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Well its time to sink the Tirpitz, so at 01.55 Lancasters of 9 and 617 Sqns take-off from RAF Lossiemouth to sort out the infamous German ship!
Coming up for dawn and crossing from Sweden back into Denmark

Low-level approach (got a nice skiers bobble hat )

Beware the Lanc in the sun

Pulling away from my attack and climbing clear of the flak...

But not enough! #2 and 4 engines hit, along with my thermos and the trim controls #2 packed-up just after this shot was taken...

Desperately fighting the aircraft back to Scotland, the next 5 hours without a thermos of tea were hell! Ruddy flak gunners

Within swimming distance of home

Down in one piece (just), time to change underwear and savage the bar

I hope you enjoyed the very sojourn stay in Sweden

Nice story..

I'm not even going to begin to point out the errors in this story
Seriously though, fantastic shots and a very, very nice aircraft.

I'm not even going to begin to point out the errors in this story
Seriously though, fantastic shots and a very, very nice aircraft.

. Quick-sinking ship...

Nice shots though Mark, nice to see someone remembered the anniversary...

Charlie

Sorry for the omissions Roger, I was working from memory... and that is getting more unreliable as I get older

I'm with Tempest on this one. You've only got the airport and the aircraft right!

This is a mix up between the dam busters and sinking the Tirpitz. Except it takes place in a neutral country.

No Woodie, 9 and 617 Sqns were involved in the attack on the Tirpitz. This has been a source of rivalry ever since as a bulkhead from the Tirpitz now resides in the mess of one of the Sqns, and then the other Sqn steals it, this has been going on for nearly 60 years
Now Norway was occupied by the Germans, but the mission did overfly neutral Sweden for some distance (they actually RV'd over Sweden before pressing home the attack)
http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/tirpitz.html

I think what Tempest & Woody are referring to is that this was not a low-level operation, quite the opposite in fact.

On Nov. 12th 1944, 31 Lancasters of No. 9 and No. 617 sqdn. attacked and sank Tirpitz using 12,000Ib. Tallboy bombs.

The Tallboy bomb weighed 12,000lb and had to be dropped from at least 20,000 feet.* However, they're nice shots of a nice aircraft & I'm prepared to allow a little poetic licence.

*PS. This is quoted from one of many resources. According to the RAF history site the bombs were dropped from between 12,000 and 16,000 feet.

No Woodie, 9 and 617 Sqns were involved in the attack on the Tirpitz. This has been a source of rivalry ever since as a bulkhead from the Tirpitz now resides in the mess of one of the Sqns, and then the other Sqn steals it, this has been going on for nearly 60 years

Unfortunately the fun has been spoilt now - the bulkhead is now firmly attached to the floor at Hendon. Really unless 9 Sqn were extremely lucky, 617 were the ones who scored the 2 direct hits, as they had the semi automatic bombsight that had the capability to hit the ship from that height.

Shame we didn't know at the time that the ship was crippled anyway from one of the earlier raids...

Some say Willie Tait should have got the VC for the Tirpitz raid (regarding his previous service too). He probably deserves to be held in the same regard as both Gibson and Cheshire, 617s more noted leaders...

Charlie

 8)

Unfortunately the fun has been spoilt now - the bulkhead is now firmly attached to the floor at Hendon. Really unless 9 Sqn were extremely lucky, 617 were the ones who scored the 2 direct hits, as they had the semi automatic bombsight that had the capability to hit the ship from that height.  

meh, its been firmly attached to other things in the past and that never stopped anyone  ;D

[quote]

Charlie what you're forgetting is the MOD-plod would be hard pressed to find their collective bottom with an atlas
The bulkhed might yet go on another exciting adventure!

Charlie what you're forgetting is the MOD-plod would be hard pressed to find their collective bottom with an atlas
The bulkhed might yet go on another exciting adventure!

I don't think the RAF museum has anything to do with mod plods now. I think knowing the history I'm sure its kept behind a sealed vault protected by a bloke with a baseball bat...

http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/bulkhead.html

Charlie

Nice story and shots!