© IBCC
Hundreds of people turned up to the International Bomber Command Centre for its D Day 80th anniversary commemoration events, including exclusive lectures and briefings on Bomber Commands’ role in the operation, a concert from the renowned Blighty Belles vintage group, and a beacon lighting – one of 80 across the country.
The IBCC is a memorial to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in Bomber Command, with 58,000 names adorning the walls around its iconic spire. During the war, 51% of Bomber Command aircrew on operations gave their lives, with their average age being only 23 years old.
© IBCC
Bomber Command was crucial in the success of D-Day. It undertook extensive bombing of Normandy before the invasion and conducted high-level deception operations on the night of D-Day.
Operations Glimmer and Taxable aimed to mislead the German forces into believing that the main Allied invasion was happening 80km away from Normandy, with bombers conducting a feint assault. Additionally, Operation Titanic involved dropping dummy parachutists, nicknamed Ruperts, which had explosives attached to them designed to detonate after landing. The goal was to create the illusion of a paratrooper invasion, causing the Germans to believe that real paratroopers were hiding nearby.
These were crucial in confusing the Germans, and more details of these operations can be found here: https://internationalbcc.co.uk/about-ibcc/news/d-day-and-bomber-command/
