Avro Lancaster ED887 Giclée Art Print

High quality art print of Avro Lancaster ED887, an Avro Lancaster B.III (Special) of No. 617 Squadron, specially refitted to take part in Operation Chastise, better known as the Dambusters Raid.

The Dambusters Raid saw nineteen Lancasters of No. 617 Squadron attack several dams in the Ruhr Valley in Germany: the Möhne, Eder, Sorpe, and Edersee dams. Flying on the night of 16/17 May 1943, each of the Lancasters carried an Vickers Type 464 'Upkeep' mine, better known as a bouncing bomb, which Barnes Wallis had designed specifically for the mission. The Lancasters flew in low to avoid detection, and bounced their Upkeep mines along the surface of the water and into the dam.

Lancaster AJ-A, also known by its designation of ED887, was piloted by Young, with Horsfall, Roberts, Nichols, MacCausland, Yeo and Ibbotson making up the crew. Flying with the first wave of Lancaster bombers, ED887 successfully struck Möhne Dam with its bouncing bomb, causing a noticeable breach. Unfortunately, however, ED887 was shot down during the return journey, and all seven crew members sadly lost their lives. They are buried at the Bergen General Cemetery.

This illustration by Rob Wisdom is a high-quality Giclée art print on cotton-rich fine art paper.