Dambusters 70th anniversary: The legendary mission

On the night of May 16, 1943, the RAF No. 617 Squadron embarked on an ambitious mission to destroy dams in Nazi Germany. The airmen flew planes with specially made 'bouncing bombs' to destroy their targets in a highly secretive mission. Two dams were breached and a third damaged but 53 airmen were killed and three taken prisoner. More than 1,600 Germans, prisoners of war and forced labourers were killed by the huge torrents of water that washed over the valleys. The surviving airmen were treated as heroes on their return home and later the 1955 film 'The Dam Busters' sealed their fame for all times.