A German-Jewish refugee doctor, now practicing in London, first suggested that the great Eder and Mohene Dams be destroyed by the Royal Air Force, it is revealed in the Daily Mail today by Guy Bettany, former Reuter correspondent in Berlin.
He discloses that some months ago, the physician, whose name cannot be revealed because of the fear of reprisals against his relatives in Germany, asked him why the two dams had not been toubhed, pointing out that they were key factors in German war industry. Bettany was so impressed by the suggestion that he forwarded it to the Air Ministry. He was assured that it would receive careful consideration and that was the last he heard of it until yesterday’s announcement that the RAF had breached the dams.
The refugee doctor, Bettany continues, was elated to hear the news and explained that the blasting of the dams will have a three-fold effect: It will bring devastation to the Ruhr, Wesser and Fulda valleys. It will cut off the power supply of vital war industries in those regions. It will paralyze the inland waterways upon which Northern Germany depends greatly for transportation of heavy industrial products and fuel.
Bettany also disclosed that the German-Jewish specialist has suggested another vital objective which is now being studied by the Air Ministry.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
