NOVA "Bombing Hitler's Dams"

Pictured: Blowing the dam

Credit: Courtesy of WGBH

Learn about the revolutionary bouncing bomb and the bombers who destroyed two gigantic dams in Germany’s industrial heartland during WWII.

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 dealt a mighty blow to the German war machine. Now, NOVA re-creates the extreme engineering challenges faced by Wallis and the pilots with the aid of six spectacular experiments in Bombing Hitler's Dams airing Wednesday, May 21, 2014 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV.