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Picture of the Day: May 17

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The Dambusters Raid
'Skipping bombs' were used for the first and only time on May 16, 1943, to breach three massive Ruhr Valley dams–the Eder, the Mohne and the Sorpe–that supplied water and hydroelectric power to Germany's vital armament factories. The bombs, shown here being launched at the Mohne Dam from an Avro Lancaster bomber, were designed to bounce over anti-torpedo nets and explode at the base of the dams. Despite only two months of training, Royal Air Force Wing Commander Guy Gibson and his 'Dambusters' breached the Eder and the Mohne dams and damaged the Sorpe. While subsequent flooding in the Ruhr Valley claimed 1,294 lives, German industrial production was affected only briefly while the dams were repaired

Image: Breaching the Dam , by Nicholas Trudigan; Courtesy of The Military Gallery, Ojai, California

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  1. One Comment to “Picture of the Day: May 17”

  2. I seriusly love about The Dambusters Raid.

    By baljinder on Oct 7, 2009 at 4:40 pm

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