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Dambusters Raid
Bomber Command

Dams Raid Story    Previous | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Next

BARNES WALLIS - The Dams, the Theory, the Weapon

The Lancaster, designed by Roy Chadwick, was the only aircraft capable of delivering the weapon. The mid-upper gun turret and bomb bay doors were removed and the mounting and spin-motor for the weapon were installed. As well two lamps were fitted on the bottom of the fuselage and oriented so that their beams intersected at an altitude of sixty feet.

The idea was not immediately accepted. However, Wallis's concept, backed by his extensive testing, had reached the highest levels and at the end of February, 1943, Winston Churchill himself ordered that a raid on the German Dams be prepared. Time was of the essence, as the attack had to be launched during the full moon in May, when the water level in the reservoirs was at its highest.

"This is tripe of the wildest description. There are so many if's and and's that there is not the smallest chance of it working."
- AVM Arthur Harris (Officer Commanding Bomber Command)

"It seemed incongruous that this kindly and quietly-spoken, white haired man should be involved with devastation."
- Sgt. Jim Clay (P/O Rice's bomb aimer)

"I shall always remember this particular operation as an example of how the engineers of this country have contributed substantially towards the defeat of our enemies."
- Roy Chadwick (Designer of the Lancaster Bomber)