Return of the Dambusters: What 617 Squadron Did Next - Softcover

Nichol, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0008100853 ISBN 13: 9780008100858

Publisher: William Collins, 2016

Synopsis

(Previously published as ‘After the Flood’)

Former RAF Tornado Navigator and Gulf War veteran John Nichol sets out on a personal journey to discover what happened to 617 Squadron after the flood.

RAF 617 Squadron’s destruction of the dams at the heart of the Ruhr made them heroes and celebrities of their time. But this elite squadron was also called upon for a hundred more of the most secret and dangerous specialist precision attacks. As bestselling author John Nichol discovers, 617 would drop the largest bombs ever built on battleships, railway bridges, secret weapon establishments, rockets sites and U-boat construction pens. They were involved in attempts on the lives of enemy leaders, both Hitler and Mussolini, created a ‘false fleet’ on D-day which fooled the Germans, and knocked out a German super gun which would have rained 600 shells an hour on London. Of the 77 men who made it home from dams raid, only 45 survived to see the victory for which they fought – as 617’s reputation called them into action again and again.

About this title

Review:

‘This is not just another tale of heroism in the skies ... This is a tale of victory, in the end, magnificently told in lip-biting detail’ Daily Mail

‘Full of stirring stories that will make you marvel at the aircrews’ fortitude ... deeply moving’ Mail on Sunday

‘Absorbing ... Thanks to the author’s intimate understanding of the dynamics of a bomber squadron, the reader is taken inside the history and allowed to view events from a human perspective’ Soldier Magazine

Praise for John Nichol:

‘Full of poignant episodes ... A fitting tribute to the raw courage of these young men’ Daily Express

‘A truly epic tale of courage and sacrifice – an intensely moving epitaph to the men of Bomber Command’ ANDY McNAB

About the Author:

John Nichol is a former RAF flight lieutenant whose Tornado bomber was shot down on a mission over Iraq during the first Gulf War in 1991. He was captured and made a prisoner of war. He is the bestselling co-author of Tornado Down and also The Last Escape, and Tail-end Charlies. He is also a journalist and widely quoted military commentator.

About this edition

• Publisher: William Collins
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0008100853
• ISBN 13: 9780008100858
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384