Larry Linderman
Please note: The Roundtable’s time and place for this presentation has changed. We will meet in the DesertView Performing Arts Center (Theater) on Clubhouse Drive on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 1 p.m.
The British military recognized that Germany’s Ruhr Valley was vital to its war effort. The Ruhr is the industrial heartland of Germany and a major source of coal and iron ore, both vital for steel production. Its rivers provided large quantities of water for industrial use and hydroelectric power. As early as 1937, the British developed contingency plans to attack the Ruhr in the event of war by taking out several important dams, but it took until the middle of 1943 before they had a weapon capable of taking out the heavily reinforced and guarded dams. This weapon was known as the bouncing bomb.
The Roundtable’s presentation on Operation Chastise will be given by James Evans. This will be James’ third time before the Roundtable, his earlier presentations being on the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and the Grumman TBF Avenger, America’s main torpedo bomber in the war. He was formerly the director of the Commemorative Air Force Museum at Falcon Field in Mesa, Ariz. James is also a retired USAF pilot.
Once again, the presentation is on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 1 p.m. in the DesertView Performing Arts Center.
The Roundtable does not collect dues. We do ask for a $1 donation at the door to cover taking our speaker to lunch and other incidentals. A door prize of a book on the subject of Operation Chastise will be raffled off after the talk.