron Leader Mick Martin, 27 May 1943.

MinderMeer Dam Buster's 'offensive' dog cut by censor - Telegraph Dam Buster's 'offensive' dog cut by censor By Tom Leonard, Media Correspondent 12:00AM BST 12 Jun 2001 ITV was criticised by anti-censorship campaigners yesterday after it expunged the name of Nigger, the famous black labrador owned by the Dam Busters leader Guy Gibson, from the film version of the bombing raid. Wing Commander Gibson's dog played an important role in both the 1943 raid on the Ruhr dams and the classic war film that celebrated it. His name was used as the codeword for the bombers' main target in the raid, while in one of the film's more poignant moments, Gibson is told he has been run over and killed by a car. However, when the 1954 film - starring Michael Redgrave and Richard Todd - was screened on ITV on Saturday afternoon, all mention of the dog's name had been edited out. ITV and Granada, which had been responsible for ensuring the film complied with broadcasting standards, said they wanted to avoid offending viewers.

They pointed to recent research by broadcasting regulators which suggested viewers nowadays regarded "nigger" as one of the most offensive words in the English language. An ITV spokesman said the network was inundated with complaints over an unedited version of the film in 1999 but had yet to receive any complaints about the censored film at the weekend. RAF Scampton Heritage Centre - Lincolnshire.org Five Dog Friendly Cottages in Lincolnshire RAF Scampton Heritage Centre "Home to 617 (Dambusters) Squadron, the Vulcan bomber, and The Red Arrows - to name but a few - RAF Scampton has a fascinating history to tell" Photo by en.wikimedia.org The RAF Scampton Heritage Centre is a fantastic air museum located at RAF Scampton, 5 miles north of Lincoln on the A15. Home to 617 (Dambusters) Squadron, the Vulcan bomber, and The Red Arrows – to name but a few – RAF Scampton has a fascinating history to tell. Visiting RAF Scampton Heritage Centre RAF Scampton Heritage Centre is set in an authentic Second World War hanger and has over 1,500 artfacts on display- there is plenty for the visitor to see.

Your visit to the RAF Scampton Heritage Centre will take the form of a guided tour – a very knowledgeable and friendly volunteer guide will show you round the heritage centre and keep you entertained for the whole of your visit. As RAF Scampton is an active airbase, you won’t be allowed to wander around by yourself for security reasons. Your guided tour will take approximately two and a half hours (wear comfy shoes) and is a superb ‘experience’ rather than a conventional museum visit. You will both see and learn a lot! You will walk in the footsteps of Guy Gibson and his celebrated 617 (Dambusters) Squadron, visit his office and see the grave of his beloved black labrador who was hit by a car and killed the night before The Dambusters’ Raid. During the Second World War, Victoria Crosses were awarded to 3 airmen from Scampton (see A Brief History of RAF Scampton below). The Victoria Cross (VC) is awarded for ‘gallantry of the highest order’ and is the highest military honour in the land. You will learn about the important role that RAF Scampton played during the Cold War and be able to see a notorious Blue Steel Missile (the UK’s Cold War nuclear deterrent).

If you’re really, really lucky, The Red Arrows may be practicing in the skies above Scampton and you will be treated to your very own airshow! All in all, when you visit RAF Scampton’s Heritage Centre, you are in for a treat! A Brief History of RAF Scampton Why Scampton was chosen as an airbase: It is situated on Ermine Street, the very long and straight Roman road that is easily visible from the sky. When the runway was extended at RAF Scampton in 1944, Ermine Street had to be curved around the new runway – making it even easier to locate the airbase from above (dig out a map and you’ll be able to see the curve for yourself on the A15). The opposite end of the runway is close to the edge of the Lincoln Ridge, a steep escarpment/slope, that is also easily visible from the sky. Lincoln Cathedral – the county’s best landmark – is less than 3 miles away as the crow flies. World War 1 November 1916: The Home Defence Flight Station, Brattelby Cliff, opens.

Spring 1917: Brattelby Cliff changes its name to the Royal Flying Corps Station, Scampton. It is home to Operational Training Squadrons 11, 60 and 81 (flying the Sopwith Camel, Pup and Dolphin aeroplane). Winter 1918: RFCS Scampton is abandoned at the end the end of WW1, falling into a state of neglect and disrepair. Between the wars 1930s: The Air Ministry comandeers many abandoned WW1 airfields, including Scampton, and starts redeveloping them. August 1936: RAF Scampton re-opens. 9 and 214 Squadrons relocate there from Northern Ireland. Within 6 months, they are replaced by 49 and 83 Squadrons. World War 2 September 1939: RAF Scampton is transferred to Bomber Command at the outbreak of war. 49 and 83 Squadrons are involved in dangerous low flying missions – either mine-laying or bombing well-protected German shipping.

August/September 1940: airmen from both Squadrons are awarded the Victoria Cross: In August 1940, Flight Lieutenant RAB Learoyd of 49 Squadron, was awarded a Victoria Cross following a raid to destroy an aquaduct on the Dortmund- Elm Canal. 11 Hampden bombers left Scampton on the evening of 12th August. During the raid, 2 aircraft were lost and 2 were badly damaged. Undeterred by this, and by the fact that his plane was next in line to run the gauntlet of deadly flak barrages – Flt Lt Learoyd took his aircraft down to 150 feet and made his bombing run in the full glare of blinding searchlights. His aircraft was repeatedly hit, losing several larges pieces of the fuselage, and sustaining severe damage to its hydraulic system (rendering the wing flaps and undercarriage useless). Nevertheless, despite incurring such serious damage, he and and his crew managed to drop their bombs on the canal before limping home.

Once safely over the Lincolnshire countryside, Flt Lt Learoyd decided that it was unsafe to land his badly damaged aircraft in the dark – so he waited until daybreak before making a safe landing! In September 1940, Wireless Operator/ Air Gunner Flight Sergeant John Hannah of 83 Squadron, was awarded a Victoria Cross for bravery when his aircraft was set alight during a night-time attack on invasion barges at Antwerp. Two crew members bailed out of the burning aeroplane, but Sergeant Hannah remained on board to fight the fire, initially using fire extinguishers but when they ran out, using his log book – during which time, thousands of rounds of ammunition were exploding around him and almost blinded him. Despite sustaining terrible injuries, he managed to extinguish the fire, enabling the pilot to fly the severely damaged plane back to England. Left with greatly weakened lungs, Sergeant Hannah contracted TB the following year from which he never fully recovered, and died in 1947 at the age of 25. He was the youngest recipient of the Victoria Cross for aerial operations during WW2.

March 1943: 617 Squadron is created in order to carry out Operation Chastise, more commonly known as The Dambusters’ Raid. Operation Chastise was an ambitious project to attack the Rhur Dams using Barnes Wallis revolutionary ‘bouncing bomb’. It was the very first time that precision bombing was used by the RAF. Bomber Command thought that the destruction of the 5 Rhur Valley Dams – the Mohne, Sorpe, Eder, Ennepe and Lister – would severely disrupt the German war effort. It was hoped that destroying these dams would: cut off the vital water supply to Germany’s industrial heartland (the Rhur Valley); destroy crucially important hydro-electric power stations located next to the dams; flood factories and other industrial plants; and damage the railway/inland waterway system infrastructure. The Mohne and Sorpe Dams were to be the main targets, with the Eder, Ennepe and Lister Dams to be secondary targets.

16th – 17th May 1943: Led by 24 year old Wing Commander Guy Gibson, 19 Lancaster bombers took off from RAF Scampton on the evening of 16th May 1943. Flying low (at 100ft and under) in order to evade enemy radar, 617 Squadron incurred heavy loses before even reaching its target: 5 planes were lost on the outbound journey and 2 were so badly damaged that they had to abort their mission and return home. Another plane was shot down over the Mohne Dam before it dropped its bombs. However, 11 Lancaster bombers did manage to attack their target, resulting in both the Mohne and Eder Dams being breached, and the Sorpe Dam sustaining damage. Of these 11 remaining aircraft, only 9 made it home – a further 2 were lost on their homeward journey. Wing Commander Guy Gibson was awarded a Victoria Cross for the heroism he showed during the raid – he repeatedly used his aircraft to draw anti-aircraft fire away from the other planes in his formation. A total of 34 gallantry medals were awarded to aircrew who flew on Operation Chastise.

Guy Gibson was shot down and killed the following year, aged just 26. He is buried in Steenbergen, Holland. 25th April 1945: the last bombing mission from RAF Scampton is launched – the target is Hitler’s mountain retreat in Bavaria, the Berghof. By now, Hitler is hiding in his Berlin bunker and commits suicide on 4th May 1945. Germany surrenders 3 days later. RAF Scampton lost 226 aircraft during World War 2. Post 1945 1948/9: Scampton becomes home to aircraft of the US Strategic Air Command – namely the B-29 Superfortress. 1958: 617 Squadron is re-formed at RAF Scampton, with the Vulcan bomber replacing the Lancaster. 1963 – 1969: 617 Squadron is equipped with nuclear missiles: the Standoff Air to Surface Nuclear Missile (more commonly know as the Blue Steel). 1982: Final Vulcan flight. 1983: RAF Scampton becomes home to The Red Arrows. For more information about the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Trail, please click here .

Dam Busters dog renamed for movie remake - BBC News BBC News Dam Busters dog renamed for movie remake 10 June 2011 Close share panel Image caption The black Labrador was run over and killed during the planning of the raids The Dam Busters' dog will be renamed for a new version of the classic war movie, it has emerged. Stephen Fry, who is writing the film's screenplay, said there was "no question in America that you could ever have a dog called the N-word". In the remake, the dog will be called "Digger" instead of "Nigger". The black Labrador was the mascot for RAF 617 squadron, which during World War II destroyed dams in Germany with Barnes Wallis's famous bouncing bomb. Owned by the squadron's wing commander, Guy Gibson, the animal was run over and killed during the planning of the Dambuster raids, and was buried at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire - from where the operation was launched. Fry told BBC Radio 5 live: "It's no good saying that it is the Latin word for black or that it didn't have the meaning that it does now - you just can't go back, which is unfortunate.

The film is not about the dog Phil Bonner, Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire "You can go to RAF Scampton and see the dog's grave and there he is with his name, and it's an important part of the film. "The name of the dog was a code word to show that the dam had been successfully breached. "In the film, you're constantly hearing 'N-word, N-word, N-word, hurray' and Barnes Wallis is punching the air. But obviously that's not going to happen now. "So Digger seems OK, I reckon." Phil Bonner, from Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire, said: "I think for the Second World War generation that word was acceptable. "But with my daughters growing up in Lincolnshire, they have been taught that the word is unacceptable now. "The film is not about the dog. My big concern would be if they watered down what the Dam Busters had achieved." The 1955 film, which starred Sir Michael Redgrave and Richard Todd, told the story of Barnes Wallis' struggle to develop the bomb and the subsequent raids on Nazi Germany - codenamed Operation Chastise. The remake is being produced by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson.

Question: Who owned the black labrador that was killed on the evening of the Dam Busters raid?
Answer: Guy Gibson