Dam,dam,dam..............

Three dams today  - Mohne, Sorpe and Eder in that order.
These were the dams bombed on the raid as the primary targets, details can be found at this dambusters website.

Coldest day so far, with the temperature varying from -2.5c to +2c depending on elevation. The hills around the route going up to around 650m. Plenty of snow around but the roads dry and ice free.

I saw it lower than -1 !!!

Plenty of snow but nice dry roads.

First port of call was the Mohne Dam, which is only around 8 miles from Soest. Hardly anyone around, and the roads nice and quiet. Had a walk along the length of the dam and back and the water on the lake was frozen. Account of Mohne attack here

Mohne Dam, the breach was made between the towers and relayed back to the UK with the codeword 'Nigger' - named after Gibsons dog

Onwards to the Sorpe Dam next which was around twenty miles further on. This is not so spectacular looking as the other two as its not got any stonework - its just a big earth bank. However, the Lancasters bombed it along its length by diving onto it and then having to pull up sharpish to avoid stacking it into the opposite valley side. Only two 'planes managed to attack this dam, with one of them having nine runs before the bomb aimer was happy enough to release the bomb on the tenth run. When you stand on this dam and look at the village on one side and the wooded slope on the other it beggars belief that they got the planes down, over and up. They did manage to hit it but after all that this dam remained intact. Account of Sorpe attack here

The Lancs flew along the dam  L to R at 60 feet or so and then had to pull up over the wooded slope

This is the other side of the dam looking downstream. Nice hilly bit of Germany around here.

Although its been cold, I haven't had the need to have the heated vest switched on yet and the heated grips are taking good care of my hands. I've got merino wool base layers on and merino socks (gear left over from my time in Russia last year). Altberg boots, textile HG bottoms with the liners in for the bottom half, and just the heated jacket and HG textile jacket and a buff for the top half. Warm as toast. The journey over to the Eder dam from the Sorpe is around 70 miles with a bit of autobahn chucked in - just over 2.5hours but I stopped in Korbach for a bit of lunch - currywurst and chips at a roadside Imbiss, lovely. I switched the vest on leaving the Sorpe with the autobahn stretch in mind - bit more of a wind chill at those speeds.

Last dam of the day is the Eder Dam - another stone built dam looking dam if you get what I mean.
All these dams have hydro electric schemes associated with them - thats why they were built mostly for, and as coincidence has it, the Eder dam is owned by Eon Wasserkraft, a susidiary of Eon which is who I also work for at a power staion in the UK. Wasn't aware of his until I saw all the Eon signs and flags all over the place.
Account of Eder attack here

Eon flags fluttering in the breeze outside the turbine house on the downstream side of the dam

Picture taken from the point on the dam that was breached. The Lancs had to fly over the castle which you can just see on the right hand peak (see pic below for close up), and then drop down to 60 feet for the run at the dam

Close up of the castle on the hill - Schloss Waldeck, now a hotel.

Eder Dam - you can see where the breach was as they didn't replace the middle row spillways when they repaired it. Successful breach relayed back as codeword 'Dinghy'

 All in all around 190 mile round trip and mission accomplished for this part of the trip. Back to Amsterdam via Overloon tomorrow.