On the night of the 16th of May, 1943, Operation Chastise commenced - 133 RAF airmen in their iconic Lancaster bombers took off from England, and headed for Germany. Armed with specially designed 'bouncing bombs', the highly-trained crews were tasked with interrupting German industry by destroying enormous dams in the Ruhr Valley. It was an audacious mission of unprecedented precision, from which over a third of the airmen would never return. The Dambusters Raid, as it came to be known, is remembered as one of the greatest feats of daring and airmanship in the Second World War. In this two-part Explainer, and with the help of the late, great RAF veteran Johnny Johnson, Dan delves into the story of this historic operation.
Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.
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