 The Bouncing Bomb used in the film was a real weapon. Known as  Highball (a smaller version of the Dambusting Upkeep bomb), it was  originally designed by Dr. Barnes Wallis to be utilized against  battleships, such as the Tirpitz. The Highball bomb weighed 1,280lb  (580kg), carried 600lb (272kg) of explosive, and was small enough to  be carried in tandem by a Mosquito fighter