A Hell of a Bomb : How the Bombs of Barnes Wallis Helped Win the Second World War

One of the most famous and spectacular events of the Second World War was the destruction of two dams in the Ruhr by Avro Lancaster bombers of 617 Squadron, known ever since as the Dambusters Raid. The bombs that the Lancasters dropped were designed by the most prolific inventor of armaments of the period. His Tallboy and Grand Slam earthquake bombs helped destroy the battleship Tirpitz as well as numerous other high-profile targets, and were only eclipsed in destructive power by the atom bombs dropped on Japan. The inventor was Barnes Wallis and A Hell of a Bomb is the story of the development of his bombs, their destructive uses and how they helped win the war for the Allies. At the start of the Second World War, a little known aircraft designer came up with the idea of some new bombs. They were to change the fortunes of the British war effort. Barnes Wallis is most famous for his Dambuster bomb, used with great effect in 1943, and immortalized in the film of the same name, but he also designed three other bombs, the biggest of which was Grand Slam, a huge 'earthquake' bomb used to great effect against U-boat pens and other difficult targets in occupied Europe. This is the fascinating story of the man, his bombs, the trials of getting them in to service and the story of their effective use against the Nazis.