Air operation
Operation Chastise (the Dambusters raid)
16 May 1943 – 17 May 1943 · Möhne Dam, Ruhr
On the night of 16–17 May 1943 No. 617 Squadron RAF, led by Guy Gibson, attacked German dams in the Ruhr region with Barnes Wallis's Upkeep bouncing bomb, a cylindrical mine spun backwards so that it skipped across the reservoir, sank and rolled down the dam wall before exploding. The Möhne and Eder dams were breached, while the Sorpe Dam suffered only minor damage. Flooding swept through the Ruhr and Eder valleys and destroyed two hydroelectric power stations; industrial output took until September to recover. Bomber Command's Arthur Harris regarded the raid as a failure, but photographs of the broken dams boosted Allied morale.
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- [1]Operation Chastise
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