This is CBS High on the World.

I'm John Batson.

The destruction of a major dam in the Dinepper River Valley in Ukraine dominates the news

for the questions about the counteroffensive launched by Kiev long-promised and the

defenses arranged by the Russian forces long-promised, especially to protect Crimea.

I read a statement from the German Chancellor, Olaf Schultz, after the news of the destruction

of the dam came through to Berlin.

This is something that fits in with many of the crimes we have seen committed by Russian

soldiers in Ukraine, and it's part of a warfare that attacks civilian targets, towns, villages,

hospitals, schools.

That is Olaf Schultz speaking.

On June 6, 1944, June 6, 2023.

I'm certain that Germany bears the irony of these two dates, June 6th and June 6th now.

Gregory Coppley of Editor-in-Publisher Defense and Foreign Affairs is here with me.

And Gregory and I immediately thought of another attack of dams once upon a time.

It was 80 years ago just about in the spring of 1943.

And at the time it was regarded as a great success and heroic.

And Gregory knows one of the veterans, or has known one of the veterans of Squadron 617,

the so-called dam busters.

This was Operation Chastise and the ambition in that part of the war where Germany was

not losing was to damage the Rour Valley dams.

There were several of them.

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