Permission has also been granted to low fly at tree top level from the Moehne Dam to the Eder Dam a distance of 40Nm. You do this in daylight, the Dambusters did it in moonlight.
Since this is a special flight, you have permission to fly in FS2004 radio silence after arrival at the Moehne dam UNTIL leaving the Eder Dam for EDLP.
The Operation Chastise briefing for the raid was: "Fly at 1500feet over the UK, 60 feet over the channel and keep that level all the way to and from the target". For the surviving crews that was at least 7 hours continuous tree top level flying, certainly below 150 feet with no accurate height measuring instruments. Only the leader was permitted to climb to 500 feet in order to verify position.
The 60 feet height was to avoid the German fighters as it was said they would not attack a Lancaster at that low level.
Navigating is a problem at such low altitude as you cannot see the usual landmarks. The low flying Lancaster crews faced pockets of flak, power lines, towers and trees.
The Dambuster Lancaster was fitted with an additional altitude gauge at windscreen level so the pilot did not have to look down, "just sneeze and you will be in the drink at this ridiculously low level". On its own in a sim context it is not effective, you still have to look down for other information. I have combined 3 gauges to make it easier.
At both dams the crews circled anti-clockwise. After arrival it was at least 20 minutes, unprotected by the +60feet, before the first attack.
Two maps showing attack routes on the Dams are available in the cockpit. You will recognize the features, attack altitudes on the maps are for CFS1 and are not applicable in FS2004.
My simulation of the Dann Bombsight is a horizontal line on the screen with red patches for the nails on the ends and another red patch in the center for the peeper.
The attack must be made with a screen magnification of 0.31 and default seat height (space bar). A zoom gauge is provided. You must only release the weapon if FOUR CONDITIONS ARE MET. [1] the aircraft is 60 feet above the water. [2] the aircraft speed is between 210 and 220mph. [3] The outer "nails" are on the outer edges of the towers each side. [4] the central peeper is aligned within the missing CFS1 explodable wall unit. PAUSE [P] releases the bomb. Check speed, height and how far off line you are (not forward of or more than 2 degrees from the heading either side). Shift+] provides the ground map to also check from above.
Although never specifically mentioned there must have been two Dann bomb sights, one for each dam as each was based on the distance between towers, 700 yds on the Moehne and 269 yards on the Eder.
In a sim situation you are the pilot, engineer, navigator and bomb aimer all of whom gave instructions to the pilot during the attack on the walls. The engineer controlled air speed, the navigator the height by looking at the light patches on the water up-down-steady, the bomb aimer gave lateral instructions left-right-steady. The pilot flew the aircraft from the instructions in his head set. The bomb aimer decided if the bomb was dropped.
The upkeep weapon weighed 9250 lbs, was spun backwards with hydraulic motors to 500rpm before release and upon release the aircraft would climb immediately, you will have to do so manually.
Unlike CFS1 there are no bombs to be dropped to breach the dam wall, in FS2004 the PAUSE is intended to be the point at which you would release the bomb. It will be a good idea to re-assign a stick button for Pause in this flight.
Incredible flying to achieve this in the real world and very difficult in the sim world. Can you qualify as a 617 Squadron Pilot or would you be dismissed as not being good enough and sent back to your old Squadron?
HISTORY EXTRACT: The Avro Lancaster Type 464 Provisioning, modified for Operation Chastise May 16/17 May 1943.
The Avro Lancaster was developed as a four-engine adaptation of the failed Avro Manchester. The prototype first flew in January 1941, and the bomber completed its first operational mission with No. 44 Squadron on March 3, 1942. Altogether, Royal Air Force Lancasters completed approximately 156,000 sorties through to 1945.
617 Squadron was specifically formed for the mission to attack the dams of the Rhur Valley in Germany. A special "bouncing bomb" designed by Barnes Wallace was used and the Lancaster had to be modified to carry it externally. The dorsal turret was removed to make room for the mechanism. The bomb or was it a mine, had to be spun backwards at 500rpm and dropped from an altitude of 60 feet above water level at 220mph.
The Squadron was commanded by W/C Guy Gibson who won a VC for his part in the raid. The Moehne was defended with flak guns. After W/C Gibson made a run to check the flak concentration he mounted the first attack on the wall, he then flew escort on the other attacks to draw tower gunfire away from the attacking Lancaster. It took 4 more attacks to breach this dam. The Lancaster used 100% tracer in its guns and with the bomb bay lights on to achieve the +60ft attack height, one wonders how they managed to survive.
After 7 weeks of training 19 Lancasters left RAF Scampton beginning at 9-30pm on the 16 May 1943 and began arriving back from about 3-30am the next morning. Of the 9 attacking the Moehne and Eder, 1 was lost on the way, one crashed after attacking the Moehne wall and one was lost whilst returning home. Eight Lancasters in total were lost in the raid and 53 crew paid the supreme price. Both the Moehne and Eder Dams where breached.
The story of the raid is well worth reading. I recommend "The Dambusters" by Jonathan Falconer 2003.