Ruhr dams breached and growing devastation in the Ruhr

Ruhr dams breached and growing devastation in the Ruhr

Article 1. Headlines: Ruhr dams breached, daring low level attack by Lancaster, walls blasted out with 1500lb mines, vast damage by floods. Short account of Dams operation. Article 2. Headlines: growing devastation in Ruhr; flood waters sweep into Kassel; damage to German war industries, power station, bridges and railways wrecked. Mentions floods from breached dams still spreading, Kassel flooded and water rising at Duisburg. Mentions that photographs show breaches at Eder is as big as Mohne.

1943-05-18

1943-05-19

Two newspaper cutting mounted on a scrapbook page

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TUESDAY MAY 18 1943

RUHR DAMS BREACHED

DARING LOW-LEVEL ATTACK BY LANCASTERS

WALLS BLASTED OUT WITH 1,500lb. MINES

VAST DAMAGE BY FLOODS

The R.A.F. struck what the Secretary of State for Air has described as “a trenchant blow for victory” when early on Monday morning Lancaster bombers breached three dams which serve the Ruhr industries.

The attacks were made by specially selected crews and the bombers came as low as 100ft. to plant their mines on the lips of the dams. In one a breach of 100 yards was caused and the released waters rushed down into the valleys, sweeping all before them.

Reconnaissance flights yesterday showed that vast damage had been done by flood waters sweeping down the Ruhr valley.

WEDNESDAY MAY 19 1943

GROWING DEVASTATION IN THE RUHR

FLOOD WATERS SWEEP INTO KASSEL

DAMAGE TO GERMAN WAR INDUSTRIES

POWER STATIONS, BRIDGES AND RAILWAYS WRECKED

The great floods in the Ruhr from the dams breached by the R.A.F. were still spreading yesterday and causing growing devastation to German war industries and communications.

Kassel is now flooded, and the water is rising at Duisburg. Reconnaissance photographs show that the breach at Eder is as big as that in the Möhne dam.