| Description |
1 online resource (streaming video file) (1 hr.) ; 297626548 bytes |
| Summary |
In 1943, a squadron of Lancaster bombers staged one of the most audacious raids in history - they destroyed two gigantic dams in Germany's industrial heartland with a revolutionary weapon, the bouncing bomb. The brainchild of British engineer Barnes Wallis, the five-ton bomb 'bounced' across the surface of the water like a skipping stone before coming to a gentle rest next to the dam wall - the point at which the bomb's blast would do the most damage.The brave airmen who used this unconventional weapon to destroy the dams of the Ruhr Valley became known as the Dambusters. The raid itself has become part of military folklore, celebrated for the ingenuity of the bomb's inventor as well as the skill and bravery of the pilots.Now, almost seventy years later, a team of engineers, explosives experts and aircrew attempt to recreate the famous raid. But this is no dramatic reconstruction. The team actually build their own 40-metre wide dam and modify a World War Two era aircraft to carry a spinning 'bomb' the size of an oil drum. The highly skilled pilots must then fly at a mere 20 metres above the surface of the lake and drop the bomb at precisely the right moment to hit their target. (From the UK) (Documentary Series) (Part 1 of 2) PG CC Follow the conversation on Twitter #SBSdoco |
| Event |
Broadcast 2012-04-13 at 21:30:00 |
| Notes |
Classification: PG |
| Subject |
Bombing, Aerial.
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Bombs -- Design and construction.
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Dams -- Design and construction.
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Raids (Military science)
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Wallis, Barnes, 1887-1979.
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Germany -- Berlin.
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Germany.
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| Form |
Streaming video
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| Author |
Duncan, Ian, director
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Goritsas, Demetri, cast
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Adams, Chuck, contributor
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Alford, Sidney, contributor
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Beaubien, Ryan, contributor
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Johnson, Johnny, contributor
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Stopes-Roe, Mary, contributor
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