Memorial Victims Möhne Dam Bombings

On May 17, 2015—72 years after the dam bombing—a 2.6-meter, 2.2-ton green sandstone stele was unveiled near the dam. It commemorates 1,300 flood victims, fallen pilots, and forced laborers lost during reconstruction.

Featuring stainless steel engravings, the memorial prompts reflection and transcends historical knowledge. Reliefs depict the burst dam, fleeing victims, forced laborers, and symbols of peace—a dove and a mother with children. Sculptor Christof Winkelmann designed the memorial, which is maintained by local volunteers.

On the night of 16 on 17 May 1943, this dam was destroyed during operation Chastise, a bombing raid of the RAF on three of these dams. With so called bouncing bombs, Guy Gibson and his squadron succeeded in breaking through two of these dams.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Willem Visser