Guy Gibson and his Dambuster Crew

The Dams Raid is the RAF's most famous bombing operation of the Second World War, and Guy Gibson, who was in command, its most famous bomber pilot. Of the six men who made up his crew on the Dams Raid - two Canadians, an Australian and three Englishmen - only one had previously flown with him, but altogether the men had previously amassed more than 180 operations. Drawing on rare and unpublished sources and family archives, this new study is the first to fully detail their stories. It explores the previous connections between the seven men who would eventually fly on just one operation together and examines how their relationships developed in the months they spent in each other's company.

CHARLES FOSTER grew up with the story of the raid, as his uncle was one of the pilots who took part. He worked in publishing, journalism and design for over 30 years, and has also written widely on the subject, including a book, blog and website and many articles. He has contributed to various TV programmes and news bulletins and has been invited to be a part of the official 2018 75th anniversary events. He lives in Ireland.