Upkeep bouncing bomb
E44570
The Upkeep bouncing bomb was a specially designed British World War II explosive devised by Barnes Wallis to skip over water and breach German dams during the famous Dambusters raid.
Aliases (1)
- Upkeep bomb ×1
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
British World War II weapon
→
aerial bomb → bouncing bomb → |
| alsoKnownAs |
Dambuster bomb
→
Upkeep → |
| conflict |
Second World War
→
|
| countryOfOrigin |
United Kingdom
→
|
| deliveryPlatform |
Avro Lancaster
→
|
| deploymentAltitude |
about 60 feet above water
→
|
| deploymentSpeed |
about 220 miles per hour
→
|
| designedTo |
detonate against dam walls underwater
→
evade torpedo nets → skip across water → |
| designer |
Barnes Wallis
→
|
| detonationMethod |
hydrostatic fuse
→
|
| developer |
Vickers-Armstrongs
→
|
| era |
1940s
→
|
| explosiveMass |
approximately 6,600 pounds of Torpex
→
|
| explosiveType |
high explosive
→
|
| filling |
Torpex
→
|
| firstCombatUseDate |
16–17 May 1943
→
|
| guidanceSystem |
unguided
→
|
| influencedBy |
Barnes Wallis’s earlier bouncing bomb concepts
→
|
| launchMethod |
air-dropped
→
|
| mass |
approximately 9,250 pounds total
→
|
| notableFor |
innovative bouncing delivery over water
→
use in the Dambusters raid → |
| operation |
Operation Chastise
→
|
| operatorRequirement |
accurate approach heading
→
precise height control → precise speed control → |
| primaryTarget |
Eder Dam
→
Möhne Dam → Sorpe Dam → |
| primaryUse |
breaching dams
→
|
| productionStatus |
limited production
→
|
| shape |
cylindrical
→
|
| specificDeliveryPlatform |
Avro Lancaster B Mark III Special
→
|
| spinDirection |
backspin
→
|
| spinRate |
about 500 rpm
→
|
| status |
retired
→
|
| survivingExamples |
museum exhibits and replicas only
→
|
| testedAt |
Chesil Beach
→
Reculver, Kent → |
| theatre |
European theatre of World War II
→
|
| usedBy |
No. 617 Squadron RAF
→
Royal Air Force → |
| yearOfIntroduction |
1943
→
|
Referenced by (3)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Barnes Wallis
("Upkeep bomb")
→
|
knownFor |
|
Avro Lancaster
→
|
notableWeaponCarried |
|
Operation Chastise
→
|
usedWeapon |