Author(s): John Sweetman

History

The daring "Dambusters" raid on 17 May 1943, when a special force of British Avro Mark III Lancasters attacked and destroyed the Eder Dams in Germany, was one of the iconic moments of the Second World War. "The Dambusters Experience" tells the story behind the attack, and relives the attack itself under the leadership of Wing Commander Guy Gibson, as he and his men deployed, for the first time, the devastating new secret weapon developed by brilliant scientist Barnes Wallis. Discover how the hours-long raid, a pinpoint attack on a target chosen for its economic and symbolic value, took many months of development and planning. Explore in detail the story behind the attack: Wallis' realization that the Dams offered a unique - if technically difficult - opportunity to sever one of the vital industrial arteries of the Third Reich, his struggles to develop the science behind the "bouncing bomb" and his campaigns to persuade a sceptical Bomber Command that his plan would work.
Relive the testing of the bomb, the choice and training of the crew of the Dambusters squadron and finally the nerve-wracking flight through anti-aircraft fire, as the first attempts fell short of the target, with only the final bombs succeeding in shattering the structure of the dams. Fully illustrated and accompanied by beautifully reproduced memorabilia surrounding the raid, from log-books and flight-plans to eye-witness accounts of the damage inflicted on the dams, this unique homage to the Dambusters squadron is an essential companion to one of the war's most exciting and memorable moments.