How Did The Dambusters Bouncing Bomb Work

The Bouncing Bomb otherwise know as the high ball was created by Sir Barnes Willis , which serviced during 1943 for two days.

The plane used for this task was the Avro Lancaster which was the biggest which in the time was the largest British bomber, which still needed modifcations to carry the bomb necessesary.

Before the release of the bomb it was kept in in a V-shaped harness/arms to keep it stability and it was spun in the speed of 500 Revolutions Per Minute by a belt drive

The bomb itself was 60 inches long with a diameter of 50 inches and also weighed around the 9000lb mark. Around 6000lbs of its weight was solely down to the TNT and RDX (Explosives) being used to create the most efficient damage to the target.

For the bomb to work properly it was fitted with Hydrostatic pistols which measured the pressure of water it sank to before it detonated, and as a fail safe they included a 90 second time fuse just incase the other had failed.

Before the bomb was dropped the plane itself had to apply to certain spefications while in motion. The plane had to be flying at the height of 60 ft and to going of a speed from 240 to 250 mph. to do this they aquired spotlights underneath to help them.

With the height ,speed and backspin being put on the bomb created the perfect conditions for it to be fired.

With the Backspin motion the bomb was able to hit the water and bounce towards its target like a skipping stone avoiding all torpedo nets in the water till it bounced into the Dam.

After the boumb has successfully bounced through the water it eventually collides with its target. First it collides into the side of the dam creating a large amount of damge creating a large weakpoiut to the stucture.

Then itr sinks lower down and the detonation sequence is near its end.

Once over the bomb explodes and causes the dam to collapse due to the two weakpoints made in the area it collided.

Now that the Dam has been severly damged the source of power that the Hydroelectric Dam was uneffective and the Germans had lost a means of power and suffered for it during the Second World War.

Dan Bewley & Omarii Arscott-Lyons