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Update to the story
Taking Kelly's posting one step further, the story of the tracing and locating of Johnny Johnson's Lancaster (T, Tommy) was the subject of a recent television programme (Last of the Dambusters, Channel 5. June 17th ).
Following the Dams raid, the remaining aircraft were repaired and deployed to other duties with different squadrons, with the special bomb bays for the rotating bouncing bomb having been rebuilt for more normal use.
Johnny’s aircraft was shot down during a supply drop to the resistance and SOE agents in northern France.
The archaeologists found a crash site and when they had recovered some of the remains of the aircraft they found a special machine gun mounting from the underside of the aircraft. Apparently this was a prototype mounting that was only ever fitted to one Lancaster; “T” Tommy. This was confirmed with photographic evidence of the aircraft while it was at Boscombe Down where the special gun mount could be seen protruding from the underside of the fuselage just aft of the bomb bay doors.
Johnny Johnson was present at the dig when they also found a small piece of the bomb aimer’s window from the nose of the aircraft.
Regards, Brian
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