"The Dam Busters", by Paul Brickhill

Originally published in 1951, this is the story of 617 Squadron. Yet it is more than just the story of the raid on the Möhne Reservoir, which earnt the squadron its nickname. It is the story of the formation and operations of the squadron, right up to the end of the war, during which time the squadron earnt itself a reputation as being a truly remarkable fighting force.

The book starts with the history of Barnes Wallis, and his quite novel ideas for a new range of weapons - the bouncing bomb, the Tallboy and the ten ton Grand Slam. Development of each of these are described in some depth by the author, Paul Brickhill, who also served in the British Army during World War II. This makes it a fascinating look at how the squadron and its weapons and tactics all matured together. Few books are as well rounded as this, tending to consider just one aspect at a time.

What the men of 617 squadron achieved is just incredible. And what they endured is also remarkable. They were bombing targets with very rudimentary equipment and achieving bombing accuracies that are still remarkable even in the of laser guided smart bombs, etc. No wonder then that they had to make their story into a movie - it has all of the necessary elements! The near-suicide mission (low level approach over heavily-defended enemy terrority at night), the characters (Barnes Wallis, numerous charismatic squadron leaders, Bomber Harris, Winston Churchill and a dog) and the gut wrenching plot.

It is definitely a very good book, and well worth reading.