daygo
Well-Known Member
"Johnny" Johnson was the last survivor of the RAF bomber squadron known as the Dambusters.
In May 1943, three formations of Lancaster bombers were sent to attack a series of dams in Germany's industrial heartland.
Their targets provided Hitler's war machine with hydro-electric power and water for steel production. They were well protected, with anti-aircraft guns and torpedo nets.
The RAF's 617 squadron carried specially-developed "bouncing bombs" devised by the inventor Barnes Wallis. They were designed to skip over the dams' defences and explode against the sides.
Two targets - the Möhne and the Eder dams - were destroyed, causing 1,600 casualties and catastrophic flooding which hampered the German war effort. A third - the Sorpe - was badly damaged.
In May 1943, three formations of Lancaster bombers were sent to attack a series of dams in Germany's industrial heartland.
Their targets provided Hitler's war machine with hydro-electric power and water for steel production. They were well protected, with anti-aircraft guns and torpedo nets.
The RAF's 617 squadron carried specially-developed "bouncing bombs" devised by the inventor Barnes Wallis. They were designed to skip over the dams' defences and explode against the sides.
Two targets - the Möhne and the Eder dams - were destroyed, causing 1,600 casualties and catastrophic flooding which hampered the German war effort. A third - the Sorpe - was badly damaged.