The Dambusters Raid – What Happened? (WW2 Documentary)

On 16th May 1943 a squadron of 19 Lancaster Bombers took off from RAF Dcampton in Lincolnshire headed for occupied Europe. Their targets were a series of dams powering the industrial heartlands of nazi Germany. Armed with a brand new weapon, codenamed ‘upkeep’, better known today as the ‘bouncing bomb’, they achieved the seemingly impossible. Breaching two major dams and damaging a third, they caused serious damage to the Ruhr region. It was perhaps one of the most audacious raids of WW2, but was not without cost. In this video we explore the story of the men who went down in history as The Dambusters.

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A special thanks to DCS Community Lancaster for letting us use their DCS footage. Check out their full video about Dambusters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?vjKC1NiODL2I

And a big thank you to Jott Gee for a lot of great drone footage of the Möhnedam and Sorpedam.https://www.youtube.com/@jottgee-youtube

Written References:
– Breaking the German Dams, by Dr. Robert Owen: https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Breaking-the-German-Dams-Hardback/p/23322?aid1227
– Henry Maudslay: Dam Buster, by Dr. Robert Owen

General Sources:
– Imperial War Museum Sound Archive (IWMSA)
– US National Archives (NARA)
– National Library of Scotland Image Collection (NLS)
– Australian War Memorial Image Archive (AWM)
– War Diaries of the Battalions (NMP)
– British Newspaper Archive (BNA)
– The National Archives, Kew (TNA)
– Google Earth Pro & Web Versions
– Maptiler Pro (Desktop Version)

Image Sources:
– Findagrave.com
– Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-114-0073-25 / Plenik, Bruno / CC-BY-SA 3.0
– Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-637-4192-20 / Schalber / CC-BY-SA 3.0
– Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-637-4193-17 / Schalber / CC-BY-SA 3.0
– Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-637-4194-05A / Schalber / CC-BY-SA 3.0
– Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-637-4194-13A / Schalber / CC-BY-SA 3.0
– Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-724-0135-16 / Briecke / CC-BY-SA 3.0
– Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-774-0011-34 / Hubmann, Hanns / CC-BY-SA 3.0
– Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-786-0327-19 / Otto / CC-BY-SA 3.0
– Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-C0212-0043-012 / CC-BY-SA 3.0
– Image Flying Lancaster: Martin Pettitt CC BY 2.0
– 3D Model Avro Lancaster: helijah

Credits:
– Research: Dan Hill
– Script & Narration: Dan Hill
– Editing: Shane Greer
– Thumbnail Design: Linus Klassen
– Image Colourisation: Doug Banks
– Music & Sound Effects: Epidemic Sounds

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