The Dam Busters

Editor's note: This is a review of the 2010 release of the film on DVD

Considering the age of the film – 55 years and wearing well – writer/director Matt Richards has done a terrific job in creating a mini doc on The Dam Buster raid. Intercut with short extracts from longer interviews with five of the survivors, he allows author Max Arthur to tell the story in greater depth.

There were 19 Lancaster bombers, of which 17 were used and eight were lost. 617 Squadron, hand picked by Guy Gibson, who was only 24 at the time, was assembled six weeks before they took off for Germany. None of the 133 air crew knew where they were going until two hours before departure. Secrecy was that tight.

As a companion piece to the film, this fills in the gaps. Within three months of the raid, the dams had been repaired. What did the airmen think about that?

The loss of life was unacceptable, one of them said. “I feel odd and privileged to have been part of it,” another added.