Rather than plummeting thousands of feet to their targets, the Dambuster Bombs were dropped from extremely low altitudes over water, and instead of submerging they would bounce across the surface like a skipping stone before striking their targets - German Ruhr River dams that were critical to the Nazi war industry. This programme relives the daring mission flown by the men of the 617 squadron who set off on the night of May 16,1943. Of the 19 Lancaster Bombers that departed, 8 never returned, victims of the heavy flak fire, near-total darkness and the requirement that their payload be released at the near-suicidal height of 60 feet. But, as archival footage shows, the attack was a success.
Cast
Recommendations
view all
The Dam Busters
Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie
Why We Fight: Prelude to War
The Memphis Belle
The War on Democracy
The Bloody Hundredth
2000 Meters to Andriivka
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of San Pietro
The Scarlet and the Black
A Walk in the Sun
The Battle of Midway
Dunkirk
The War Below
Twelve O'Clock High
They Shall Not Grow Old
Hiroshima
The Last Rifleman
Men in War
One of Our Aircraft Is Missing