Guy Gibson, The Glorious WWII Pilot

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Guy Gibson, the glorious WWII pilot, was not always the dashing manly hero he was known to be when he unfortunately was shot down. In fact, he was denied the first time he applied to the Royal Air Force because of his short stature; he was only 5’6” (Hickman, "World War II: Wing Commander Guy Gibson."). However, a determined “Gibson reapplied in 1936 and was accepted for flight training” (Hickman, "World War II: Wing Commander Guy Gibson."). The zenith of his career was when he successfully and very precisely dropped a large bomb on the dam of Ruhr Valley while his very talented squad of aircraft pilots was fired upon by high caliber rounds from AA(Anti-Aircraft) Guns and enemy aircrafts which flew in to intercept the British heroes. His action-packed battle with the Germans involved a new method of bombing and a high speed battle of aircrafts. Gibson’s fast military preparation led him to be the best of the best WWII pilots in history. Gibson’s first kill in Squadron No. 83 was on March 21, 1941. As his kills of German pilots started racking up, his squad became inactive and Gibson had to wait long periods of time before another mission would take place, rather than wait, Gibson requested a transfer, he wanted more. He was then moved to squadron No. 29 to begin his exciting journey of heroism (Hickman, "World War II: Wing Commander Guy Gibson."). Gibson was known to be a terrific leader, and as any successful leader would miss his previous squad but all great things must come to an end, “Gibson’s time with No. 29 Squadron concluded in December and he received a promotion to squadron leader and a bar for his Distinguished Flying Cross. In early 1942, Gibson received orders to report to No. 51 Operation Training Unit to serve as ... ... middle of paper ... ...eb. 17 Feb. 2014. . Hickman, Kennedy. "World War II: Operation Chastise - The Dambuster Raids." About.com Military History. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. Hickman, Kennedy. "World War II: Wing Commander Guy Gibson." About.com Military History. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2014. . Jones, Robert . "Dambusters’ bouncing bomb." How It Works Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. . "World War II." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. .

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