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Operation Chastise
Operation Chastise, the 'Dambusters' raid, was an attack by a squadron of RAF Lancaster bombers on the dams of the Ruhr basin in Germany in May 1943. Led by Squadron Leader Guy Gibson, the bombers breached two dams causing enormous flooding...
Definition
Lancaster Bomber
The Avro 683 Lancaster bomber was a four-engine heavy bomber flown by the Royal Air Force and allies during the Second World War (1939-45). Lancasters were particularly used in nighttime bombing raids and could carry the heaviest bombs ever...
Article
Allied Bombing of Germany
The Allied strategic bombing of Germany during World War II (1939-45) had multiple aims, which included destroying Germany's capacity to produce weapons; disrupting transport networks and supplies of oil, steel, and coal; destroying the German...
Article
Battle of the Ruhr
The Battle of the Ruhr or the Ruhr Air Offensive (March-July 1943) was a sustained bombing campaign by the British and the United States air forces against the industrial heartland of Germany during the Second World War (1939-45). The offensive...
Definition
Perfection of Wisdom
Perfection of Wisdom is the foundational text of the Mahayana Buddhist school, a kind of anthology of works, thematically linked, composed between c. 50 BCE - c. 600 CE in India by Mahayana Buddhist scribes. It is comprised of 38 sutras (defined...
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The Bombing of Berlin
The bombing of Berlin, aka the Berlin Air Offensive or Battle of Berlin (Air), was a sustained bombing campaign on the German capital by the British Royal Air Force and United States Air Force from November 1943 until March 1944. The objective...
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Bouncing Bomb Trials
A photograph showing the trials on the Kent coast using the bouncing bomb in the spring of 1943. The bomb was designed for use in Operation Chastise of the night of 16 May 1943. The operation, also known as the 'Dam Busters' Raid, was carried...
Definition
B-17 Flying Fortress
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was a four-engined heavy bomber plane used by the air forces of the United States and Britain during the Second World War (1939-45). The B-17 had unusually heavy defensive armament, 13 machine guns in total...
Article
The Shield of Heracles: The Complete Poem
The Shield of Heracles (also known as The Shield of Herakles and, in the original, Aspis Herakleous) is a poem of 480 hexameter lines written by an unknown Greek poet in the style of Hesiod (lived 8th century BCE). It deals with the Greek...
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Lancaster Bomber with Grand Slam Bomb
A 1945 photograph of an Avro Lancaster bomber carrying a 'Grand Slam' bomb which, weighing almost 10 tons (22,000 lbs), was the heaviest bomb dropped during the Second World War by any air force. (Imperial War Museums Collection)