Bouncing bomb
A bomb that bounced across water to strike targets.
A bouncing bomb is a bomb designed to bounce across water to a target, avoiding obstacles like torpedo nets, with predetermined speed and detonation timing. The first such bomb was invented by British engineer Barnes Wallis, whose "Upkeep" bomb was used in Operation Chastise in May 1943 to attack German dams. Wallis also invented the Grand Slam and Tallboy earthquake bombs.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- United Kingdom
- Service
- 16–17 May 1943 (Operation Chastise)
- Used by
- No. 617 Squadron RAF
- Wars
- World War II
- Designer
- Barnes Wallis
- Designed
- April 1942
- Manufacturer
- Vickers-Armstrongs
- Produced
- February 1943
Facts from the source article.
British bouncing bombs
After the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Barnes Wallis wrote a paper titled "A Note on a Method of Attacking the Axis Powers," arguing that destroying the enemy's power supplies could render them unable to continue war. Suitable targets included hydro-electric dams and vessels moored in calm waters such as Norwegian fjords. German hydro-electric dams had been identified as important targets before the war, but existing bombs and torpedoes were ineffective due to torpedo nets. In 1942, the British also sought to destroy the German battleship Tirpitz, which was moored in Norwegian fjords as a fleet in being. Wallis's weapon attracted attention and underwent testing. On 24 July 1942, a redundant dam at Nant-y-Gro, near Rhayader, Wales, was destroyed by a mine containing 279 lb of explosive detonated underwater against the dam's side, in a test by A.R. Collins of the Road Research Laboratory.
German bouncing bomb
After Operation Chastise, German forces recovered an intact Upkeep bomb from the wreckage of a Lancaster that had crashed at Haldern, near Rees, Germany, without releasing the bomb. Bomb disposal officer Heinz Schweizer examined it. A 385 kg version of Upkeep, code-named "Kurt" or "Emil," was built at the Luftwaffe's test site at Travemünde. The importance of back-spin was not understood; trials with a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 proved dangerous because the bomb matched the aircraft's speed. Booster rockets failed, and the project was cancelled in 1944.
Re-creating the bouncing bomb
In 2011, a project led by Dr Hugh Hunt of the University of Cambridge re-created the bouncing bomb and tested it in a Dambusters-like raid, using a Douglas DC-4 flown by Buffalo Airways. A replica dummy bomb struck a specially constructed replica dam, which was then destroyed by a charge placed where the bomb landed. The project was documented in the television shows Dambusters Fly Again, Dambusters: Building the Bouncing Bomb, and the Nova episode Bombing Hitler's Dams, and was also featured in the Ice Pilots NWT series.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who made Bouncing bomb?
Bouncing bomb was made by Vickers-Armstrongs.
Where was Bouncing bomb developed?
Bouncing bomb was developed in United Kingdom.
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