During a flight to Leipzig, the crew’s two inboard engines cut out after icing up. “We were plunging down towards the earth with a full bomb load,” John Bell recalled.
Wing Commander John Bell, who died a week before his 101st birthday, was the last surviving British wartime member of the famous 617 “Dambuster” Squadron, in which he served as a bomb aimer on some of the squadron’s most important raids.
Damage caused by “Tallboy” resulted from the shockwaves transmitted through the earth. This was achieved to great effect by a bomb released by Bell on July 17, against the V-2 launch site nearing completion at Wizernes in the Pas de Calais. The target was a large concrete dome on the top of a quarry face, protecting underground workings. Bell’s Tallboy struck the edge of the dome, causing part of the quarry to fall away, undermining the structure.
On July 24, they were detailed to attack Hamburg. The next night saw them out again, against Essen, and then on July 27, it was back to Hamburg to continue Bomber Command’s major onslaught against this German port. On this occasion, however, the port inner engine burst into flames on the outward journey.Knights extinguished the fire, but the aircraft would not maintain height.
By January 1944, Knights had completed his tour, although the others needed to fly on more trips to finish. Rather than remain with No.619 Squadron and fly with a different captain, the crew decided that it was better to stay with Knights, and he had volunteered to join No.617 Squadron. Post-war, Bell’s experience in accounting came in handy and he was sent on an accounting officers’ course. In 1947, he was granted a short-service commission and transferred to the Secretarial Branch. Posted to Fighter Command at Tangmere, he was sent to Gatow, Berlin, to help with the humanitarian airlift.
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