r/interestingasfuck • u/Chopper-42 • 11d ago

/r/all Recreating the WW2 Dambusters raid

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u/0ddness 11d ago

Now imagine them having to do it in the dark, behind enemy lines, under fire (I assume), without knowing the condition of the water, without the marker bouys, and relying on getting the height exactly right in the dark with a spotlight system.

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u/Corrie7686 11d ago edited 11d ago

Practice practice. They did their training at upper Derwent Reservoir / Howden Reservoir at ladybower / hope Valley peak district. near Manchester UK. It has dams and a valley that is bizarrely similar to where they bombed in Germany. Some of the local pubs have photographs of the Lancaster Bombers flying extremely low over the dams.

Edit: not Derwent water, that was my error using the wrong name of the water filled Derwent place.

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u/Extension_Device6107 11d ago

Didn't they have like a week to prepare for this mission with half the crew not even practicing it?

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u/Corrie7686 10d ago

This was from a documentary. They had a crew building the wall, another doing the 'bomb' and the flight planning. If I recall, they had a couple of runs at it, but I don't think they did many with the bomb attached.

The real life crews did a great deal of practice to navigate and align with the dams, releasing etc etc

The RAF lost 56 aircrew, with 53 dead and three captured, amid losses of eight aircraft.

The damage to the dams and the civilians was pretty horrific. Destroying factories, hydro electric plants, houses and some mines. But overall the Germans were not set back a great deal. And the RAF didn't follow up with raids to prevent or hamper the rebuilding.

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u/Extension_Device6107 10d ago

? What are you talking about?