The Dam Busters Quotes

Barnes Wallace: [Morning after the raid] Is it true? All those fellows lost?
Gibson: Only two aircraft went down in the attacks. That was Hopgood's over the Moehne and Maudsley's at the Eder. Astell got it soon after crossing the coast. And Dinghy Young was shot down over the sea, on his way home. The rest we don't know about. They've been calling them since midnight, but they haven't answered. The flak was bad. Worse than I expected.
Barnes Wallace: [upset] Fifty-six men... If I'd known it was going to be like this, I'd never have started.
Gibson: Now you mustn't think that way. If all these fellows had known from the beginning they wouldn't be coming back they would have gone for it just the same. There isn't a single one of them that would have dropped out. I knew them all. I know that's true. Look, you've had a worse night than any of us. Why don't you find the doctor and ask for one of his sleeping pills?

Movie: The Dam Busters
Barnes Wallace: Do you know how much water it takes the Germans to make a ton of steel?
Doctor: I haven't the least idea.
Barnes Wallace: One hundred tons. Now just look at this. [gestures to a map on his desk]
Barnes Wallace: The whole of this great arsenal of war factories in the Ruhr depends for its water on three enormous dams. The Moehne. The Eder. And, the Sorpe. They control the level of the canals and supply a lot of hydroelectric power as well. When those are full they hold four hundred *million* tons of water. Just think of the chaos if we could break those walls down.

Movie: The Dam Busters
BBC Announcer: [morning after the raid] This is London. The Air Ministry has just issued the following communique. In the early hours of this morning, a force of Lancasters of Bomber Command, led by Wing Commander G.P. Gibson DSO DFC, attacked with mines the dams of the Moehne and Sorpe reservoirs. These control two-thirds of the water storage capacity of the Rurh Basin. Reconaissance later established that the Moehne Dam had been breached over a length of 100 yards, and that the power station below had been swept away by the resulting floods. The Eder Dam, which controls the headwaters of the Weser and Fulda Valleys, and operates several power stations, was also attacked and reported as breached. Photographs show the river below the dam in full flood. The attacks were pressed home at extremely low level with great determination and coolness in the face of fierce resistance. Eight of the Lancasters are missing.

Movie: The Dam Busters
Bomber Harris: Cochrane...! [gestures for him to wait]
Bomber Harris: Don't go for a minute. What do you think of Wallis' idea for bursting the Ruhr Dams?
Air Vice-Marshal Cochrane: It sounds a bit far-fetched. But, personally, I think it could be done.
Bomber Harris: I hope you're right. Anyway, I've given it my support, and I've had orders to get ready. I want you to take it on.
Air Vice-Marshal Cochrane: Right, sir. I'd like to. It'll mean taking a squadron out of the line for special training.
Bomber Harris: No. We must form a special squadron for this. And man it with experienced crews who have just finished their present thirty trips. Some of those keen youngsters won't mind doing an extra one.
Air Vice-Marshal Cochrane: Do you have anyone in mind to command the squadron?
Bomber Harris: Yes. Gibson.

Movie: The Dam Busters
Flight Lt. J.F. Leggo, DFC: [Looks at his watch at dinner, before the raid] We've still got an hour. Let's go put our feet up for a bit before we change.
Flight Lt. H.B. Martin, DSO, DFC, AFC: Not a bad idea. C'mon.

Movie: The Dam Busters
Gibson: [as Gibson heads in to attack] Hello "M for Mother" stand by to take over if anything happens.
Flight Lt. J.V. Hopgood, DFC: OK, Leader. Good luck!

Movie: The Dam Busters