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617 Squadron: The Dambusters at War (Memoirs of World War Two in the Air Book 3) Kindle Edition

by Tom Bennett (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 788 ratings
An eye-opening history of the famous 617 Squadron and its pilots and crews by a man who flew alongside them. A perfect book for fans of Max Hastings, John Nichol and Patrick Bishop.

In May 1943, Guy Gibson led 617 Squadron on an audacious assault on the dams of the Ruhr valley using Barnes Wallis’ ingenious ‘bouncing bombs’.

What happened to RAF 617 Squadron after the completion of Operation Chastise?



The raid had been a success, but the bombing offensive against Nazi-occupied territories did not let up and 617 Squadron continued to be at the heart of these operations.

Squadron Leader Tom Bennett, who flew as one of the lead navigators of 617’s Mosquito marker force, recounts many of the precision attacks made by 617’s Lancasters on vital targets in occupied Europe, such as the tragic Pölitz raid of December 1944, the attack on Bergen in January 1945 and the numerous raids made against the Nazi battleships Tirpitz.

A number of personalities who served with the Squadron leap from the pages, like Tom McLean, who managed to destroy three night-fighters while wounded from his position as rear gunner, as well as the unpredictable Australian Colin Keith ‘Aspro’ Astbury who after being retired from active duty snuck out of his dull job with the Air Ministry to continue flying with his crew.

‘One of the finest tributes to human endurance to emerge from World War 2’ — Wingspan

617 Squadron: The Dambusters at War provides unique insight into the reminiscences of the men who flew in this crack Royal Air Force squadron during the last three years of World War Two.
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  1. Book 3 of 5
    Memoirs of World War Two in the Air
  2. Print length
    434 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    October 25, 2020
  5. File size
    1.2 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dennis Kleinman has been narrating audiobooks since 2013 and has at least forty titles to his credit. His career began with a biography of a British general, Sir David Fraser, and then transitioned into a series of period romance audiobooks, which opened up his creative approaches and choices to the characters that he brought to life. His body of work includes drama and mysteries, coupled with fan fiction and adventure. Adding to his resume is a three-part audiobook series covering espionage across Eastern Europe, in the Birth of an Assassin series, as well as the in-depth exploration of a family's heritage in Out of The Shoebox. Dennis worked with Douglass Davies on his novel Steinburg-a work about international political intrigue, which allowed Dennis the artistic freedom to explore his own European origins and early family history. Working with Ed Renehan of New Street Nautical Audio, Dennis has narrated half a dozen nautical themed audiobooks, including Desperate Voyage, the account of Donald Crowhurst's attempt to sail in a round the world yacht race in 1968. Dennis has worked on South African themed works that include The Lion Seeker, about early Jewish settlement and emigration to South Africa. He narrated and brought many characters to life in The Zebra Affaire, set in 1976 apartheid South Africa. Dennis adopts the various South African accents in an authentic, meaningful, and sensitive way, allowing his own South African roots to flow through the narration. Dennis was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and emigrated to the United States in 1980 after completing his Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Cape Town. He lives with his family in Los Angeles.

Tom Bennett was a teacher in inner-city London schools for thirteen years. Currently he is the director and founder of researchED, a grass-roots organization that aims to make teachers research-literate and pseudo-science proof. Since 2013 researchED has grown from a tweet to an international conference movement that so far has spanned three continents and six countries. He is also the series editor for the best-selling range of researchED books, and the editor of the quarterly researchED magazine.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08DNPKWVJ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sapere Books (October 25, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 25, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.2 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 434 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 788 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
788 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and a page-turner. They describe the stories as interesting and eclectic, covering the 617 "Dambusters" Squadron in detail.

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ReadabilityStory quality
10 customers mention "Readability"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and easy to read. They describe it as a wartime adventure story that takes them vividly through each experience as though they were on the crew. The writing is true to life and the stories are interesting.

"...Well worth the read for an appreciation of what it took to be a part of this organization." Read more

"I loved reading this book except that I couldn't keep the individual airmen straight. It tells the true stories of the 617 squadron as thesubdue" Read more

"...Now I know, and of the brave youn men who took part. Great book." Read more

"Very interesting read about some very brave men!" Read more

5 customers mention "Story quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the stories. They find the tales interesting and an eclectic grouping about the 617 "Dambusters" Squadron. The operations are detailed and poignant.

"This is an eclectic grouping of stories about the 617 “Dambusters” Squadron, primarily post the famous raid...." Read more

"...It tells the true stories of the 617 squadron as thesubdue" Read more

"...out the personnel and history of squadron operations in detail and poignancy. Thank you very much!" Read more

"Some bloody good stories in one book, very interesting, highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the RAF during WW2" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • AvdRedr
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the read for an appreciation of what it took to be a part of this organization.
    Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This is an eclectic grouping of stories about the 617 “Dambusters” Squadron, primarily post the famous raid. The Squadron was formed in March of ’43 and the Dambusters Raid took place in May. It set an almost mystical standard that the rest of the Squadron lived up to over the rest of the war years, participating in many well known bombing targets, including their sinking of the German Battleship Tirpitz. The author tells about these events through a series of six chapters focusing more on the individual’s stories to explain what it was like to be a part of a Lancaster Bomber crew in the 617 Squadron. And he does a very effective job of it. I didn’t feel that these mini-stories were very connected when I started reading, but having finished and reflecting back on what had learned about the RAF, the British culture as it affected the personnel, the complexities of being a crew member and the complexities of fulfilling their role, he has left me with a much better understanding and appreciation of what it must have been like to be there. And these roles were generally filled by 18 or 19 year olds when they entered the war. The 617 Squadron help to shape them into the men they became when the war was over, and it was obviously a very positive maturing process for most. The author’s last chapter, almost an epilogue, tells of the post war histories of his subjects in the book. Well appreciated!

    Well worth the read for an appreciation of what it took to be a part of this organization.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I loved reading this book except that I couldn't keep the individual airmen straight. It tells the true stories of the 617 squadron as thesubdue
    One person found this helpful
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  • William L. Rowe
    3.0 out of 5 stars interesting and Informative for Americans
    Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Americans might start with the Glossary and acknowledgements at the end of Kindel version, and then research Squadron 617. The RAF and Commonwealth had many differences from US forces.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Star Delta
    5.0 out of 5 stars A real page turner
    Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This book really allows one to drill down into the DNA of 617 Squadron. A truly three dimension insight to this elite squadron.
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  • David Merrills
    4.0 out of 5 stars The Best of the Best.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Most people of my age( 74) know of the Dams raid but I had no idea what 617 Squadron did after that raid. Now I know, and of the brave youn men who took part. Great book.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Kenneth Meloche
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great read!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Sqn Ldr Bennet captured very well the essence of 617 Squadron and of the bomber war with the personal crew stories post dams raid. Joe McCarthy was my Dad’s CO many years later in the RCAF and I knew the background of 617. This book brought out the personnel and history of squadron operations in detail and poignancy.
    Thank you very much!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Kindlephile
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful history of the Dambusters!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Great history of many men of the British 617 Squadron, the famous Dambusters who destroyed some dams in the Ruhr valley industrial area of Germany in World War 2. I felt like the author helped personalize these true heroes many of whom lived civilian lives after their war service and have now died in old age. He also remembers the others who died as very young men in the war. May God Bless Them All.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Famah Smith
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting read!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Very interesting read about some very brave men!
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Sailor 51
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great insight into the lives of boy who became men far too soon
    Reviewed in Canada on May 30, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    The information and background are very interesting and made me feel like I was hearing every individual story! The fellows who shared this experience have my gratitude for their sacrifice and effort!
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  • Mr. Nicholas D. Collins
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book telling the personal stories of 617 crews after the dams raids
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 12, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I am a self confessed obsessive about 617 Squadron and have read more books about them than I can remember. I read the first one when I was 9. So when I saw this one I had to buy it. It is a great read, telling lots of personal stories of triumphs and tragedies of some of the aircrews after the famous dambusters raids. Excellent book. Very enjoyable interesting personal and informative.
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  • JohnA
    5.0 out of 5 stars My favourite squadron
    Reviewed in Australia on March 12, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Loved all the history, the details and the personal aspects. Appreciated the depth of research and the writing style too.
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  • Jeff O'Brien
    4.0 out of 5 stars Informative read
    Reviewed in Canada on April 14, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This book was heavy in facts and personal stories of bomber crews. Not my favorite book on bombers but a good read.
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  • Kilbaddy
    4.0 out of 5 stars What really went on inside the cockpit of the wartime Lancaster bomber.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 3, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This book is special in several ways. It is the story of the famous Dambusters during the second half of WW2 and their unique and powerful camaraderie both as a squadron and as individual aircrews forced to trust each other implicitly inside the cockpit during acute emergencies in the air. It is as near to a historically accurate record as the author can establish ‘from the cockpit eye view’, with some details being recorded for the first time, both of which are rare. Most of all it is a tribute to those who flew the Lancaster bombers for months on end, some surviving to thrive in the future, some who struggled and all too many who did not make it back to base.
    Don’t be put off by the prologue which hammers through a list of ‘what they did next’ after the bouncing bomb episode and lists all those involved. The exciting bits are coming, bringing these events and characters to life in vivid and gripping detail, mainly through the eyes of those within the individual Lancaster bombers. The knowledge that the writer is describing real events in which he or those he knows participated creates an immediacy which no fiction can emulate. Each crew has its own dynamic, with the frequently irreverent personalities of the members welding together in mutual trust and support – or occasionally not. The details bring home the dangerous euphoria and wildness which is sometimes necessary to keep the men going. A useful glossary helps any reader unaccustomed to Airforce slang of the time, but the brisk, slightly militaristic writing and excellent dialogue make for a highly readable and often touching story of human endeavour and courage. Even the individual planes take on personalities.
    The last section describes what happened, between the end of the war and 1986 when the book was originally published, to the individuals already described and what life held for them. What comes over starkly is how very young most of the aircrew were when in charge of those huge bombers and their equally huge bombs and how much they achieved in very short spans in their lives, both in learning the many skills required and in using them to devastating effect.
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