On the night of the 16th and 17th of May,

1943, there was a full moon.

It was an unusual night for a bombing raid.

Usually British bombers avoided a full moon because they could be seen,

but this was a highly unusual raid.

133 men in 19 heavily modified aircraft carrying huge, untested bombs that bounced.

The target was some of the biggest and most important downs in Germany.

In today's episode, I'm going to tell you the story of the Dam Busters, one of the greatest

British stories from the Second World War.

The so-called Dam Busters raid, or Operation Chastised, given its official name, was vital

for the British, not just because it disrupted German war production, but predominantly,

I think, for morale.

It came at a time when the Allies were really on the back foot, and the bravery and ingenuity

of this raid gave a much-needed boost to the public and the fighting forces.

It was also important because it's a turning point, I think, in strategic warfare.

It shows that bombs were no longer a clumsy area weapon, but they could be dropped from fast-moving aircraft with extraordinary precision. For all those reasons, this was a

raid that mattered. An extraordinary tale. You're listening to Down Snow's History, and this is my

version of the Dam Busters story. It's the Downbusters story.

It's the 16th of March, 1943, about two months before the Downbusters raid.

A 24-year-old pilot was summoned to the headquarters of RAF Bomber Command's 5 group in Lincolnshire.

It's a funny looking building. It's called St. Vincent's Hall.

I've been there as a sort of Gothic revival mansion in Grantham. Today, it's in private hands,

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