Airfix 1/72 Dambusters 617 Sqn 80th Anniversary Bomber Gift Set w/Paint & Glue Kit

Avro Lancaster B.III (Special) and F-35B model kits. Instruction Sheets, paint layout, decals, paint, glue, and brush.

At 21.39 on 16th May 1943, Gibson and Lancaster ED932 took off from RAF Scampton at the head of the first attack wave of nine Lancasters heading for the Mohne Dam, flying a route over Suffolk. The North Sea, crossing the Dutch coast at Zeeland, before heading inland attempting to avoid known areas of Luftwaffe defenses. As Gibson and his crew made their attack run on the Mohne Dam, the other Lancasters of the first wave circled the target area, watching the effectiveness of the attack run and waiting for the instruction to commence their own attack. Having released their mine, Gibson and his crew flew alongside the other aircraft during their attacks, attempting to draw enemy fire away from the attacking aircraft, giving them the best chance of effecting a breach. The fifth mine dropped was a perfect run and exploded in precisely the right place to cause the already weakened dam to fail – they had done it.

In the years which followed, this incredible operation was referred to as the 'Dambusters Raid' and No.617 Squadron would become one of the RAF's most famous units. 'Operation Chastise' was heralded as a spectacular success for Bomber Command, but at a high cost, as eight Lancasters and 53 airmen failed to return.

No.617 Squadron continues the proud legacy of the Dambusters airmen to this day, as the first operational RAF unit equipped with the Lockheed Martin® F-35® Lightning, symbolically officially reforming in April 2018, the month in which the Royal Air Force commemorated its centenary.