Nova

Bombing Hitler's Dams

In 1943 a squadron of Lancaster bombers staged one of the most audacious raids in history -- destroying two gigantic dams in Germany's industrial heartland and cutting the water supply to arms factories -- with a revolutionary bouncing bomb invented by British engineer Barnes Wallis. Wallis and the pilots of 617 Squadron -- a lively mix of Britons, Australians, Americans and Canadians -- were hailed as heroes and dealt a mighty blow to the German war machine. In this program, NOVA recreates the extreme engineering challenges faced by Wallis and the pilots with the aid of six spectacular experiments. A crack team of experts including dam engineers, explosives specialists, mechanics and aircrew step into the shoes of the Dambusters and attempt to overcome each obstacle in turn.