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Dambusters Raid
Bomber Command

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THE MOHNE DAM - Success but "Hoppy" is Lost

As Gibson flew beside him to draw some of the enemy's fire, F/L Martin released his weapon but it veered off course. However the Lancasters piloted by S/L H.M. Young and F/L David Maltby placed their bouncing bombs perfectly and the dam crumbled. W/C Gibson then led the remaining aircraft to the Eder Dam.

"I'll fly across the dam as you make your run and try and draw the flak off you."
- W/C Gibson

"The crown of the wall was already crumbling. . .there was a breach in the centre."
- F/L Maltby

"Our load sent up water and mud to a height of a thousand feet. The spout of water was silhouetted against the moon. It rose with tremendous speed and then gently fell back."
- F/L Maltby

"I have vivid memories of seeing a huge sheet of water as the dam gave way."
- F/Sgt. Tom Simpson (S/L Young's rear gunner)

"Again the lake quaked and a gigantic wave came over the wall. The wall had been breached and relentlessly the water began to run into the valley. The planes banked away."
- Karl Schutte (German anti-aircraft gunner)

"I came (to the Mohne Dam) from Balve five hours after the raid. . .I stopped the car and realized there was no water. I realized that something terrible must have happened . . .There was a big hole in the wall."
- Hans Werner Konig (Head of the Association of Ruhr Reservoirs)