NOVA
Season 39 Episode 10 - Bombing Hitler's Dams
In 1943 a squadron of Lancaster bombers staged one of the most audacious raids in military history: destroying two gigantic dams in Germany’s industrial heartland and cutting the water supply to arms factories. Their secret weapon? A revolutionary bouncing bomb invented by British engineer Barnes Wallis. Wallis and the pilots of 617 Squadron—a lively mix of Britons, Australians, Americans, and Canadians—were hailed as heroes who dealt a mighty blow to the German war machine. Now, NOVA recreates the extreme engineering challenges faced by Wallis and the pilots. A crack team of experts, including dam engineers, explosives specialists, mechanics, and aircrew, steps into the shoes of the "dambusters" and attempts to overcome each of the obstacles the original team faced. They must adapt a vintage World War II DC-4 to carry a bomb the size of an oil drum, train to drop it from a dangerously low altitude in pitch darkness, and get it to bounce over obstacles and onto the target, a scale model the German dam struck by the original dambusters. Can they succeed in destroying the dam and unraveling the mysteries of the one-of-a-kind bouncing bomb?
Episodes in Season 39
Engineering Ground Zero
55 min
Surviving the Tsunami
55 min
Finding Life Beyond Earth: Are We Alone?
55 min
Iceman Murder Mystery
55 min
The Fabric of the Cosmos: What is Space?
55 min
The Fabric of the Cosmos: The Illusion of Time
55 min
The Fabric of the Cosmos: Quantum Leap
55 min
The Fabric of the Cosmos: Universe or Multiverse?
55 min
Deadliest Volcanoes
55 min
Bombing Hitler's Dams
55 min
3D Spies of WWII
55 min
Mystery of a Masterpiece
55 min
Ice Age Death Trap
55 min
Separating Twins
55 min
Cracking Your Genetic Code
55 min
Hunting the Elements
55 min
Deadliest Tornadoes
55 min
Why Ships Sink
55 min
Secrets of the Sun
55 min
