This is a fascinating book and
is recommended to anyone with the slightest interest in
the Dams Raid —
a real eye opener.
AEROPLANE
The story of the attack
on the Möhne and Eder dams in the Ruhr has been recounted many times before
but not until now has it been told from the German side. Helmuth Euler has spent
over a third of a century studying the raid and its consequencies, collecting an
unrivalled archive of documents and photographs, and producing documentary films
on the attack. His book Wasserkrieg (literally 'Water-war'), published in
Germany in 1992, has now been translated and adapted for this After the Battle
edition in the 'Through the Lens' series.
The waters of the Ruhr
were essential for the manufacture of steel and hence for the German armament
industry as a whole. This, coupled with the hydro-electric power which they
generated, made the dams controlling these waters a tempting target, and British
military planners at the Air Ministry in London were considering their
destruction as far back as 1937. Six dams on the Möhne, Sorpe, Ennepe,
Lister, Diemel and Eder rivers figured on Bomber Command's target list - the
first five due to their importance to the steel industry and the latter because
of its role in controlling water levels along the River Weser and the Mittelland
Canal, both of which were linked to the inland waterways supplying war materials
throughout the Reich and to the Eastern Front. If the reservoirs could be
emptied of water, together with the elimination of the power plants, the German
war machine would be delivered a body-blow . . . or at least that was the
theory.
Barnes Wallis was not the first to consider the problem
but his was the brilliant idea that led to the breaching the dams. The plan gave
rise to the formation of No. 617 Squadron, an elite unit under Wing Commander
Guy Gibson, for precision bombing and special operations involving a high degree
of flying risk. The night of May 16/17, 1943, saw the opening of 'the Water
Front' as bouncing bombs ripped open the giant Möhne and Eder dams during
spectacular low-level attacks. During the course of Germany's longest night,
some 1,400 people lost their lives — the largest number of victims in the
air war to date. Eight of the 19 Lancasters that took off on Operation
'Chastise' failed to return with the loss of 56 crewmen.
Dozens of
road and railway bridges were swept away, hundreds of buildings destroyed,
waterworks and power stations put out of action, and almost 200 square
kilometres of land flooded and laid waste. However, weapon production in the
Ruhr continued unhindered and the strategic advantage sought by the Allies
failed to materialise. The German authorities imposed a strict censorship on the
drama which had taken place and the names of the dams were omitted from the
daily reports of the Wehrmacht High Command.
The author's sources
include official records recently released from international archives and the
statements of witnesses who played leading roles in the planning and execution
of the raid. From the German side, there are accounts from those who experienced
the misery in the river valleys. The attack on the Möhne, Eder and Sorpe
dams made world history: now over 400 rare photographs, documents and compelling
eyewitness accounts show the background and consequences of one of the greatest
catastrophes to strike Germany in the 20th century.
for more information on this
book E-mail us
ISBN 1 870067 27 4
SIZE 8½"×12"
240
PAGES
OVER 400 ILLUSTRATIONS
£29.95
CODE F048
Introduction
Dam-building
in the Ruhrgebiet
Air Attacks on Reservoirs and Dams
Barnes Wallis Goes
to War
The Targets
A Brilliant Idea
Squadron X
Aerial
Reconnaissance
Countdown
First Wave against the Möhne and Eder dams
Primary
Target X: The Möhne dam
Hidden Target Y: The Eder dam
Second Wave
against the Sorpe
The Airborne reserve
the Lister, Ennepe and Diemel
dams
Confusion: Ennepe or Bever dam?
Debriefing
Congratulations in
Britain
Death Valley
Reaction in Germany
The Awards
Repercussions
in Germany
Reconstruction
Postscript
50th Anniversary