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50 Pence - Elizabeth II Squadron 617
| Issuer | Guernsey |
|---|---|
| Year | 2013 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 27 g |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | ROYAL AIR FORCE SQUADRONS SQUADRON 617 ROYAL AIR FORCE APRES MOI LE DELUGE FIFTY PENCE (Translation: AFTER ME THE FLOOD) |
| Edge | Milled |
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| Additional information |
Squadron 617 — the "Dambusters" — carried out Operation Chastise on the night of 16–17 May 1943, breaching the Möhne and Edersee dams using Barnes Wallis's bouncing bomb. Of the 133 aircrew who flew that night, 53 were killed and three were taken prisoner. The raid's tactical impact remains debated by historians, but its propaganda value was immediate and enormous.
Guernsey had been under German occupation since June 1940, making this commemorative issue carry a particular local weight that mainland British issues of the same subject do not.