Abberton Reservoir

Constructed between 1935 and 1939, Abberton Reservoir is managed by Essex and Suffolk Water, part of Northumbrian Water Group, and lies 6 km (3.7 mi) southwest of Colchester near Layer de la Haye.

Filled just before World War II, the Ministry of Defence laid 312 naval mines in the reservoir to deter German seaplanes from using it during a potential invasion. Most mines were detonated post-war, with some triggered by ice. On 24 August 1940, a German Heinkel bomber was shot down over the reservoir, with one crew member captured and another drowned.

During World War II, RAF’s No. 617 Squadron (“The Dam Busters”) used the reservoir to practice attacks on German dams, simulating the Edersee Dam. Lancaster bombers equipped with Barnes Wallis’s bouncing bombs participated in these trials. A full dress rehearsal took place at Abberton on 14 May 1943, just days before the successful Dambusters Raid on 16 May, which breached the Möhne and Edersee Dams.

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Source

• Text: TracesofWar
• Photos: Terryjoyce