New RAF Cosford display marks Dambusters 80th anniversary

Wing Commander Guy Gibson’s Victoria Cross and medal bar are on display

A Victoria Cross awarded to the man who led the Dambusters' World War Two raids on Germany is on show to mark the 80th anniversary.

It's part of a new exhibition, Strike Hard, Strike Sure: Bomber Command 1939-1945, at the museum at RAF Cosford in Shropshire.

Fifty-three airmen were killed in the famous mission, which targeted three German dams on the 16 and 17 May 1943.

Wing Commander Guy Gibson completed 177 operations, the museum said.

His Victoria Cross and medal bar are on display and he received the medal for his leadership of No 617 Squadron, the Dambusters, on its first operation over Germany.

The raids were led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson (centre)

The famous raids were launched from RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.

• Events mark Dambusters 80th anniversary

This newly restored Wellington B Mk X bomber is on show

The exhibition includes a Wellington B Mk X bomber, one of only two remaining examples, which is on display after more than a decade of conservation work, the museum said.

It also features the Bristol Blenheim Mk IV - a light bomber and night fighter.

Artefacts in the display include flying suits, uniforms and caps, log books, post-raid reconnaissance photographs and aircrew lucky charms.

The Bristol Blenheim Mk IV was on display for the first time in the Midlands, the museum said