The Truth Behind Casualties of War:
The Technology behind The Bouncing Bomb
The breaching of the Ruhr Dams by 617 Squadron and Barnes Wallis' bouncing bomb was a huge moment in the war and an event that raised Britain's hopes that victory was within reach. Since Barnes Wallis and his work are very well documented, Anthony Horowitz decided to create a fictional team of scientists that in this episode could be seen to shadow Wallis' Upkeep development trials and into which Anthony could weave a murder.
Casualties of War focuses on the perfecting of a small part of the machinery involved in the Dambuster Raids, namely the bomb release mechanism, which gave the bombs the essential back spin required in order to bounce along the surface of the water and avoid the German dam defences.
Illegal Gambling
Britain's wartime national vice was gambling - everything from cards and greyhound racing to dice games like the crown and anchor meetings which Milner investigates in this episode. When a prison chaplain was asked what sort of criminals were the least likely to be cured, he replied 'gamblers'.
While the most high profile cases which came to court and were featured heavily in the newspapers concerned the private gaming parties in the smart houses of Kensington, all over the country vast sums of money were wagered and lost. Docks were the site of some of the biggest crown and anchor games. It has been said that they were to crown and anchor what Wembley Stadium was to football. Wives of workers up and down the country complained that their husbands lost all their wages.
The Technology behind The Bouncing Bomb
The breaching of the Ruhr Dams by 617 Squadron and Barnes Wallis' bouncing bomb was a huge moment in the war and an event that raised Britain's hopes that victory was within reach. Since Barnes Wallis and his work are very well documented, Anthony Horowitz decided to create a fictional team of scientists that in this episode could be seen to shadow Wallis' Upkeep development trials and into which Anthony could weave a murder.
Casualties of War focuses on the perfecting of a small part of the machinery involved in the Dambuster Raids, namely the bomb release mechanism, which gave the bombs the essential back spin required in order to bounce along the surface of the water and avoid the German dam defences.
Illegal Gambling
Britain's wartime national vice was gambling - everything from cards and greyhound racing to dice games like the crown and anchor meetings which Milner investigates in this episode. When a prison chaplain was asked what sort of criminals were the least likely to be cured, he replied 'gamblers'.
While the most high profile cases which came to court and were featured heavily in the newspapers concerned the private gaming parties in the smart houses of Kensington, all over the country vast sums of money were wagered and lost. Docks were the site of some of the biggest crown and anchor games. It has been said that they were to crown and anchor what Wembley Stadium was to football. Wives of workers up and down the country complained that their husbands lost all their wages.