[tcolvin]

I did and do note the bad weather.

Bad weather should therefore have argued against using 1,000-lb medium capacity bombs dropped by sight, which is how I suspect BC approached the problem of the Urft Dam.

Surely a better solution would have been the use of Tallboys as used by 617 Squadron on September 23, 1944 to breach the Dortmund-Ems Canal.
617 Squadron bombed by sight, as I understand it, but used appropriate ordnance.

The Urft dam situated at the end of a large stretch of water, would surely have been a natural for H2S MkIII which could operate accurately at night or in bad weather.

The impression given is that BC did not try very hard to overcome the problem, and therefore failed.

The reason for lack of enthusiasm would have been reluctance by Harris to divert BC from the destruction of cities to what he called panaceas, such as the oil plan and army support/destroying dams.
So Harris might have engineered a failure to break the dam so he could tell Ike he was wasting his time ordering BC to provide support to the army.
Success in breaking the dam would only encourage Eisenhower to ask for more.

But that is surmise.
What I am seeking are facts and insight.

Tony