
A poignant document charting the fate of the 19 Dambusters crews which highlights the cruel and random nature of the famous Second War Two raid has been unearthed.

Flight Sergeant Leonard Sumpter, from Luton, Bedfordshire, got hold of a typed list of all the RAF bombers involved in Operation Chastise and ticked off the unfortunate crews who didn't make it back.

Of the 19 Lancaster bombers, eight were shot down resulting in the deaths of 53 airmen. Two others had to return to England after developing faults. The next morning, Fl Sgt Sumpter 'marked up the score' on the crew list.

Flight Sergeant Leonard Sumpter got hold of a typed list of all the RAF bombers involved in Operation Chastise and ticked off the crews who didn't make it back. He wrote the word 'OK' next to the nine crews who survived the daring raid to bomb three dams in 1943. He put a red tick next to eight that didn't make it and a red line through two that had to return to England

Fl Sgt Sumpter took this photograph of a bomber aircraft in flight during the Dambusters raid of 1943. His document provides a stark reminder that, despite the raid being regarded as a success, nearly half the men who took part in it were killed

A photo by Fl Sft Sumpter of a Lancaster bomber aircraft in flight over a reservoir. In the Dambusters raid, of the 19 bombers, eight were shot down resulting in the deaths of 53 airmen. Two others had to return to England after developing faults

He simply wrote the word 'OK' next to the nine crews who survived the daring raid in May 1943. He put a red tick next to eight that didn't make it and a red line through the two that had to return.

The document provides a stark reminder that, despite the Dambusters raid to bomb three dams in Germany's industrial Ruhr Valley being regarded as a success, nearly half the men who took part in it were killed.

The piece of paper accompanied a letter Fl Sgt Sumpter wrote to a friend 40 years after the operation, which was famous for the use of the 'bouncing bomb' to breach the walls of the Mohne and Eder dams.

In the letter the bomb aimer reflected on the good fortune he enjoyed to survive the mission.

The piece of paper accompanied a letter (above) wbhich Fl Sgt Sumpter wrote to a friend called 'Derrick' 40 years after the operation, which was famous for the use of the 'bouncing bomb' to breach the walls of the Mohne and Eder dams. In the letter the bomb aimer reflected on the good fortune he enjoyed to survive the mission

Fl Sgt Sumpter, from Luton, had served in the Grenadier Guards before transferring to the RAF in 1941. By the end of the war he had flown 35 operations. He died in 1993

He wrote: 'I have sent you the crew list on which I marked up the score next morning, OK's, losses and returns.

'...on both Dams it was a case of hold your breath for about two or three minutes on the run in and you were either lucky or otherwise. I am glad I was there (and here!)'

The fascinating document and three page letter has now been put up for auction by the original recipient with a pre-sale estimate of £800.

Fl Sgt Sumpter's list references Wing Commander Guy Gibson's crew as one of the nine to return.

The legendary pilot received the Victoria Cross for his part in the raid which included deliberately using his plane to draw anti-aircraft fire away from other crews.

It also notes the loss of the crew led by Flight Lieutenant John 'Hoppy' Hopgood whose Lancaster crashed after being hit by anti-aircraft fire.

And the bomber on which Flying Officer George 'Johnny' Johnson served as bomb aimer on is also checked with an 'OK'.

Now aged 95, Mr Johnson is the last surviving member of not only the Dambusters raid but also 617 Squadron.

The documents are being sold by Nottingham-based International Autograph Auctions on Saturday.

Richard Davie, of IAA, said: 'The crew list is a very poignant and emotive item that gives the reader some immediacy to one of the most famous air operations of the Second World War.

RAF Bomber Command in the Second World War: Guy Gibson (centre) with the air crews who took part in the raid on Cologne in 1942. The legendary pilot received the Victoria Cross for his part in the raid which included deliberately using his plane to draw anti-aircraft fire away from other crews

The Dambusters, with Wing Commander Guy Gibson front row (centre). On the night of 16/17 May 1943 they engaged in one of the most legendary air raids of the war, using hydro-statically detonated bombs to devastate the German dams

A Dambusters reunion at the home of RAF veteran Tony Iveson in Islington, North London.Holding the picture is Les Munro (left), the pilot of ED-921 'AJ-W' and Basil Feneron (right), the flight engineer on board ED-918 'AJ-F', of 617 Squadron

A Dambusters reunion at their old billet, now the Petwood Hotel in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, in 1993.Members of the 617 Squadron include Mr Munro (fifth left) and Mr Feneron (fourth right)

Guy Gibson and the legendary Dambusters On May 16, 1943, 19 aircraft set out to destroy three dams in the Ruhr valley - the Mohne, the Eder and the Sorpe. The idea was to damage a vital source of power to a key industrial area of Germany. Wing Commander Guy Gibson assembled the squadron with only 11 weeks to prepare for their mission - using special bouncing bombs, invented by Barnes Wallis. They were not told that they would be bombing the Ruhr valley until six hours before the raid began, after weeks of practice over Peak District reservoirs. On the night of Operation Chastise itself, the 113 crewmen took off in three waves along two different routes to bomb the dams. Gibson attacked first at the Möhne at 12.28am, but five bombs were dropped before it was breached. The first wave’s three remaining aircraft with bombs then attacked the Eder which finally collapsed at 1.52am. Aircraft from the other two waves bombed the Sorpe but it remained intact. Although the mission was hailed a success, eight aircraft and 53 crew were lost during the raids. Advertisement

'It is hard to imagine this man, having flown on this incredibly heroic and daring mission in which many of his friends and comrades were killed, sitting down the next morning at RAF Scampton and, being in a very tired and emotional state, ticking off those who had died.

'It must have been a very emotional exercise for him. I have never seen another document like it and this is the first time this one has been sold.

'No doubt all the crew members were given one of these lists at the time, but you have to remember that these men were still serving their country in the war, they weren't souvenir keepers or glory hunters.

'Most of them would have thrown them away. We expect it to exceed its pre-sale estimate.'

Fl Sgt Sumpter had served in the Grenadier Guards before transferring to the RAF in 1941.

After training in England and Canada, he was posted to 57 Squadron at Scampton, Lincolnshire, in 1942.

He then flew as the bomb aimer on 13 operations in Lancasters in a crew which were later broken up.

Fl Sgt Sumpter and his colleague, Flight Engineer Bob Henderson, then joined the crew of Flight Lieutenant David Shannon in 617 Squadron.

During the Dams raid their Lancaster, call sign AG-L, hit their target of the Eder dam but their bombing failed to breach the wall.

Fl Sgt Sumpter was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal the following year for his service in marking bombing targets while flying in Mosquito planes.

By the end of the war he had flown 35 operations. He died in 1993.