Brilliant leader and pilot though Guy Gibson was it is generally agreed that Richard Todd's portrayal shows him as a likeable person when it seems generally agreed that he was a rather arrogant and unpleasant man to work with.For example he shouted out to a crew member at the base calling him George.When the man concerned politely apologised for not responding as his name wasn't George,Gibson responded that if he called him George he was bloody well called George!!
shareApparently Gibson was known as 'the boy emperor' by the ground crews and was not universally loved by the aircrew. That said, Gibson was not trying to win any popularity contests, and does seem to have been an exceptionally brave man. If you can get hold of the biography by Richard Morris, it's well worth a read.
shareWe should remember that life expectancy in bomber-command was measured in weeks rather than months, and sometimes days rather than weeks. It didn't pay to get too friendly with people as the probability was they'd be dead soon. Each man had his own ways of coping with this and the stresses of combat. And the longer they served the more their `technique' developed. Gibson was probably a thoroughly nice bloke who gradually grew to keep people at arms length as time past and colleagues were decimated. Just look how many were lost on the Dam raid alone. Also, the higher up the chain of command, the more men an officer became responsible for, that must have weighed very heavily. Popular men left a disproportionate hole in the team and morale, so I can see why someone like Gibson would want to discourage it. Fighter Command, unlike the Luftwaffe, had made every attempt to avoid publicing the successes of British combat aces for just that reason. Eventually, they relaxed this policy. And, of course, the loss of one's heroes is grist to the enemy's mill.
One last word; just look at how very young these heroes were. They weren't `grumpy old men'. They were of the age group that you now see staggering around town fighting-drunk every Saturday night.
Yes it's astonishing that these bomber crews were barely out of their teens and some were actually teenagers!! I think the hairstyles of the day and black and white photos tended to make them look older.
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"Gibson did not survive the war.
He was very popular with the Germans.
He died in Holland in 1944.
R.I.P."
Could you perhaps expand on your second statement, rafter-man? Difficult to see how Guy Gibson would be popular with the Germans. Unless,of course, you meant the firm that got the contract to rebuild the Moehne and Eder Dams.
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Its hard to imagine that Gibson, at the time only 24 yrs of age when he raised 617 Squadron,trained it,then lead it to the target, controled the attack,and then use his own aircraft to draw fire away from the other attacking aircraft,simply amazing.
Yes that doco was called Night Bombers and I remember the narrator remarking on how some aircrew hadnt even learned to drive a car yet ,let alone fly a 29 ton bomber to Germany and back.
But I guess at the time cars were pretty scarce and not every family would have owned one especially with petrol rationing, and these lads would have come straight from schooling of some kind.
But to pilot an aircraft through the air before steering a car on an open road must have seemed unusual to them (or not).
But then after flying a tour of hundreds of hours and surviving the war, and then to apply for a learners permit, only to be informed that you must have a licenced driver beside you (if thats how it was done back then)to teach you the ropes, must have been an embarassing moment!
Could you imagine the instructor ''oh no old boy driving an automobile is nothing like flying an aircraft down here you have alot more to contend with''.
Well it was true then ...Gibson had to be "nice". I have to hand it to Gibson. He looked as if he was a pretty accomodating fellow to Wallis when it came to acceding to what Wallis wanted him and his crews to do in night flying. Really nice for the old chap to fly 60 ft above ground or so in the black of night.
I don't know. Would other commanders have been so obliging?!
It wasn't Gibson wanting to accomodate Wallis out of altruism. It was that he was willing to do what was needed to get the job done.
shareDon't be too hard on Gibson, he was a brave man who must have endured great tension. You would be short-tempered too I'll bet if you had come anywhere near facing as much combat as he had.
The RAF night bombing force suffered the 2nd highest casualty rate of any armed force in the European war. Only the U-Boat crews suffered more. With a survival rate of 30% per tour the one pervading consistent factor all crewmen admitted was the (usually)unspoken fear. Crews had to complete no more than 2 tours. Gibson completed around 7 tours, as well as carrying the weight of command.
So ease up on a brave man. Could you have done as much and come out all smiles and cheer?
Ah! Now we see the violence endemic in the system!
I agree absolutely with your comments about bravery...I don't think there is anything more terrifying than being in a WW2 bomber under attack but my point was that like it or not he was not a likeable man who also cheated on his wife.This is not a criticism of his achievements in the war.
sharePoint taken regarding his purported inconstancy to his wife, it did him no credit. Brave yet flawed I suppose. But again, how many of us can put brave in front of the second description regarding ourselves.
Paradise is exactly like where you are now, only much, much better.
Amusing to find that Mel Gibson apparently bought up the rights to film a remake, presumably to star in, rather than direct. Talk about playing to type.
shareI've just been reading a biography on Leonard Cheshire. He was the commander of 617 Squadron from November of 1943 until July of 1944.
Like Gibson, he won the Victoria Cross and like Gibson he was known for leading from the front. (He flew on every operation 617 was assigned to.)
However, unlike Gibson, Cheshire was an officer who was unfailingly civil and polite to everyone he worked with. He was well known for stopping to talk to all the ground crews to make sure each and every one of them knew how important a job it was they were doing and how appreciated their work was. As well, NCO aircrews appreciated the fact that he treated them no differently than commissioned aircrew. (To Cheshire, what mattered was how well they did their jobs.) Gibson seemed to regard NCO aircrews as second-rate in comparison to those who were commissioned.
Gibson was admired and -deservedly- respected for his immense courage. Cheshire, it's fair to say was even more popular because he had just as much courage, but treated his subordinates in a far more respectful manner.
A truly great man. Cheshire's life should have been filmed.
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