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As the first of 20 modified Avro Lancasters arrived at RAF Scampton on 8th April 1943, the specially assembled volunteer crews of specialist 'Squadron X' (later allocated the RAF squadron number 617) from within 5 Group Bomber Command must have been intrigued. The new aircraft were B.III (Specials), referred to at Avro's Woodford factory as Lancaster Type 464 Provisioning and each one had been modified with equipment to deliver the Vickers Type 464 'Upkeep' mine. Although the mines had not been delivered to Scampton at that time, talk amongst the crews inevitably turned to discussing their intended target, with most assuming they would be sent to attack the massive German battleship Tirpitz.
As more Lancaster's arrived, the commander of this new squadron, Wing Commander Guy Gibson, selected Lancaster ED932/AJ-G as his own aircraft, due to the fact that the bomber's codes were the same as his father's initials, Alexander James Gibson. Gibson and the crew of ED932 were amongst the first to train with their new aircraft and their unusual bombs, releasing their mines at a test site at Reculver on the north Kent coast from 12th May 1943, just five days before crews embarked on their historic raid. After a period of intense training and on the day prior to the raid, Gibson was finally briefed on the intended targets - 'Operation Chastise' would be striking at the industrial heart of Germany, the great dams of the Ruhr Valley.
At 21.39 on 16th May 1943, Gibson and Lancaster ED932 took off from RAF Scampton at the head of the first attack wave of nine Lancasters heading for the Mohne Dam, flying a route over Suffolk, then the North Sea, crossing the Dutch coast at Zeeland, before heading inland attempting to avoid known areas of Luftwaffe defences. As Gibson and his crew made their attack run on the Mohne Dam, the other Lancasters of the first wave circled the target area, watching the effectiveness of the attack run and waiting for the instruction to commence their own attack. Having released their 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 effecting a breach. The fifth mine dropped was a perfect run and exploded in exactly the right place to cause the already weakened dam to fail – they had done it.
In the years which followed, this incredible operation was referred to as the 'Dambusters Raid' and No.617 Squadron would become one of the RAF's most famous units. 'Operation Chastise' was heralded as a spectacular success for Bomber Command, but at a heavy cost, as eight Lancasters and 53 airmen failed to return.
No.617 Squadron continues the proud legacy of the Dambusters airmen to this day, as the first operational RAF unit equipped with the Lockheed Martin® F-35® Lightning, symbolically officially reforming in April 2018, the month in which the Royal Air Force commemorated its centenary.
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Returns
If you are having problems with your purchase, please contact us as soon as you notice an issue. You can email or call us, photos and details of your order are necessary.
Please do not return the item before you contact us and get a return confirmation from us. Please do not send your purchase back to the manufacturer.
We will try to resolve issues of warranty/faulty items with you.
Our products are covered by the manufacturer's warranty, so you do not have to worry.
If the item we shipped is not the item you ordered we will take action accordingly.
To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging.
Gift cards are exempt from being returned.
Refunds
Once your return is received and inspected, we will send you an email to notify you that we have received your returned item. We will also let you know of the approval or rejection of your refund.
If you are approved, then your refund will be processed, and a credit will automatically be applied to your credit card or original method of payment, within a certain amount of days.
Late or missing refunds
If you haven’t received a refund yet, first check your bank account again.
Then contact your credit card company, it may take some time before your refund is officially posted.
Next contact your bank. There is often some processing time before a refund is posted.
If you’ve done all of this and you still have not received your refund yet, please contact us at sales@sikhobbies.com.au.
Sale items
Only regular priced items may be refunded, unfortunately sale items cannot be refunded.
Exchanges
We only replace items if they are defective or damaged. If you need to exchange it for the same item, send us an email at sales@sikhobbies.com.au and send your item to: SIK Hobbies Rockingham, 10-12 Goddard Street, Rockingham WA 6168, Australia.
Gifts
If the item was marked as a gift when purchased and shipped directly to you, you’ll receive a gift credit for the value of your return. Once the returned item is received, a gift certificate will be mailed to you.
If the item wasn’t marked as a gift when purchased, or the gift giver had the order shipped to themselves to give to you later, we will send a refund to the gift giver and he will find out about your return.
Shipping
To return your product, you should mail your product to: SIK Hobbies Rockingham, 10-12 Goddard Street, Rockingham WA 6168, Australia
You will be responsible for paying for your own shipping costs for returning your item for any reason. Shipping costs are non-refundable. If you receive a refund, the cost of return shipping will be deducted from your refund.
Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary.
If you are shipping an item over $75, you should consider using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. We don’t guarantee that we will receive your returned item.