40-8-12 Bridge Busters - Raid on Dortmund-Ems Canal

The Bridge Busters - The First Dambusters and the Race to Save Britain > .

Long before the famous Dambusters Raid, a plucky band of RAF aircrew flying obsolete aircraft made one of the most important raids of the war to attempt to knock out heavily-defended aqueducts on the Dortmund-Ems Canal. The Germans were bringing up thousands of barges along the canal ready to invade England. If the aqueducts were smashed, Germany's invasion timetable would be ruined.

Dortmund-Ems Canal Raid 19/8/1940 > .

The Münster Aqueduct Raids 1940 .

The 'old' aqueduct was badly damaged but it would take the German's less than two weeks to make a full repair. Although the 'bypass' aqueduct was unaffected the attack did hinder the movement of war material to the invasion ports at a most critical point in the war.

1943: 

Operation Garlic was an attack on the Dortmund-Ems Canal by 617 Squadron carried out on 14-16 September 1943. The operation was unsuccessful. The canal was not significantly damaged by the attack, while 617 squadron lost five of the eight aircraft and crews involved in the operation.

1945:

Dortmund-Ems Canal Raid, 1/1/1945 .