THE MAKING OF THE DAM BUSTERS | Documentary

I shudder to think of the mess the Americans would have made of this story. Naturally all of the main players would be from Texas and Indiana. Barnes Wallace would be a professor from MIT the aircraft wold have been B24 Liberators. Naturally there would be a love interest side story with a Hollywood blonde bombshell. The whole thing would have been another one of those horrid Hollywood rewrites of history alá U571, and the Rat Patrol.

Gibson was shot down by a night fighter Mosquito over Holland, returning from a target marking mission over Germany, his ground crew had secretly removed his marker bonbs from his Mossie to give him a better chance of surviving the sortie as they were terrified of losing such a brave young man. In a deathbed confession, a former night fighter pilot told his son that he was on patrol over Holland, saw what he thought was a Ju88 heading for England, he lined it up and opened fire and as the burning aircraft rolled over he saw the British rounders and knew he'd shot down another Mosquito, said nothing on his return to base and kept his secret for the rest of his life. A sad end for a for one of, if not the bravest pilots I ever heard about.

One of the best war films ever made.

I am a BBMF supporter and try to do a hangar tour when I visit Lincolnshire. Last year I was very fortunate to have Mr Maltby as my hangar guide, and at the end he brought out photos of his father...along with his flying logbook. A very special moment being able to thumb through those pages!

So that is why the bombs looked like they’d been painted on the footage with a black felt-tip pen ! Covered up as still classified.

Enemy Coast Ahead is such a good book - I recommend it to anyone with an interest in this period of our history and the greatest generation. The crash of Gibson’s Mosquito is still shrouded in mystery - the accepted belief as i understand it is that he wasn’t used to flying the mozzie and he made an error in switching over fuel tanks, starving the engines which cut out…. I have heard that at the time of the raid he was taking part in , a Lancaster gunner reported shooting down a twin-engined night fighter in the area and at the approximate time that Gibson was lost……

I took my late Mum to see the restored version that was shown in Odeon cinemas at a special screening with Dan Snow coming from the Royal Albert Hall. I insisted she wore her Women's Land Army medal (she got in free as a veteran which chuffed her! ) at the end of the film, i was getting her ready in her wheelchair to take her out to the car when a gentleman who looked as old as her (she was 94 at the time) and walked with two walking sticks was helped over to her by what looked like his son and daughter in law. He came straight to my Mum, extended his hand and shook hers saying 'thank you for what you did for us' and there was this 'moment' between them. I looked at his blazer and he had RAF wings (miniature version) on the lapel. I asked what he used to fly. His son answered 'Dad flew Hurricanes mainly'. His Dad then said something to the effect of 'without the land girls, we'd never have been fit enough to fight'. My Mum never forgot that moment to the day she died almost four years later. Absolute respect between the two of them for two very different roles which depended on each other.

Totally brilliant! What a fantastically produced documentary about this classic. It was done with love, care and reverence and employed wonderful images. The background details were fascinating. So well done.

It's still a very stirring film that i watch whenever it's on the TV. This and the Battle of Briton film guided me to join the RAF in which I served for 18 years. Including at RAF Scampton. When I left we bought a former RAF house at RAF Hemswell, where we still live. It's always a good day when the BBMF Lancaster flies over. And of course five miles away we have the Dambusters pub in Scampton village. Bless them all.

Examples of "Upkeep" (the bouncing bomb), "Highball" (smaller version), "Tallboy" and "Grand Slam" bombs are on display at Brooklands Museum, where their designer Barnes Wallace worked for Vickers.

30 feet!!! (and to borrow a line from the movie, in my native Australian accent) This is bloody dangerous!

Just watched the film again today on free-to-air TV. Couldn't help but notice the "disclaimer" at the start and finish from Studio Canal that it may not reflect current views, or something similar, to cover the use of the name of Gibson's dog.

Why I love this film:
1. All of the cast give tremendous performances.
2. It is a film of two halves - Firstly the conception and development of the weapon and secondly the operation itself.
3. There is no "Love interest". Romance is absolutely absent.
4. There is no "Token Yank" in the film in order to gain an American audience (apart from a brief mention during the selection process of Joe McCarthy who did actually did fly in the operation).
And finally, of course, 5. The Dambusters Theme.

'Well chaps, my watch says time to go' David Gritten please note !! Those who have listen to his comments and seen the film will understand what I mean. Also one criticism I do have and it is reflected in one or two comments regarding those killed in the raid. During the section about the Royal Premier of the film there is a poster titled 'Dedication' and begins to scroll down the list of those who did not return from the raid (excluding the three POW's) it then cuts to David Gritten, surely it would have been far better to continue with this dedication with a voice over by Gritten, rather than have to look at him. Finally for those interested in Guy Gibson pre-617 have a watch of Appointment in London (1953) John (dim) Wooldridge one of the writers served with Gibson on 106 Squadron and Dirk Bogarde's character is said to be based on Gibson. Although fiction it is still a very good film, especially the last half hour, archive footage is inter-cut making it extremely realistic.
For those who are interested, a list of those who did not return.

Flt Lt John V Hopgood DFC – Pilot
Fg Off Kenneth Earnshaw (RCAF) – Navigator
Sgt Charles Brennan – Flight Engineer
Sgt John W Minchin – Wireless Operator
Plt Off George H F G Gregory DFM – Front Gunner

Sqn Ldr Henry M Young DFC – Pilot
Flt Sgt Charles W Roberts – Navigator
Sgt David T Horsfall – Flight Engineer
Fg Off Vincent C MacCausland (RCAF) – Bomb Aimer
Sgt Lawrence W Nichols – Wireless Operator
Sgt Gordon A Yeo – Front Gunner
Sgt Wilfred Ibbotson – Rear Gunner

Sqn Ldr Henry E Maudslay DFC – Pilot
Fg Off Robert A Urquhart DFC (RCAF) – Navigator
Sgt Jack Marriott DFM – Flight Engineer
Plt Off M John D Fuller – Bomb Aimer
W/O Alden P Cottam (RCAF) – Wireless Operator
Fg Off William J Tytherleigh – Front Gunner
Sgt Norman R Burrows – Rear Gunner

Flt Lt William Astell DFC – Pilot
Plt Off Floyd A Wile (RCAF) – Navigator
Sgt John Kinnear – Flight Engineer
Fg Off Donald Hopkinson – Bomb Aimer
W/O Albert A Garshowitz (RCAF) – Wireless Operator
Flt Sgt Francis A Garbas (RCAF) – Front Gunner
Sgt Richard Bolitho – Rear Gunner

Flt Lt Robert N G Barlow DFC (RAAF) – Pilot
Fg Off Philip S Burgess – Navigator
Plt Off Samuel L Whillis – Flight Engineer
Plt Off Alan Gillespie DFM – Bomb Aimer
Fg Off Charles R Williams DFC (RAAF) – Wireless Operator
Fg Off Harvey S Glinz (RCAF) – Front Gunner
Sgt Jack R G Liddell – Rear Gunner

Plt Off Vernon W Byers (RCAF) – Pilot
Fg Off James H Warner – Navigator
Sgt Alastair J Taylor – Flight Engineer
Plt Off Arthur N Whitaker – Bomb Aimer
Sgt John Wilkinson – Wireless Operator
Sgt Charles McAllister Jarvie – Front Gunner
Flt Sgt James McDowell (RCAF) – Rear Gunner

Plt Off Warner H T Ottley DFC – Pilot
Fg Off Jack K Barrett DFC – Navigator
Sgt Ronald Marsden DFM – Flight Engineer
Flt Sgt Thomas B Johnston – Bomb Aimer
Sgt Jack Guterman DFM – Wireless Operator
Sgt Harry J Strange – Front Gunner

Plt Off Lewis J Burpee DFM (RCAF) – Pilot
Sgt Thomas Jaye – Navigator
Sgt Guy Pegler – Flight Engineer
Flt Sgt James L Arthur (RCAF) – Bomb Aimer
Plt Off Leonard G Weller – Wireless Operator
Sgt William C A Long – Front Gunner
W/O Joseph G Brady (RCAF) – Rear Gunner

POW
Plt Off John W Fraser DFC – Bomb Aimer
Plt Off Anthony F Burcher DFM (RAAF) – Rear Gunner
(Hopgood's crew)
Sgt Frederick Tees – Rear Gunner
(Ottley's crew)

I wish they would release an NTSC version of the restoration. Very confusing as some side a 2018 restoration and others a 2021 but all Region 2.

In my humble opinion this is the very best movie about the RAF during World War II

It will be interesting to see if the restoration of the film edits out the name of Guy Gibson's black dog, which he calls on two occasions.

Great to show this as I really enjoyed it, seen the film so many times. My Grandfather worked on this at Elstree Studios, the tank they used for the models of the dams is the same one they used for so many films such as Moby Dick. Its still there today but better known now as the Big Brother house on TV, as what's left of the studio now is used for TV.

This video's narration is ruined by the perpetual, repetitive, dull, doomy gloomy and totally redundant music playing in the background.

The only thing for me that let it down was the dam explosions looked so artificial even when they cleaned it up.

I cannot imagine guys in their early twenties today doing that. I know we have brave pilots, but to go off in one of those crates knowing people would be doing their best to kill you, well that is beyond normal.

Great movie
I was stationed at Scampton in 1983 as an RAF aircraft engineer we used to eat in the airman’s mess which was the building on the right as Richard walks away at the end ……many happy memories 😊

Regards
Dave from Scotland

What a great video to document the making of a great film! I saw the movie today again ( after having seen it many years ago), and wanted to learn more about the picture. And voila! Exactly want I wanted to find. The documentary captures so much about the movie - all aspects of the film. I suppose one message the comes through is how the movie captured the very British way that the culture handled the tasks of the War. Understated toughness, resolute pragmatism, bravery, and … politeness. If the personal interactions depicted were anything like the actual events, the Britain of the time was at a very refined state of culture indeed. Certainly common language usage has slipped much since then.

But what was the name of the dog?!.. The film seems to have been altered??

We fought the wrong enemy.

I absolutely love this movie. It’s heart breaking, knowing that 56 men didn’t come home.

I just recently found my copies of enemy coast ahead and the dam busters
Les Munro signed them for me a few years before he passed
He turned back with engine trouble but flew on with 617 under Len Cheshire
Great to meet him

This is why the UK is no longer British.

If i remember they finally got 6 Lancs and used different numbers on each side to make it into 12 Lancs

Skip bombing was used at the Battle of the Nile by Lord Horatio Nelson and Barnes Wallis adapted this for the attacks on the Dams

The film has now been colorized, this classic now looks even better. R.T. declined the leading role, as "James Bond 007"

Wonderful to see Great Actors, who honoured the actual participants.

As far as the dog's name goes, it's changed so as not to offend a large portion of the population. Just like on broadcast TV. Samething. On cable, it wouldn't matter, but for a 'G' rating, it's OK to change it. History is fine.

Operation Chastise was a complete failure, and a war crime.

@Dubchile:
How could I have doubted it for a second? Of course Sam Kydd was cast in the Dam Busters movie..How could he possibly not have been?
Yunno, I'm beginning to become a little concerned about myself.. 🙃

Great stuff, a most enlightening documentary.
First time I'd seen this account about the movie.
No mention about the dag of course.. (heh, I mean to say that's pc gone plumb crazy).
And Robert Shaw, I had no idea about the part he played at all. That detail had slipped past me throughout all the countless times I'd watched the flim.
I had already been aware of Patrick McGoughan's part however.
I have a feeling that this is a rare example of a flim without Sam Kydd's name on the credits?
How can this be?
The most prolific actor of the era and he wasn't included in the cast of the Dam Busters!
The orderly who told Gibson about his dag's accident bore a slight resemblance to Kydd but it wasn't he.
I agree about the ending being the most poignant moment, when Gibson replies to Barnes-Wallis "No, I'm afraid I have some letters to write first.."

I'm so glad I bought the DVD box-set when I did several years ago of a/ The Dam Busters, Ice Cold In Alex and The Cruel Sea.

Sam Kydd was in the latter but perhaps not in John Mills' adventure. I may be wrong?

We were on holiday in Margate in 1955 , we went to the pictures to see this film and couldn’t get in it was sold out.

Needed reassuring that Robert Shaw could act 😂😂😂

Err.....just a bit!

It's been written that Barnes Wallace suffered greatly from grief and guilt over the loss of lives on the raid and was never the same enthusiast man after. Some idiots claim the raid was a failure because Germany re-built the dams, when the disruption to German manufacturing and morale boost to the UK were dramatic. Unfortunately they did not do follow up raids when the dams were being repaired, even high level bombing, it is felt by historians that this would have driven home the initial success of the first raid. It is also worth noting the age of those on the raid. They were all just out of their teens. Brave men every one of them.

When I first saw the film, I thought it was the best war film as good as the Battle of Britain but I think it was the dam scene that looked so artificial that let it down.

I want to see the making of the making of the Dam Buster documentary.

Like the gentleman emphasized at the end, this story is about immortality. The final scene in the Damuster's film when guy Gibson walks off; he does so into eternity, into his own special place in Valhalla. From the epic tales of old, like Xenophon's 10,000, up to the more modern stories of heroism like Scott and Shackleton, all of us have benefited infinitely by these examples of selfless devotion to the most righteous principles of man's existence.

Gibson went to my old school, we got a fly past on the 50th anniversary.
I used to coach at RC Sheriffs old school, the boat house I coached from was call- RC Sheriff Boat House!

And now London has a Muslim mayor: 😮‍💨😮‍💨

Robert Shaw also starred in James Bond's "From Russia with Love", and portrayed the fanatical nazi Panzer commander in the "Battle of the Bulge" (his hair being dyed blond for the occasion)

Too many adverts spoil this.

I loved this film from being a child, I admired the bravery of the airmen, the Lancaster's and the story of inspired Barnes Wallis. The music stills stirs me and makes me tearful with pride. If only war wasn't such a tragic ghastly waste.

All terribly incestuous.

What the film doesn't relate is how hated Guy Gibson was.

The losses suffered during this mission really hit home in the film and the stoic professionalism in the face of it. That's a tribute to the realism striven for by Michael Anderson and his cast and crew.