> It was claimed the Germans Luftwaffe could fly by night on the full moon navigating by the reflection of these bodies of water, so the British govt issued orders to fill in these ponds and lakes to make it harder to fly by night.
> Consequently the water table on farmland fell causing more drought problems and after WW2 these bodies of water have never been re-established by govt orders.
"M. R. D. Foot argues that blackouts did not impair navigation by bombers because navigators focused more on reflective bodies of water, railroad tracks, or large highways.[13]"
This is about as close as you will get to the truth.
which backs up the claim that pilots used waterbodies to navigate. When people found out, many filled them automatically just like some people knocked out street lights. There own paranoia was used against them, just like we see with migrants in hotels today, or paedophiles in the neighbourhood.
There is no evidence to support the claim that the British government ordered the filling in of ponds and lakes during World War II to prevent the German Luftwaffe from navigating by the reflection of the moon on the water.
While it is true that the full moon could provide some illumination for nighttime flights, especially with the use of specialized equipment like the Lichtenstein radar, the idea that the Luftwaffe relied solely on the reflection of water for navigation is a myth. The Luftwaffe had other means of navigation, such as radio beacons, compasses, and celestial navigation.
Additionally, there is no record of any official British government policy to fill in ponds and lakes for this purpose. It is possible that individual landowners or local authorities may have taken such action, but there is no evidence of a widespread or coordinated effort by the British government to do so.
Overall, this claim is false and lacks factual basis.
> Consequently the water table on farmland fell causing more drought problems and after WW2 these bodies of water have never been re-established by govt orders.
Citation?