Posted on 07/19/2021 5:36:10 AM PDT by DFG
The last surviving member of the RAF's 'Dambusters' squadron, who was awarded France's highest honour after carrying out 30 operations against enemy targets in the Second World War, has died at the age of 100.
Lawrence 'Benny' Goodman helped to demolish Germany's Arnsberg railway viaduct with a 22,000lb Grand Slam bomb in March 1945.
He was also took part in a raid which aimed to destroy the German battleship the Tirpitz in October 1944, after it had been damaged by bombs a month earlier.
And in April 1945, he was part of the team which tried to bomb defeated Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler's 'Eagle's Nest', which sat atop a rocky outcrop in southern Germany.
Goodman's squadron is most famous for the daring 'bouncing' bomb attacks on the Mohne and Eder Dams in the industrial heart of Germany in 1943.
The raids, which saw drum-shaped bombs bounce off the water before exploding against the dam walls, were carried out by daring Lancaster bomber pilots.
The operation has gone down in history as being among the most successful aerial assaults of the Second World War.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
RIP, I remember years ago on TV watching the movie with Richard Todd and Michael Redgrave based on these men.
RIP.
He was made of the right stuff.
I remember watching “The Dam Busters” (1955), long long ago.
Awesome bomber with a massive bombl load and RR engines.
Early in the Manhattan Project, the B-29 was having some developmental issues, and there were some proposals to use Lancasters as an alternative. The RAF dedicated a unit of all black Lancasters to start training and troubleshooting the challenges involved. One issue was range, and the British actually pioneered some in flight refueling practices to make a workable solution. Senior American personnel strongly objected insisting an American bomb be dropped by an American bomber, and they concept was dropped once they bugs with the Superfortress were resolved.
....interesting post...! a bit of aviation history....if I remember correctly, the United State Army Air Forces (yes, with an “s”) never did completely fix the engine fire problems on that great aircraft...I seem to remember reading some years ago that engine fires were always a concern to B-29 crews....
Here’s a video on the British efforts to make the Lancaster a nuclear bomber:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XX9ptCNpik
I had an uncle, now buried at Arlington, who was a B-29 navigator in WWII and in Korea. He was always a prankster and joker...he had a sense of humor about everything. Once he was visiting when we were kids and I showed him a model B-29 I was working on. It was the only time in my life I saw him drop his jovial persona, as you could tell he was overcome with a wave of memories and reverence for the airplane.
They want to remake the Dam Busters film but they have a tricky problem. The lead pilot’s dog, who actually plays an important role in the mission has a name that dare not be mentioned.
Lol. You’re right. Maybe they could just call him “N”.
What’s the world like when funny ceases?
Yes, and it has been dutifully blanked out in any broadcast of the movie
I have a kitty named Knee Grow, but we generally just call him by his nickname, Blackie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XX9ptCNpik
Thank goodness for Mark Felton, he is a treasure trove of WWII history.
RIP.
The back-up plan was the B-32. Built by Consolidated - think of a B-24 with a conventional tail. The "Dominator" was not produced in large numbers.
The ultimate success of the B-29 can be seen in it many roles and being extended into B-50s, ... etc.
RIP.
I remember seeing a picture of a Lancaster taking off with one of those huge bombs. Its wings curved upwards.
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