Incredible before and after aerial photos of Bomber Command missions including Dambusters
EXTRAORDINARY new images of the Dambusters raid have emerged as part of incredible before and after shots of Bomber Command missions. The amazing aerial photos show the dramatic effects of ‘bouncing bombs’ on German sites during World War Two.
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They depict the Ruhr valley after the Mohne Dam was hit during Operation Chastise in 1943.
Other images show churches and factories turned to rubble, and the effects of the allies’ aerial bombardments that left the Steigletz area of Berlin decimated.
Other photos capture a German ship being sunk off the Bay of Biscay, as well as a German Me109 bursting into flames after a dogfight with a Spitfire.
The 40 photos belonged to Noel Richards, OBE, who was the wartime head of the Photographic and Reproductions Branch of the Air Ministry.
The War Office employee had unprecedented access to Churchill and his inner circle.
His son Peter, 73, has now put the incredible collection of photos up for sale.
They will go on auction at Forum Auctions in London tomorrow, where they are expected to sell for £800.
Richard Carroll, a specialist at Forum Auctions, said: "This photo album is a fascinating historical document and it is quite sobering to see the tragedy and devastation caused to cities in France and Germany by the war."
BNPS
BNPS
This photo album is a fascinating historical document
Operation Chastise was carried out by Royal Air Force No. 617 Squadron on the night of May 16, 1943.
The squadron, later known as the Dambusters, breached two German dams and destroyed two hydroelectric power stations, cutting power and having a catastrophic impact on German coal production.
The raids saw 16 allied aircraft shot down and 53 of the 133 heroic aircrew were killed.
The 1955 film The Dam Busters plays out the events of Operation Chastise and stars Michael Redgrave and Richard Todd.