Dambuster Documentary.

[Nigel H-J]

Starting tonight a 3 part documentary on Channel 5 and runs for 3 consecutive nights.

https://thelincolnite.co.uk/2020/11/doc ... ers-story/

Regards
Nigel.

[Airspeed]

You lucky people!

[PeteP]

Don't worry, Mike, you're not missing anything of worth.

My heart sank when I saw it was being presented by Dan Snow but I made myself watch - just in case. I wasn't disappointed. There it was - the Snow over-dramatic, shouted, schoolboy-style presentation better suited to a kids adventure comic than a serious documentary. Does that man ever speak normally, I wonder?

Oh well, maybe one day we'll get a balanced, thoughtful reappraisal of Operation Chastise but this wasn't it.

Pete

[Tomliner]

I’d generally agree with you there Peter although it wasn’t quite as bad as the one he did earlier on the anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Featuring Max Hastings was probably one the best parts of the prog.
I think the best military historian and presenter currently is the author James Holland. EricT

[Brian Franklin]

Yep - agree totally. Was so disappointed!

[Kevin Farnell]

Well, I enjoyed it. I've set a series link to record the remaining programs.

Kevin

[Nigel H-J]

I have to say I am also enjoying watching it though do find that the way Dan Snow delivers the documentary is way over the top, you would be forgiven in thinking that he was actually going on the raid himself the way he speaks!!

One thing I did notice was of Guy Gibson, his head and eye movements appeared to show signs of stress and possibly fatigue as his movements on film were jerky and not normal. I might be wrong but it had been written regarding aircrew stress during the war that:

Bomber Command did nearly everything it could to keep the Pilots Flying, establishing a Draconian System of Military Discipline, in which Moral arguments overruled Medical explanations.

The Stigma of ‘LMF’ or ‘Lack of Moral Fibre’ was a horrifying threat which hung over all Air-crew until late 1945.

Maybe I am wrong but the weeks leading up to the raid certainly caused a lot of stress hence one reason he gave his squadron some leave prior to the raid.

Regards
Nigel.

[AllanL]

Nice take-off shot of a Manchester in Episode 2. It landed after the raid too. Piece of history missed from the Richard Todd film

[Airspeed]

I couldn't watch it for geographical reasons.
Just got home from our street Christmas party, so if I'm writing utter nonsense, you know why.
I'm currently reading 4th of four books on Bomber Command WWII.
None of the personal reports said much about the fear of death.
They told of hours of boredom, punctuated by five minutes of blind panic.
I've only come across one mention of LMF.
The importance of deaths of other air crews varied depending on whether they were well known to the author or not. If they weren't friends, they were just numbers.
There was also mention of medals going to crews who were shot up, whilst those who managed to avoid getting hit were not rewarded.
One Lancaster was iced up, lost both aerlerons and flaps, made it home by rudder and engine variations, but no rewards to the crew.
Amazing number of tales of getting lost, even in 1943. Some felt guilt about bombing civilians. Plenty of reports of missing the target by miles, despite Gee, Oboe, marker flares, etc. Also several sorties carried out despite, or abandonned due to, mechanical or instrument faults.

[simondix]

Nice take-off shot of a Manchester in Episode 2. It landed after the raid too. Piece of history missed from the Richard Todd film

I cannot stand sloppy editing and research. That is all it is.