The Forgotten Bomb

Even in the 70s, one could still see -- if the light was 'just so' -- the spot the Germans patched in following the bursting of the dam during WWII. Of course, by then, the whole area had been totally refurbished, rebuilt, and had become a resort area. It was hard to imagine the devastation the dambusting created in such a bucolic area...

Somewhere along the north shore of the Moehnesee itself, just down from the dam, tucked in the woods, was a recovered piece of the skip bomb that blew a hole in the dam...nobody seems to know anything about it now, but I have a photo somewhere of 2 or 3 of my buddies posing on it during one of my trips back to Soest in 1972. Unlike so many memorials and monuments throughout Germany, this one just wasn't made that big a deal of...it was just sitting there, forgotten, with the tourists barely giving it a second glance. It was only the lower half of the bomb casing, somewhat triangular in shape, or cone-shaped...the better to 'skip" across the water, I gather, before slamming into the stonework of the dam.

We visited it in June 1964 on a beautiful Summers Day. One could see where the rebuilding had been done by the shade of stonework. But nothing else! Sitting on that wall it was so difficult to imagine what went on there in WW2!

About a kilometre below the dam, give or take, is a small village. It was totally wiped out and the only thing which survived the deluge was the steeple of the village church. This was incorporated into the "new church" when the village was rebuilt.

During my family's time in Soest one could easily see what were "old trees" and which ones were newly planted to replace the ones drowned or uprooted in the flooding.

The village itself, however, while all new buildings looked, and looks, like any other village in the region. They just rebuilt on the existing foundations, copied as best they could the look of the former village, and life went on....

I have some photos taken of the above last Summer( July 2007), sent to me by a colleague which I will post on my website soon. A more beautiful place is hard to find!

These photos of the Mohne;Eder & Sorpe Dams are now on my site at:

www.redcap70.net

Scroll down page to "A collection of photos taken by Don Hulme of his visit to the Dams-Summer 2007".

The photos of the breached dam at the beginning of this series show some triangular shaped debris on the floor of the now drained resevoir...these are, I believe, the remnants of the bombs which breached the Moehne dam and one of which is displayed somewhere along the northern shore.

Those objects that you are refering to are actually large bouys that held the steel torpedo netting on the resevoir side of the dam.

It has to be said thought that the water in the lake/resovoir is very clean! Mind you it has been emptied once!!!

rmorley wrote:

Those objects that you are refering to are actually large bouys that held the steel torpedo netting on the resevoir side of the dam.

Ahhh...yes, that makes a bit more sense. The bomb(s) would hardly be left lying around on the floor of the lake, would they?

I was never staioned nere, but we did visit once and I thought the were the reamins of the bombs as well. Ah well, we live and learn. LOL

jim wrote:

I was never staioned nere, but we did visit once and I thought the were the reamins of the bombs as well. Ah well, we live and learn. LOL

Keeping in mind the photo is old...taken shortly after the dam was breached and the water subsided. Plus, it was a postcard type shot, and has been reproduced countless times off the original and using technology that is really little better than a photocopy today! So, details are not always easily discernable.

However, getting back to my original point...part of the bomb that breached the Moehne is tucked away on the north shore. I've got a photo of me and some British friends climbing all over it and being hams....now if I could just find my albums!