The Breach by Anthony Saunders

The journey had been eventful, flying low they had crossed the Dutch coast and headed inland, skimming along canals and the countryside at tree-top height and meeting heavy flak at various points along the route. But now the first two waves of Lancasters had reached the Möhne Dam and, as the enemy flak opened up, the six aircraft began to circle their target.

First Gibson in AJ-G attacked, his bomb exploding succesfully then ‘Hoppy’ Hopgood, hit by gun-fire, had crashed before ‘Mick’ Martin in Lancaster AJ-P attacked. Despite being hit twice, the dam still held. Next Gibson called in ‘Dinghy’ Young in AJ-A, he too scored a direct hit but it looked like the dam was still un-breached. Things were beginning to look bad as David Maltby in AJ-J made his run into the target. He could see that the top of the wall was starting to crumble, Young’s bouncing bomb had indeed cracked the dense granite wall. Now Maltby finished the job with a direct hit – the Möhne Dam was doomed.

The second in Anthony Saunders pair of Dambuster 70th Anniversary commemorative paintings, The Breach depicts the scene as Guy Gibson engages enemy flak positions whilst Lancaster AJ-J, with pilot David Maltby at the controls, banks steeply away after delivering the coup-de-grace. A huge explosion and towering pillar of water marks the breach where a vast torrent of water begins to rush into the valley below. The first of the mighty dams have been cracked apart. With the ruined wall of the Möhne Dam behind them, Martin and Maltby turn for home whilst Gibson leads his remaining aircraft 50 miles to the south-east where they will successfully breach their second target, the Eder Dam.

This print is available as a portfolio pair with Final Briefing by Anthony Saunders.

Signature:

Squadron Leader George L. JOHNSON DFM RAF - Joining the RAF in 1940, George Johnson had flown 28 operations on Lancasters with 97 Squadron at Woodhall Spa before joining 617 Squadron on 25 March 1943. Bomb Aimer on American Joe McCarthy’s reserve Lancaster AJ-T, they attacked the Sorpe Dam. Being a reserve aircraft, this Lancaster had not been fitted with the twin Aldis spotlights necessary for accurate height keeping, and it was on their tenth attempt before George released their bomb, hitting the Dam successfully but the earth dam survived the blast. For his actions he was awarded the DFM. Commissioned in November 1943, he remained in the RAF after the war and retired in 1962.