Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #185004 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 208 pages

Synopsis
This is the story of the author's uncle, David Maltby, and the crew with whom he flew on the famous Dams Raid - Operation Chastise - in 1943. Just five months later, on their return from an aborted mission to bomb the Dortmund Ems Canal, they all died when their aircraft went down in the North Sea. Only David's body was recovered, picked up by a rescue launch. David was the pilot of the fifth Lancaster, 'J-Johnny', to drop a bomb on the Mohne Dam and cause the final breach in it. He was then just 23 years of age, but already had 28 operations and a DFC to his name.This book tells the story of the crew, what made them join the RAF when they knew the risk was so high, how fate threw them together, what it was like for one crew to take part in the raid and what happened to them in the five months between Operation Chastise and their deaths. It goes on to look at what happened afterwards and how the families left behind were affected. Their sons, brothers and fathers might have become famous but they had to cope with life and loss in the same way as did thousands of other British families.

Customer Reviews

I enjoyed reading this book about the dam breakers
I was impressed with clarity of the layout, imbedded pictures and the quality of the paper. I very much enjoyed the book. I will recommend it to others. The author clearly has done a lot of research to tie up the family history aspects with those famous and crucial events. Access to the official records and those held privately and in museums has yielded some good quality material. I found it quite interesting to note the comments about the film and the other books and the way that mistakes had crept in and never been corrected. The author is to be congratualed on this book.

Family History - Dambuster Remembered with Pride.
Whilst being distantly related to both the Author and the main character in the book (David Maltby), I believe that Charles Foster has given an important insight into the circumstances surrounding David Maltby's participation in the Dambuster raid and his unfortunate loss during the Dortmund-Emms canal raid. The story has given me a much better understanding of this very brave airman and of all his colleagues who took part in the raid and also some greater insight into the Maltby family. A long lost Family Tree has come to light as the result, which confirms many other links in the chain, emanating from our mutual Great Great Grandfather and his ten children! My own father also lost his life in 156 Pathfinder Squadron, Bomber Command in June 1942.

A golden opportunity well and truly missed
This book should have been so much better than it actually is and it's a great shame that the wealth of precious raw material wasn't put into the hands of a more sensitive and experienced writer, or the finished manuscript given a thorough edit at least. If you're already interested in and have knowledge of Bomber Command generally and / or 617 Sqn specifically, you'll find yourself reaching for the blood pressure tablets on a number of occasions whilst reading this offering.

There are irksome moments throughout ... e.g. early on, the author spends some time voicing his opinion of people who he suggests have jumped on the Bambusters 'bandwagon'. For example, he singles out websites dedicated to the subject, whose creators he criticises (in a typically high-handed tone)for lack of attention to detail, "Some websites can tell me the registration number of the Lancaster aircraft that David flew to the Dams, but can't get other things right - the correct spelling of his father's name being an obvious example".

This accusation is made by a man who claims in the book's dedication and at least one other point in the main text that the Dams raid took place in 1942 (it took place in 1943)! Now that, in my view, is downright poor and shoddy workmanship.

The author is often overly judgemental and too subjective. There's the usual and in this case somewhat snide Gibson bashing and George Holden also comes in for some character assasination without much in the way of supporting evidence. All very "rentahack" ... another subject on which the author voices his personal opinion to the detriment of the story he's struggling to tell.

The author seems to have little real grasp of, or interest in, the historical context behind the events and people he's writing about and leans very heavily on the work and research of others, albeit acknowledging this in the process.

Great and noble subject, but poorly executed. Maltby, his crew and the people they served with deserve better. It's all a bit flimsy, I'm afraid. Save your money for Max Arthur's excellent, 'Dambusters: A Landmark Oral History'