Avro Lancaster PA474 carried out a commemorative Dambusters pass down the Derwent Valley and over the dam, just as their predecessors had in 1943
Operation Chastise was an attack on German dams carried out on 16–17 May 1943 by Royal Air Force No. 617 Squadron, subsequently publicised as the "Dam Busters", using a specially developed "bouncing bomb" invented and developed by Barnes Wallis. The Möhne and Edersee Dams were breached, causing catastrophic flooding of the Ruhr valley and of villages in the Eder valley, while the Sorpe dam sustained only minor damage. Two hydroelectric powerplants were destroyed and several more were damaged. Factories and mines were also either damaged or destroyed. An estimated 1,600 people drowned. The damage was mitigated by rapid repairs by the Germans, with production returning to normal in September. On the seventieth anniversary the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster bomber PA474 carried out a commemorative pass down the Derwent Valley and over the dam, just as their predecessors had in training for Operation Chastise in 1943
Size: 3899px × 2583px
Location: Derwent Reservoir, Derbyshire, England, UK
Photo credit: © Avpics / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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