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Dam Busters
The Race to Smash the Dams, 1943
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Format: Paperback / softback
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The night of May 16th, 1943. Nineteen specially adapted Lancaster bombers take off from RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, each with a huge 9,000lb cylindrical bomb strapped underneath it. Their mission: to destroy three dams deep within the German heartland, which provide the lifeblood to the industries supplying the Third Reich's war machine.
The dramatic retelling of one of the most daring, extraordinary and outrageous raids of WW2 by one of the UK's most talented young historians
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Description
Dam Busters by James Holland masterfully recounts one of the most daring and audacious operations of the Second World War. The night of 16th May 1943 saw nineteen specially adapted Lancaster bombers ascend into the skies from RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire. Each aircraft carried a massive 9,000lb cylindrical bomb, ingeniously designed to bounce across water and destroy three critical dams deep within Germany. These dams were vital to the industries that powered the Third Reich's war machine.
The mission seemed almost suicidal from the start. The crews had to fly low and at night in tight formation, amidst enemy-occupied territory, operating at the very limits of their bombers' capacity. Their objective: to drop a newly developed weapon from a precise height of just sixty feet onto some of the most heavily defended targets in Germany. The risks were enormous, the challenges seemingly insurmountable.
Adding to the mission's peril was an incredibly tight timeline. Visionary aviation engineer Barnes Wallis had only ten weeks to transform his revolutionary concept of the bouncing bomb into a functional weapon. At the time of approval, he hadn't even drawn up his final plans. Despite numerous setbacks and extraordinary odds, this improbable race against time resulted in one of the war's most stunningly successful and game-changing bombing operations.
Holland's gripping narrative doesn't just focus on the technical and strategic aspects of the raid, but also brings to life the resilience and bravery of the men involved. Dam Busters not only honours their extraordinary feat but also delves into the sheer ingenuity and determination required to make Barnes Wallis's seemingly impossible vision a reality.
This dramatic retelling by one of the UK's most skilled young historians is a spellbinding tale of innovation, heroism, and audacity. It meticulously details the meticulous planning, intense training, and sheer grit that went into executing the mission. For anyone fascinated by World War II history, aviation, or tales of human courage, Dam Busters is an essential read.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Dam Busters by James Holland combines a lively narrative with in-depth historical research, providing fresh insights. Holland's detailed account masterfully illuminates this well-known story, telling it with both gusto and pace, and effectively filling an important gap.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780552163415
Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 09 May 2013
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Corgi Books
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 35.0mm
Width: 127.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 411g
Pages: 576
About the Author
James Holland is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning historian, writer, and broadcaster. The author of a number of best-selling histories including most recently Brothers In Arms and Normandy '44, he is also the author of ten works of fiction and a dozen Ladybird Experts. He is the co-founder of the annual Chalke Valley History Festival which is now in its twelfth year, and he has presented - and written - many television programmes and series for the BBC, Channel 4, National Geographic and the History and Discovery channels. With Al Murray, he has a successful Second World War podcast, We Have Ways of Making You Talk, which also has its own festival, and is a research fellow at St Andrew's University and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He can be found on Twitter as @James1940 and on Instagram as @jamesholland1940.
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