On the trail of the ‘Dam Busters’

Undoubtedly the most famous of all the missions was carried out on the night of May 16-17, 1943 by No. 617 Squadron, a unit specially raised for the task and commanded by Wing Commander Guy Gibson. It was code-named “Operation Chastise”. The idea behind the mission was quite simple: destroy the dams producing hydroelectricity at certain key locations in the Ruhr Valley, and by doing so shut down factories producing armaments. This would hamper the German Army by denying weapons and ammunition. 

Much planning was put to into the attack, which would involve 19 Lancaster heavy bombers dropping a specially designed bomb using an innovative means of delivery at a very low level.

The squadron was formed using some of the most experienced pilots and aircrew in Bomber Command and the aircraft had to be specially converted to carry what would become known as the “Bouncing Bomb”. The targets to be attacked included the Eder Dam, measuring 1,312 feet in length and 157 feet in height, and the Mohne Dam, measuring 2,132 feet in length and standing 131 feet in height. The story of the attack is well known, having been well-documented in books, feature articles and the 1955 movie “The Dam Busters” starring Richard Todd. In each case, the stories touch on the crews’ training in preparation for the attack, but it is the actual attack which holds the attention.

So, what about the training for the mission? What was involved? Like all operations, the people taking part have to be trained, and in this case very intensely. They had to learn new skills in dropping a bomb with features that were different from anything they had dropped in earlier missions. Also, they would have to fly at very low level, at night, and approach the target over water. The crews practiced over several locations, including reservoirs featuring dams, the most well-known of which was Derwent in the county of Derbyshire. 

I had never thought that I would need to visit the reservoir at Derwent until my wife, Elizabeth, told me she had booked a short holiday in an area called the “Peak District”, which takes in part of the county of Derbyshire. The intention was to have a week away in a small cottage and go for bracing walks each day. The necessary maps were unfolded and routes were planned. Then I noticed it: Derwent Reservoir and Dam. Now I had to convince Elizabeth we needed to visit, since she does all the driving on such trips. I filled her in on the fact it was only 14 miles from where we were staying and would take 30 minutes to drive there. It was too close and too famous not to visit. Sales pitch done, she agreed, mainly because the “The Dam Busters” is one of her all-time favorite war movies.

On the day of the visit we loaded up, including Tuppence the canine, who would enjoy such a long walk, and arrived in good time. We first walked in the direction of the Derwent Dam. At 157 feet in height and 1,312 feet wide, it was not hard to see. As we approached it just became more and more impressive. Sadly, we did not see any mention of the wartime association with Operation Chastise and no plaque to commemorate the event. A temporary exhibition had once been housed in one of the towers, arranged by Vic Hallam, but had since been removed. Undeterred, we continued with our walk around the reservoir, which measures over 1.5 miles in length. It lies in the Upper Derwent Valley. Surrounded by steep, wooded hills, it is an impressive location.

The reasons behind choosing it as a practice site for the operation became clear as we walked, because, even today, more than 80 years later, it is still a remote location. Although the dam is significantly smaller than the intended target dams, it is the approach and the surrounding terrain which resembled the area in Germany. Walking along the path around the reservoir, the pilots would have probably been in awe of having to attack such a target, even in daylight. They were to attack at night, without any lights and at a height of 60 feet. Practicing at night must have been nerve-wracking, with the pilot totally dependent on his navigator and the bomb aimer in the nose of the aircraft.

Walking down the valley as the hills rose up all round, we discussed how the pilots must have struggled to control their aircraft weighing around 16.5 long tons unladen, within the confines of the hills. Lancaster aircraft measured 69 feet in length and had a wingspan of 102 feet, and trying to maneuver at speeds of up 240 mph left no margin for error and required split-second response and intense concentration. A momentary lapse and the aircraft could crash. 

Paul Brickhill’s excellent book The Dam Busters, published in 1951, is riveting, and walking where the crews flew practice  runs put things into perspective. Today, pilots have computers and flight assistance, but over 80 years ago it was all brain power and nerves of steel. From this remote location in Derbyshire, 617 Squadron entered into history when they completed their mission in the face of enemy guns, with Guy Gibson winning the Victoria Cross. 

After the walk we returned to our cottage and set about planning the following day’s walk. We decided another reservoir walk would be a great way to see some more of the glorious countryside in the Peak District. After consulting the map we settled on Langsett, a reservoir about 24 miles from our accommodation which would take about 45 minutes to reach by car. After arriving, we quickly set out on a 4-mile hike across the gorse moors. As we were planning our walk we discovered there was a connection between Derwent Dam and Langsett with a combined link to “Operation Chastise”. As we discovered during our walk, the area is sparsely inhabited because the people were moved out as the American Army arrived in 1942 with plans to use the area as a live firing site for artillery and tanks. Engineer units built concrete access roads for tanks and heavy guns to move across parts of the area, and these are still in place and used by local farmers.

As we walked around the perimeter of the reservoir, we passed the remnants of a dwelling called “America Farm”, which had been the impact area for artillery firing. All traces of explosions have long since been weathered away. Further along we walked along the concrete tracks laid by the Army but, as with Derwent, there were no signs indicating a connection with WWII. Finally we came to the dam itself, which was built of masonry with the outer edge being faced with an earthen bank. I thought how it must have resembled the Sorpe Dam, which was damaged but not destroyed by the bouncing bombs of 617 Squadron. The link to Operation Chastise was created after the mission when Allied leaders worried Germans might mount a similar counter attack in revenge for destroying the dams. As a counter measure, a curtain of steel cables was strung across the approach route to the dam. The Langsett Dam was never attacked, but it makes for an interesting connection for military history enthusiasts to consider.

The week went by all too fast and we soon had to head home, but I had one last surprise in store. As we approached the outskirts of the city of Birmingham, I directed Elizabeth to make a detour to visit a site I thought she might find interesting. It told her there was an unusual military cemetery located at Cannock Chase, just north of the city. I had visited the site a couple of times with military groups and explained that it was a large German military cemetery containing over 4,700 graves from both world wars. 

That is another story which I will share another time. Trust me, though, it was worth the trip. 

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