The aircraft that did make it to the dams pressed home their attacks with a reckless disregard for their own safety. The results certainly impressed the world at the time - two dams were breached, and a third damaged. As flood water surged down the valleys, factories and infrastructure were badly affected.

Was the Dam Busters raid a success?

The raid did succeed in breaching two dams, causing considerable chaos and loss of life. But Professor Morris asks if Operation Chastise – as it was codenamed – was truly successful. “It is not as if Chastise succeeded on its own terms,” he writes.

Was the bouncing bomb a success?

In an exclusive interview with Mary Stopes Roe, daughter of bouncing bomb inventor Barnes Wallis, we asked her for her thoughts on whether the Dambusters raid was a success. Mary says, "Yes, it was a success. The dams were breached, the factories were flooded and the making of machines and so on was stopped.