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The Mohne dam

Mohne Dam
Situated at Gunne and 25 miles east of Dortmund, construction of the dam was started in 1909 and finished in 1913. The wall was made of limestone rubble masonry and was protected against seepage by a clay bank to about one third of the water side face and with overflow outlets near the top. This construction stood 112 feet high and had a base thickness of 130 feet tapering to 25 feet at the top and is 2100 feet long. The dam holds back 135 million cubic metres of water, covering an area of 3229 acres. It was protected before the raid by 2 anti torpedo nets in the water and anti aircraft guns of 20 and 37mm calibre mounted on the shore and on each of the two towers.

The Eder dam 

Eder Dam

Like the Mohne, the Eder dam was a Gravity dam made from granite masonry blocks built between 1908 and 1914. It is located 60 miles south east of the Mohne. At 145 feet (44 meters) high it was 25 feet higher than the Mohne but at 430 yards (393 meters) in length it was not as long. The base was 119 feet (36.2 meters) thick and 20 feet (6 meters) thick at the top. The Eder dam held back 200 million tons of water - the largest reservoir in Germany.  Due to its location surrounded by large hills, the Germans believed the Eder dam would be almost impossible to attack and therefore it had little defence unlike the Mohne. There were no anti-torpedo nets or anti aircraft guns. There were only two guards on patrol on the dam with rifles

The Sorpe dam 

Sorpe Dam
The Sorpe dam is located 9 miles south west of the Mohne. Unlike the Mohne and Eder dam the Sorpe is an earth dam not a gravity dam. It was built between 1927 and 1935 and at 200 feet (61 meters) high it was Germany's highest earth dam. The Sorpe dam was over 700 yards (640 meters) long and held back over 70 million tons of water

Eneppe dam  Ennepe Dam
The Ennepe dam is a masonry type dam located approximately 3 miles north east of Radevormwald.  It was built between 1902 and 1905.  The height of the wall is 45 feet and it holds back appromimately 12.6 million cubic meters of water.
The Lister Dam  The Lister Dam
The Lister Dam is a masonry dam located approximately 10 miles to the east of Meinerzhagen in the hills of Sauerland.  The Lister Dam holds back approximately 22 million cubic meters of water.
The Diemal Dam   The Diemal Dam
The Diemal Dam is a masonry dam located on the Diemelsee reservoir about 10 kilometers to the north west of Korbach.  It holds back approximately 19.9 million cubic meters of water Diemal