It was called Operation Chastise-an RAF bomber attack against German dams on May 16 to 17, 1943. It was no ordinary raid. The dams were heavily defended, and highflying bombers could not achieve needed precision. The dams also were guarded by torpedo nets. RAF Lancaster bomber crews employed a special "bouncing bomb." Released at extremely low level, it would skip across a reservoir, leap over the nets, stop against a dam wall, and explode. The daring raids breached the Mohne and Eder dams, causing loss of power and water. Catastrophic flooding drowned some 1,600 people. The raid was celebrated a 1955 British film, "The Dam Busters."
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