The Dam Busters

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1

I can't find it, Daddy.

I've looked everywhere.

It's alright, don't worry.

We'll find it in the morning.

I've got another one here.

Ready?

Standby.

Four, three, two, one, fire.

Ah I'm sorry. It's no good. It's over

there in that flowerbed somewhere.

- I've lost it, Daddy. I can't find it.

- I've got it.

- Here it is, Daddy.

- Thank you.

Watch it, Christopher.

Four, three, two, one, fire!

Fine, that's good!

Mark it, Mary.

Right, well let's...

Hello, old Doc! I'm sorry.

Have you been here long?

No, I've just come.

What all this going on?

Oh, it's... just a little thing

I'm trying to find out.

Here, can you just hold that for me?

Just over the centre of the tub.

Got it?

Right, we'll make a note of this one.

13 foot 3. That's all right now.

Thank you very much.

- Hello, Doc.

- Hello, darling.

Are you going to look at Elizabeth?

I hope it isn't tonsils.

She looks all right.

Where's your mother?

- ln the house.

- Let's go in, shall we?

- I'll be in in a minute.

Stay for some tea.

- Thanks very much.

Well, now listen. Let's try to get

one or two more shots before it's too dark.

Thank you.

Watch out, Mary.

Watch it, Christopher.

I don't think there's anything

to worry about here.

The temperature is all right.

Quite a lot of these throats

are running around this spring.

- She'll be all right in the morning.

- Good.

Now, along to bed, darling.

I'll bring you up some supper later on.

Oh, but I've got to help Daddy

play marbles.

No, it's too late now, dear.

- Good night, Doctor.

- Good night, Elizabeth.

All right, let's try one more.

- Good night.

- Good night, darling.

Three, two, one, fire!

He seems to be having a fine old game

out there.

What's it all about?

Just some problem he's trying to solve

before tomorrow afternoon.

He's been at it for days now.

He was out there at 5 o'clock

this morning in the rain.

Doctor, when I called you this afternoon

it wasn't really about Elizabeth.

- It was Barnes.

- You don't think he's well?

He's all right at present,

but he won't be for much longer.

He can't be if he goes on like this:

2 and 3 and 4 o'clock

night after night.

And after a hard day

at his real job at Vickers.

He hardly went to bed at all

last night.

He's wearing himself out.

I wish you'd have a talk with him,

I think he might listen to you.

I'll see what I can do,

but you know how he is.

- How is Elizabeth?

- Oh, she's all right.

- You don't think it's tonsils?

- No, no, no.

But I'll keep an eye on her,

don't you worry.

The tea is stone cold, Barnes.

I called you twice.

Oh, I'm sorry. But you know

I got a lot of very useful stuff here.

It's only a question now

of working it out on paper.

- Another late night?

- I don't know, it depends.

In any case, this part is easy

compared with what's coming.

- Have a cup of tea, Doc.

- Well, if you're going to...

- I'll make some fresh.

- Don't worry, I'll do it.

No, no, you sit down

and take off those wet shoes.

- Better see to the blackout first.

- I'll give you a hand.

Wait a minute.

Come out here and listen.

Hmm, sound like another big one.

Surely they won't be able to stand up

to many raids like these.

They wouldn't if we could really

get at them, but we don't.

It's like trying to kill a giant

by firing at his arms and legs

with thousands of peashooters instead

of a clean bullet through the heart.

You know what happened

when they tried to wipe out London.

Here's your tea, Barnes.

Don't let this get cold.

I'm coming.

Doc, do you remember about

that earthquake bomb idea of mine?

Yes, that was the time of Dunkerque.

You told me the idea,

but not what you wanted it for.

Come over here.

Do you know how much water it takes

the Germans to make a ton of steel?

- Haven't the least idea.

- One hundred tons.

Now just look at this.

The whole of this great arsenal

of war factories in the Ruhr

depends for its water

on three enormous dams:

The Mhne,

the Eder and the Sorpe.

They control the level of the canals

and supply a lot of hydroelectric power.

When those are full,

they hold 400 million tons of water.

Just think of the chaos

if we could break those walls down.

Now, this is what I wanted to do.

Drop a 10 ton bomb

from 40 thousand feet

that would seal itself

in the roots of the wall.

The shockwaves would be tremendous,

a real earthquake.

But could you hit a target that size

from 8 miles up?

I reckon that a near miss, even 50 feet,

would do the job.

Is there an airplane that will carry

a 10 ton bomb?

- No, but i was going to design one.

- What happened?

Well, a committee was set up

and we went into it

but I hadn't made sufficient allowance

for the cushioning effect of the water.

We should need a 30 ton bomb -

too heavy for any aircraft at present.

- Sugar?

- No, thanks.

- Oh, carry on.

- Well, just a little.

Do you know, Barnes?

I still don't see why you need

such a special bomb.

This dam is about 1 20 feet thick:

Solid masonry all through.

We've proved that a bomb 20 times

the size of the biggest bomb now

wouldn't even tickle it.

Besides, we can't float anything

down the lake

because they've got these two huge

booms stretching right across it.

We can't even get it

in under the water

because these booms

support thick steel nets

which would stop a flotilla of submarines

let alone torpedoes.

I see.

You can't bomb it,

you can't float a mine against it

and you can't torpedo it.

- Looks impossible.

- Yes, it does, doesn't it?

The other day I thought of a new,

a wonderful idea.

- You've found a way to do it?

- I think so.

The committee that's enquiring into

my original idea is meeting again tomorrow

and I rather expect they'll want

to wind the whole thing up.

Well, if they do, I'm done.

Why don't you go ahead

with your new idea until you're ready

and then get them

to form a new committee?

My dear fellow, you talk as if I could pull

committees out of a hat.

It took months... well, years almost

to get Whitehall to start this one.

Somehow or other I must just keep it alive

until I'm ready.

Oh, I'm sorry!

You want to get back to your surgery.

Well, I ought to really.

- Barnes?

- Hmm?

- Will you promise me something?

- If I can...

Would you try to get away for Easter?

You do need a rest, you know.

You think I'm going crazy?

A lot of people do, you know.

No, but you can't go on day and night.

Nobody can.

All right, Doc.

- Hello, Dr Pye.

- Hello, Wallis.

- Would you do something for me?

- I'll try.

You've got a lot of influence

over those fellows in there.

Will you try to stop them

winding the thing up right away?

- They'd need a very convincing reason.

- I've got a new idea.

It's quite different

only... l must have time.

- Can you explain to them what it is?

- That's just the point, I can't.

If I were to try explain it to them now

they'd only laugh at me.

- It's difficult without knowing more...

- Yes, I do see that, but...

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