A CLASSIC BOMBER COMMAND
"106 Squadron & 617 (Dambuster) Squadron" (TALLBOY 12,000lb bomb)
DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS (1944)
&
AIRCREW EUROPE (F&G) GROUP of FIVE.
To:
155152 Flt/Lt R.A. ROBERTS (NAV) R.A.F.(V.R.)
With "47 Ops Sortie" Log Book ( and much training )

Bombed some of the most important targets of the war, including:
THE SAUMAR TUNNEL RAID, ATTACKS ON THE V.1, V.2, & V.3 WEAPON SITES & U-BOAT & E- BOAT PENS.
ALSO TOOK PART IN THE "DUMMY INVASION"
of 5th June 1944.

[SERVICE BIOGRAPHY]
Ronald Alex Roberts joined the RAF in 1941 as an A.C.2 Wireless Operator. He further trained as an Observer-Navigator on the University of Miami USA training course 18th May 1942 - 26th August 1942, (50 hrs) passing out as "above average' in flight with an 88.6% mark.
He is next seen back in UK in the Air Obs' Advanced Nav' course at BOBBINGTON on 11th December 1942 where he passed out as 'average' with a ('should improve with experience') comment !
His next training was at No.19 O.T.U. RAF KINLOSS from 28th February 1943 where he did further 6 weeks Nav training on the 'faithful' Avro Anson navigational trainer and was 'worked up' onto heavy bombers via the old Whitley bomber on which he finished on 11th April 1943. His next stop was No.10 O.T.U. RAF St EVAL where he did three more weeks continuation training ( low level bombing ) on the Whitley.

From 11th June 1943 he then commenced the final leg of his pre-ops heavy bomber training at the well known No.1654 Conversion Unit at RAF WIGSLEY on Avro Manchesters & on 18th June took his first flight in a LANCASTER.


[106 SQUADRON]
(23 SORTIES) 16th JULY 1943 - 15th FEBRUARY 1944

After one month at Wigsley he was a fully qualified navigator and took his first fully operational posting to the famous 106 Squadron, then based at RAF SYERSTON. His first flight was with a pilot with whom he was to be almost permanently linked, for the rest of his operational career, F/O Arthur Poore DFC. Roberts & Poore did their first 106 Sqd operational Lancaster sortie together with a 4:45hr trip to ESSEN on 25th July 1943 in ED358 'T' Tommy ....two days later on 27th they bombed HAMBURG ...and HAMBURG again on 29th July.

THE SORTIE BREAKDOWN WITH 106 SQUADRON IS:

ESSEN (1). HAMBURG (3). MILAN (1). NUREMBURG (1). BERLIN (7). MUNCHEN GLADBACH (1). MUNICH (2). HANNOVER (2). MANHEIM (1). HAGEN (1). STUTTGART (1). KOBLENZ (1). STETTIN (1)
With no less than SEVEN sorties to Berlin "The Big City" Ron Roberts was lucky in the extreme to survive even this tour with 106 Squadron.


[617 SQUADRON]
(24 SORTIES) 22nd FEB 1944 - 5th AUG 1944

THE FAMOUS SAUMUR RAILWAY TUNNEL RAID.
On the night of 8/9 June 1944, and in a highly successful attempt to stop the German Panzer force from arriving at the Normandy beach head, 617 Squadron with 22 Avro Lancasters attacked the Saumur Railway Tunnel. All carrying a new weapon. This raid was the first occasion on which the 12,000-lb ‘Tallboy’ deep-penetration bomb, designed by Barnes Wallis, was used operationally. The target was marked by the Squadron Commander, Wing Commander G L Cheshire V.C. who delivered his red spotfire markers from an altitude of under 500 feet, and the accuracy of the subsequent bombing, delivered from between 8,000 and 11,000 feet, is attested by the 18 craters which can be counted within 220 yards of the tunnel mouth. One ‘Tallboy’ pierced the roof of the tunnel, and there were two further direct hits on the railway tracks 100 yards from the entrance. The tunnel was blocked for a considerable period and, consequently, the movement of a main German tank unit to the Normandy battlefront was badly delayed.



THE SORTIE BREAKDOWN WITH 617 SQUADRON:
(This is such a historically dynamic log book that we here list ALL of Flt/Lt Roberts' 24 operational sorties with 617 Squadron.

1) 2/3/44 ALBERT (Aero Works) 14 x 1000lb at 8,000 feet.
2) 15/3/44 WOIPPY near METZ 1 x at 12,400 feet ( abortive )
3) 25/3/44 LYON (Aero Factory) 12 x 500lbs INCEND at 8,300 feet.
4) 29/3/44 LYON (Aero Factory) 2 x1000lb, 1 x 8000lb, H.E. at 9,200 feet.
5) 5/4/44 TOULOUSE ( Aero Assembly Works ) 1 x 8,000lb 6 x 500lb , INC
6) 10/4/44 St CYR, PARIS (Signal Equip' Depot ) 1x 8,000lb 6 x 500lb, INC
7) 18/4/44 JUVISY, PARIS ( Marshalling Yards ) 4 x 1000lb. 4 x 500lb INC
8) 22/4/44 BRUNSWICK (main bomber force) 1 x 2000lb. 8 x 500lb INC

( The whole of May 1944 was taken up with 'Special Training' ( practice runs prior to D-Day with the new 'giant bombs' )
9) 5/6/44. "Invasion Sortie" Special diversionary 'dummy invasion plan' dropping "window" at Calais.

6th JUNE 1944 ....D-DAY LANDINGS IN NORMANDY

10) 8/6/44 SAUMUR RAILWAY TUNNEL RAID
( *See above )

( From 14/6/44 the squadron largely converted to 'daylight' bombing of the U-Boat & E-Boat Pens on the North French Coast.)
AS BELOW
11) 14/6/44. U-BOAT PENS at LE HAVRE 17,500 feet 'Tallboy'
12) 15/6/44. E-BOAT PENS at BOULOGNE 8,000 feet ( didn't bomb) ..Hit by flak on 2nd Dummy Run....(18 Holes in Aircraft)
13) 19/6/44. SPECIAL INSTALLATIONS (V.WEAPON SITES) at PAS DE CALAIS 17,500 feet 'Tallboy'
14) 20/6/44. PAS DE CALAIS ( returned to base ) ....brought bomb home !!
15) 22/6/44 PAS DE CALAIS ( returned to base ) ....brought bomb home !!
16) 24/6/44. PAS DE CALAIS (V.2 Rocket Site at Wizernes)17,200ft ''Tallboy' HIT BY FLAK

17) 25/6/44. PAS DE CALAIS (V.1 Bunker at Siracourt) ( Lost Bombing Escape Hatch on Take Off ) 17,400 feet 'Tallboy'

18) 4/7/44. PAS DE CALAIS ("Night") ....1 Tallboy ...brought bomb home.
19) 6/7/44. PAS DE CALAIS (Mimoyecques) V.3 "THE LONDON GUN" WEAPON EMPLACEMENT.1 Tallboy
20) 25/7/44 PAS DE CALAIS.....1 Tallboy 17,600 feet ( Leader )
21) 31/7/44. RILLY SUR MONTAGNE. (V.1 FLYING BOMBS) 1 Tallboy 16,000 feet
22) 1/8/44 PAS DE CALAIS ....1. Tallboy ( Brought Back )
23) 3/8/44 ETAPLES RAILWAY BRIDGE. 14 x 1000lbs 15,600 feet.
24) 5/8/44. U-BOAT PENS "BREST" ..1 Tallboy 17,600 feet.

Flt/Lt Roberts left 617 at the end of 1944 and then commenced training duties at various specialist Navigational & Flying Training Schools, including E.A.N.S. at RAF SHAWBURY. & H.Q. F.T.C. READING which includes very many sorties with the Communications Flight. The final sortie in his log book being on 16th December 1947 in a Percival Proctor.

The end of a truly remarkable RAF career.

















An Excellent & Historically Central DFC & Log Book to an officer who served on two of the best known units in The Royal Air Force. Log book signed several times by SQD/LDR J.L. 'Les' MUNRO the O.C.of 617 'B' Flight who flew on the Dams raid. Also counter signed by 617's then C.O. W/C Leonard Cheshire VC.

Interstingly, Flt/Lt Roberts' log book was previously issued to another airman "910036 Sgt John Henry IVES" a WOP/AG who was killed in action on 25/3/1942 with 12 Squadron ( Wellingtons). Ives' name is written onto a label which is also stuck on top of yet another previous airman's name! Clearly the RAF were short of new log books at this time.

Fit for inclusion in a serious collection of RAF Gallantry Awards.

SOLD