Airfix A50191 plastic model - Dambusters 80th Anniversary aircraft in 1:72 scale to be glued. The kit contains 267/42 pieces, glue, brush and crayons, difficulty 3.
Information about the template:
8. April 1943 the first of 20 modified Avro Lancasters arrived at RAF Scampton. Volunteer crews of "Squadron X" (later assigned RAF No. 617 Squadron) from 5 Group Bomber Command had to be specially assembled. The new aircraft were B.III (Specials), designated at Avro's Woodford factory as Lancaster Type 464 Provisioning. Each was fitted with Vickers Type 464 'Upkeep' mine delivery equipment. Mines were not delivered to Scampton at the time. Conversations between the crews inevitably turned to discussing the intended target. Most assumed they would be sent to attack the massive German battleship Tirpitz.
As the number of Lancasters increased, the commander of this new squadron, Wing Commander Guy Gibson, chose Lancaster ED932/AJ-G as his own aircraft, as the bomber's codes were the same as the initials of his father, Alexander James Gibson. Gibson and the crew of ED932 were among the first to train with their new aircraft and their unusual bombs. From May 12, 1943, they released their mines at the Reculver test site on the north Kent coast, just five days before the crews set off on their historic raid. After a period of intensive training and the day before the raid, Gibson was finally informed of the intended targets - "Operation Chastise" would strike the industrial heart of Germany, the great dams in the Ruhr Valley.
17. At 21:39 on 1 May 1943, Gibson and Lancaster ED932 took off from RAF Scampton at the head of the first attack wave of nine Lancasters bound for the Mohne Dam. They flew a route through Suffolk, then the North Sea, crossing the Dutch coast near Zeeland. Before heading inland and trying to avoid known Luftwaffe defense areas. As Gibson and his crew attacked the Mohne Dam, the other Lancasters from the first wave circled the target area, monitoring the effectiveness of the attack and waiting for the order to launch their own attack. After releasing the 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 a breakthrough.
In the following years this incredible operation was referred to as the 'Dambusters Raid' and 617 Squadron became 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 to this day, as the RAF's first operational unit to be equipped with the Lockheed Martin® F-35® Lightning, symbolically officially reformed in April 2018, the month the Royal Air Force commemorated its centenary.