Twotter's 2009 Dambusters Raid

For our 2009 bike trip my brother Steve and I were heading for Germany in May. The aim was to visit the Harz Mountains and the Nurburgring area.

It wouldn’t be a bike trip for us without visiting some former battlefields so as we were going to be in the area we thought we’d visit the three most famous Dambuster’s Dams – the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe. We were also going to stop off along the way to visit the old Army Quarters where we used to live in the late 1970’s. Our Dad died in January so this was a bit of a side trip down memory lane.

Despite looking around at different bikes recently, I’m still riding my Honda Varadero. With a painful coccyx I fitted a cut down seat and an Airhawk to try and make the trip more comfortable.



The bike also has a MRA Vario screen and I’m using a Zumo 550 for navigation.



So waving good bye to Mrs Twotter, Miss Twotter & young Master Twotter I headed off for my brother’s house near Newbury.



I quickly realised that my Airhawk was good for about 50 miles before the coccyx pain started. Standing on the pegs helps but I was going to need the pain killers on this trip as we had some long riding days ahead of us!

After a very pleasant evening with Steve and his lovely girlfriend, Jo, I awoke to a beautiful Sunday morning with sunshine and blue skies. On previous trips Steve has ridden his Kawasaki Z1000 but now he’s got the taste for biking in Europe he and Jo wanted a bike they could both tour on. He managed to find this FJR1300 on eBay and got a really good deal.



Setting off for the Channel Tunnel we hit the motorway and apart from a Police car dawdling along at 60mph slowing things for a short while we made good time to Folkestone. After a coffee we rode round to board our train.

Being late on a Sunday morning the train was not very busy, though the bikes were loaded last as usual. We shared a carriage with a couple who were on the train and going to Europe on their bikes for the first time. They were a really great couple, he was on a ZZR-1400 and she was on a ZR-7, and were heading towards Reims and then on to the MotoGP.



Arriving in France we headed round to the petrol station and filled up before kitting up, plugging into the Zumo and hitting the motorway. Today we had already ridden 126 miles from Steve’s house to the Tunnel. Now we had another 250 miles to go to reach Cologne on the E40 motorway, which isn’t the most exciting road I’ve ever ridden but needs must. The Varadero has a reputation for being a thirsty bike and back home I normally do about 180 miles before needing 20 litres at the petrol station. But even with the higher riding speeds and being fully loaded I was doing 130 miles and only needing half a tank of petrol. That pushes the touring range to a good 250 miles so I wasn’t that far away from what Steve was getting from his FJR.

After a long and hot day I was feeling knackered so was very happy to ride over a hill and see Cologne spread out before me. We were booked into an Ibis hotel at West Frecken and despite my best efforts at ignoring my Zumo we arrived just after 5pm. After booking in, it was time for a much needed shower, then beer (Bitburger lager), a nice steak and then a few more beers.

Sitting in the evening sunshine we got chatting to a couple of British bikers who were riding a Kawasaki ZX-6R and a Ducati 748. They’d done 550 miles today and were stopping to fill up every 100 miles. Lovely bikes but just looking at them gave me back ache. Anyway it was time to go to bed and perform some champion snoring!

Waking up on Monday morning at 7:30am Steve informed me that he’d given up on sleep about 5am and already been out for a walk and had his breakfast...ahem.

Sorting ourselves out we were packed and ready by 8:30am. Steve took the lead and after a short diversion we were on our way.

We were soon crossing over the River Rhine and at that point I felt that I was now really in Germany, which I know sounds a bit odd! A few more km along our route and we turned off the motorway as it was time to take to the country back roads and enjoy ourselves.

The roads were quiet and we were making good progress when I noticed an odd sight at one point, a logging company I suppose with thousands of tree trunks being watered...never seen that before??? This picture is just a small proportion of them.



Further on we decided to pull over at a Guesthouse for a break. Although the owner told us she was closed we were lucky that the Imbiss next door had just opened. Time for a bratwurst!





Suitably refreshed we turned off the main road and followed the signs to the Sorpe Reservoir.

Now, it’s time for your military history lesson

Many people will know of the famous Dambuster’s Raid of 17 May 1943, codenamed Operation Chastise. The raid was carried out by the newly formed 617 Squadron flying modified Avro Lancaster bombers. The attack was made with special mines designed by Barnes Wallis and codenamed Upkeep, these were the bouncing bombs.

Lead by Wing Commander Guy Gibson the raid was divided into three waves. The first comprised nine aircraft and was to attack the Mohne Dam then move on to the Eder Dam. The second was of five aircraft and was to attack the Sorpe Dam. The third was also of five aircraft and was to act as a mobile reserve backing up the other two waves.

As each aircraft dropped their mine they radioed back to Scampton the codeword ‘Goner’.

When the Mohne Dam was breached they radioed the codeword ‘Nigger’ (after Gibson’s dog which was run over and killed just before the raid).

When the Eder Dam was breached they radioed the codeword ‘Dinghy’ (the nickname of Squadron Leader Melvin Young).


Wave 1:

G-George – Wing Commander Guy Gibson: first to attack the Mohne Dam, returned safely.

M-Mother – Flight Lieutenant John ‘Hoppy’ Hopgood: second to attack the Mohne Dam, shot down. Bomb Aimer and Rear Gunner made POW, remainder killed.

P-Popsie – Flight Lieutenant Harold ‘Micky’Martin: third to attack the Mohne Dam, returned safely.

A-Apple – Squadron Leader Melvin ‘Dinghy’ Young: fourth to attach the Mohne Dam. Shot down over the Dutch coast on the way home. No survivors.

J-Johnny – Flight Lieutenant David Maltby: fifth to attack & successfully breached the Mohne Dam. Returned safely.

Z-Zebra – Squadron Leader Henry Maudslay: second to attack the Eder Dam. Mine hit dam wall and exploded. Shot down over Emmerich on way home. No survivors.

L-Leather – Flight Lieutenant David Shannon: first to attack the Eder Dam. Returned safely.

B-Baker – Flight Lieutenant William Astell: hit electricity pylon on the way in. No survivors.

N-Nuts – Pilot Officer Leslie Knight: third to attack & successfully breach the Eder Dam. Returned safely.


Wave 2:

T-Tommy – Flight Lieutenant Joseph McCarthy: first to attack the Sorpe Dam. Returned safely.

W-Willie – Flight Lieutenant John Munro: hit by flak over Dutch coast on way in. Mission aborted and returned safely.

K-King – Pilot Officer Vernon Byers: shot down by flak over Dutch coast. No survivors.

H-Harry – Pilot Officer Geoffrey Rice: aircraft clipped sea off Dutch coast and lost Upkeep mine. Mission aborted and returned safely.

E-Easy – Flight Lieutenant Robert Barlow: hit power lines and crashed near Haldern. No survivors.


Wave 3:

C-Charlie – Pilot Officer Warner Ottley: shot down over Hamm. Rear Gunner made POW. Remainder killed.

S-Sugar – Pilot Officer Lewis Burpee: shot down over Gilze-Rijen airfield. No survivors.

F-Freddie – Flight Sergeant Kenneth Brown: second to attack the Sorpe Dam.

O-Orange – Flight Sergeant William Townsend: attacked the Ennepe Dam but failed to breach.

Y-York – Flight Sergeant Cyril Anderson: fog prevented attack on Sorpe Dam. Returned safely.


53 aircrew were killed and 3 were made POWs.

Unsurprisingly a number of awards for gallantry were made with every member of Gibson’s crew receiving medals. Gibson himself headed the list receiving the Victoria Cross. A further five Distinguished Service Orders, ten Distinguished Flying Crosses and four bars for repeat awards, twelve Distinguished Flying Medals and two Conspicuous Gallantry Medals were awarded.

As a bit of a military history buff I’ve done some research into what happened to the crews after the raid and sadly, though unsurprisingly, a lot of them were killed later in the war. Just looking at Gibson’s crew; Navigator, Pilot Officer Torger Taerum; Bomb Aimer, Pilot Officer Frederick Spafford; Wireless Operator, Flight Lieutenant Robert Hutchison; and Front Gunner, Flight Sergeant George Deering , were all killed on 16 September 1943 flying a 617 Sqn Lancaster on a raid on the Dortmund-Ems Canal. They are buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. Rear Gunner, Flight Lieutenant Richard Trevor-Roper, was killed on 31 March 1944 flying in a 97 Sqn Lancaster on a raid on Nuremburg. He is buried in Durnbach War Cemetery. Flight Engineer, Sergeant John Pulford, was killed in an aircraft accident on 13 February 1944. He is buried in Hull Northern Cemetery. Wing Commander Guy Gibson himself was killed on 19 September 1944 flying a 627 Sqn Mosquito returning from a raid on Monchengladbach. He and his navigator, Squadron Leader James Warwick DFC, are buried in the town cemetery at Steenbergen in the Netherlands.

The effects of the raid may not have disrupted German production in the Ruhr as much as was originally hoped but the effect on morale at a time when there wasn’t much to celebrate was immeasurable. It also showed our Russian allies that we could take the fight to the enemy. The flooding caused by the dam breaches caused the deaths of some 1650 people. Including over 1000 foreign POWs and forced labourers.

Back to the ride...

The Sorpe Dam was the third target for the raid. Due to its construction the attacking aircraft had to fly along the length of the dam and drop their Upkeep mine without spinning it up. It was eventually attacked by only three aircraft due to losses amongst the attackers.

Flight Lieutenant Jo McCarthy, flying T-Tommy, made nine dummy runs on the dam until on the tenth; his Bomb Aimer Sergeant George Johnson was able to release the mine. It hit the dam and blew up causing heavy damage but did not breach. Flight Sergeant Kenneth Brown also made repeated runs as heavy fog formed and dropped his Upkeep mine but also failed to breach. Finally, Flight Sergeant Cyril Anderson tried to make his attack but by this time the fog was so heavy the target was totally obscured. He returned with his Upkeep mine.

Today the reservoir is quiet and peaceful, apart from road works up near the dam as the area is developed further for tourists. There isn’t much to see at the dam other than the top of the earth capped bank. There is no sign of the damage caused by Jo McCarthy and his crew.



With not much else to see we got back onto our bikes and headed for the Mohnen See. This is a very big reservoir and truth be told I managed to lead us to the wrong end at first. Realising my error we turned around and headed for the dam. There’s a smart cafe bar near the dam and we parked in their car park before having a drink and a walk onto the dam. It’s quite a piece of work!

The Mohne Dam has two towers on top of the wall which housed anti-aircraft guns. With the Lancaster’s bomb run requiring specific height and speed to enable a successful attack the enemy could see them coming and were able to fight back.

First to attack was Gibson who successfully dropped his mine. Second was Hopgood. His mine bounced over the dam and hit the power station beyond, destroying it. Hopgood’s aircraft had been damaged by flak on the run in and was seen to be hit again. Bomb Aimer, Pilot Officer John Fraser and Rear Gunner, Pilot Officer Anthony Burcher parachuted to safety becoming POW’s but the rest of the crew were killed. They are buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery. Martin attacked next and successfully dropped his mine. He was followed by ‘Dinghy’ Young who also successfully dropped his mine. By now Gibson must have been wondering if the attack was ever going to work. He called in Maltby who successfully dropped his mine and it was this mine that caused the dam to breach!



Looking from the lake side of the dam it is easy to think of the two towers firing anti-aircraft guns at the attacking Lancaster bombers.



Turning around this is the view downstream. This is where the power station was.



This lake is also used for recreation and as we sat at the nearby cafe this boatload of tourists arrived.



With time getting on we headed off to visit a most unusual castle at Wewelsburg. Instead of the square keep with towers at each corner that I normally think of as a stereotype castle design this has only three towers and is triangular. Here is a picture from the Wewelsburg website.



Here is a view of the entrance.



It also has a link to World War 2 as it was appropriated by the SS under Heinrich Himmler. It seems to have been intended for various uses but mainly as a site for racial studies into Germanic culture. It has two particularly interesting rooms; the SS Generals Hall which has a ‘sun wheel’ in the floor; and a burial vault to house an eternal flame and act as a final resting place for senior SS members, though this was never finished. Anyway when we arrived there was nobody about but we could walk into the inner courtyard of the castle.



Unfortunately it turned out that the interior of the Castle was closed on Mondays so we would not be able to take the tour. So much for my trip planning skills!

So now it was time to go and see where we used to live. It’s 30 years since we lived at Sennelager and we didn’t know just what we would remember, if anything, so this was going to be interesting, maybe even a little weird. We rode through the centre of Schloss Neuhaus and as we waited at traffic lights we both thought the area near the Schloss was familiar, but we couldn’t actually point at anything and say we definitely remembered it.

We followed the road and I did remember a bank that my Mum & Dad used to use but everything else was new to me. The Zumo steered us to the flats where we used to live and we both did remember them. Anyway the flats aren’t military quarters anymore, they’ve been turned over to the local civilians, so we took a quick picture and decided that two bikers hanging around a kids play area looked a bit odd!



We headed off to see the barracks where our late Dad used to work. Another Regiment is in residence now and bearing in mind the way things are these days we decided against stopping for a photo! It was a trip down memory lane but only a short one.

It had been another long and hot day and it was time for us head to our final destination of the day, the Hotel Harmonie at Bad Grund in the Harz Mountains.

Hotel Harmonie

This hotel is run by British ex-pats Simon and Elaine Fuller. Elaine welcomed us with a very welcome cold beer as Simon was on his way home from the UK. He arrived soon after and even though he’d had a very long and tiring journey himself his first thought was to ensure we were comfortable and happy.

Simon also asked us if this was our first visit to the Harz and what our plans were for tomorrow. We had some ideas but he immediately offered to show us round himself which we very quickly agreed to. They had two other guests in the shape of Stephen, a return guest, and Roy from Northern Ireland, riding an ST1300 Pan European and another FJR1300, who were going out on their own tomorrow.

After a good meal in the village we returned for a few more beers and a good chat about bikes with Simon, Stephen and Roy. As they were quiet we had separate rooms which meant that Steve wouldn’t be disturbed by that bloke who was snoring in the Ibis hotel last night!

Another bright and sunny day dawned. We had a good breakfast and got ready to leave with Simon on his yellow CBR900 Fireblade.



He had promised us some great roads and he wasn’t kidding. From the start we were on lovely twisty roads which were quite heavily patched but still very smooth, and almost totally free of other traffic. We stopped for a coffee on a hilltop which gave a great view out over the Harz. Simon pointed out a former listening post on the East German side of the old border.



Simon was proving a little camera shy but here’s a picture he took of Steve and I.



Back on the road the Harz gave us everything from tight hairpins, back and forth twists and turns, slow corners, and fast open roads where we could...ahem, make progress! We had lunch in an American Diner and I was a bit surprised to see that they allowed smoking.

Anyway we were soon back out on the roads. One of my best biking days was going up the Stelvio in 2005. Well the Harz has something similar with the Kyffhauser which has something like 37 hairpins on the way up. This is brilliant fun but not a place to stop and take photos I’m afraid. The road is nowhere near as steep as the Stelvio but it is a lot of fun! Simon told us that it’s very popular with local bikers at the weekends and its common for the real hero’s to reach down and brush their gloved hands on the tarmac as they go around the hairpins.

Crossing into the former East Germany we stopped in a very picturesque village called Stolberg.



Then later I managed to get a picture of Simon and Steve at a coffee stop where I managed to impress the lady behind the counter with my stunning grasp of languages. There are not many who can rattle off a single sentence and include French, Spanish, German, French and English all at the same time

Bonjour senorita, drei cafe mitt milch por favour, thank you!



On the way back to Bad Grund we stopped off to take in the view.



A great days riding and Simon is a great guide. Even though his bike is capable of going very fast and he knows all of the roads in the Harz like the back of his hand he made sure that we both felt comfortable with the pace. Steve and I enjoyed the day very much and couldn’t stop talking about it when we got back.

Then it was back to the hotel for a beer and then another nice meal in the village.



We finished the night at the hotel with a few more beers and lots of bike chat with Simon, Elaine, Stephen and Roy.

Today we were heading south west via the Eder Dam to complete our Dambuster’s visits, before crossing the Rhine at Coblenz. We were booked into the Hotel Wilhelmshohe not far away from the Nurburgring.

We said goodbye to Simon and Elaine for this trip but I’ve no doubt that I’ll be back another day. They really are excellent hosts and the Harz should be on the list of places to visit for any biker. It really is a biker’s playground. Even the local petrol station offered a welcome!



The first part of the day saw us back on the motorway as we headed past Kassel. But it wasn’t too long before we got onto the quieter country roads and made our way to the Eder Dam.

The road up to the dam has a few twists and turns but it doesn’t take long before you start to see the dam itself through the trees. Parking up it was time for the tourist bit so here are a few pictures. You can still see where the breach was as when they rebuilt the dam they didn’t replace the sluice gates in the wall.





The breach was made towards one side of the dam rather than in the centre as facing the dam is a line of hills. As you look at them the hills are lower on the right side so it makes sense that the attacking aircraft would aim for them, increasing their chances of being able to safely climb away after completing their bombing run.

Gibson had already sent home those aircraft that had already attacked the Mohne Dam. Effectively acting as a master bomber he sent Shannon in to attack first but after a number of attempts he was unable to drop his mine. Gibson pulled him back and put Maudslay in, but he too was unable to attack. Shannon was sent back in again and successfully dropped his mine. Maudslay followed but his mine hit the dam wall and exploded as he flew overhead. His aircraft was shot down over Emmerich and all the crew were killed. They are buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. Third to attack was Knight. He made a textbook attack and his mine successfully breached the dam.

Anyway, it was lunch time and back down the valley was a cafe serving a very nice bratwurst!

We were soon back on the road and heading for our destination, the Hotel Wilhelmshohe at Auderath, a short ride south of the Nurburgring. This part of the ride was really quite uneventful until we got caught up in a long set of road works and slow moving traffic. After pulling over for petrol we managed to lose each other but after a quick exchange of texts we decided to make our own ways to the hotel. For me this meant back on the dull road until I could get onto the motorway. Before too long I was crossing the River Rhine at Coblenz and soon after I arrived at the hotel.



Steve arrived some 15 minutes later having found a much more scenic route. We checked in with the owner, Jacquie, who kindly offered us secure parking for our bikes. Then it was time for a beer, shower, then dinner and a pipe of fine tobacco. Nice room too!

The plan today was to ride up to the Nurburgring to see the famous circuit, and then head up to Remagen to visit the WW2 museum at the site of the old bridge. From there we were going to ride down alongside the River Rhine to Coblenz and turn right to follow the scenic Mosel Valley to Cochem before heading back to the Nurburgring to see if we could do a lap.

The ride up to the circuit was easy enough but there is a lot of building work going on there and there are temporary road signs sending you all over the place. It was all rather confusing so I kept on riding and hoped things would be easier in the afternoon.

One of my favourite war films is the ‘Bridge at Remagen’



The Ludendorff Bridge was captured by the US 9th Armoured Division on 7 March 1945 giving the allies a bridge across the Rhine. It collapsed into the river ten days later and was never rebuilt. The bridge towers on the western bank now house a museum which is worth a visit.



Outside are a number of memorial plaques to the various units involved.





Time for a rider & Varadero pic...



Then it started to rain so we headed south on the B9. Although it’s a dull road the views of the Rhine are great, with barges on the river and fairy tale castles. Nearing Coblenz we rode around the edges of the city and found ourselves following the Mosel on the B416. There was a lot more traffic on this road so we took it easy. This is obviously a well known wine producing area and there are loads of vineyards growing all over the steep sides of the valley. It was nearing lunchtime so we pulled over at a schnelly for another bratwurst.

Over lunch we decided that although the view was nice the road was pretty dull and so we abandoned our plan to go to Cochem. Instead we got the map out and plotted a route that would take us back to the Nurburgring and take in as many twisty back roads as we could find. Good old Michelin green routes!

Parked up next to our bikes was this Honda. No idea what it was though???



We crossed over the Mosel and rode up into the hills. This was much more like it! Some brilliant hairpin bends heading through the forest had us working hard at times, but these roads were as good as those we had enjoyed in the Harz. We stopped for a break on the edge of this hairpin and watched a group of German hikers head off into the wilderness.



The next couple of hours went by in a blur of twists and turns. As the afternoon wore on there were a few more showers which started me thinking about riding the Nurburgring. Steve had already said he was going to give it a miss but I was set on doing a lap....if I could find the start that is!

Once again the temporary road signs got the better of us. We tried different roads that we thought were the access roads but each time security guards stopped us. Despite our best efforts we were unable to get directions so with more rain coming down we decided to head back to the hotel.

Even though I didn’t get a lap it had been a great riding day on some fantastic roads. Now it was time for a beer, a shower, another great meal, more beer & a pipe of finest tobacco!

Another beautiful morning saw us talking to a British guy who had driven over in his car with his son to do a few laps of the Nurburgring. Turns out that the one road we didn’t try yesterday would have taken us right to the start where I could have done my lap! Well, I’ll know where to go next time!

But now it was time to head for home. Back onto the motorways and 300 miles later saw us back at Calais. Just enough time to buy some sweets for the kids and chocs for Mrs Twotter then back on the train again. Steve and I rode off the train then waved good bye as he headed off whilst I stopped at the petrol station. Then it was the usual ride home.

All told I rode 1882.3 miles



All in all it was another good trip. My coccyx didn’t make it very comfortable but the roads in the Harz and around the Nurburgring were brilliant.

It’s taken me nearly 7 months to write this trip report and in that time the Varadero has since been sold. It’s been replaced by a 2003 Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird which I’m looking forward to touring on in the future.

Thanks for sharing, very interesting esp. the war history.

Excellent write up Twotter - as always...

Mike

Very Interesting RR, thanks for posting

Cheers guys

Long time no see Mike. Hope you're well & Happy New Year!

Excellent report Twotter enjoyed that, very imformative.

A lovely ride report. We did two of the dams in May 2005 (?) but never made it to the Eder due to increasingly wet weather. The roads in the area are lovely.

I think Germany is an under-estimated touring destination. We stayed in Boppard, on the Rhine, and had a couple of great evenings' entertainment as well as the biggest meat platter you could ever imagine.

Really enjoyed that, thanks.............

Excellent report, and such a small world. I know some of the areas you rode as I also lived in Sennelager but in the early 80's. I was a young REME mechanic stationed at Talbot Barracks working on tracked vehicles .A trip down memory lane for me. Thanks David.

What a great account of a fascinating trip!

Now, as you seem to be just a bit of a military buff, perhaps you could answer something that's puzzled me for years: how come there was such a disparity of rank among RAF aircrew during the war? One aircraft could be flown by a Sergeant pilot, while another might have officers as air gunners. No disrespect to the latter, but I think most people would agree that pilots' skills & responsibilities - especially as captain of their aircraft - were greater than air gunners'. Any thoughts?

Great write up..Gets me thinking I should plan a similar trip...

Dam busters

Good on you pal real interesting trip! Hopefully going next year, looking at doing all three dams from seebach in a day.