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Eighty years ago, on May 16-17, 1943, an elite group of airmen, mostly from the Royal Air Force, but also with contingents from Canada and Australia, took off in nineteen Lancaster bombers from the RAF station in Scampton, Lincolnshire. Their mission was clear: Destroy three dams in Germany’s Ruhr Valley, thus taking out the hydroelectric power and the water supply to Germany’s industrial heartland, largely negating its value as a manufacturing center for the war effort. Recognizing their importance, the Germans had heavily fortified the dams, installing impenetrable torpedo nets below the waterlines to guard against an underwater attack, and...

Aviation fans gathered to see a World War Two Lancaster bomber fly over England as a memorial flight tours the country on the 80th anniversary of the 617 Squadron's legendary raids. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is commemorating the Operation Chastise attack on the Nazi Germany reservoirs which took place on the night of May 16, 1943. The 617 Squadron carried out the raid which involved 133 aircrew and 19 Lancaster Bomber aircraft unleashing bouncing bombs to deal a major blow to Adolf Hitler. Large crowds were seen standing with cameras as they prepared to witness the Lancaster bomber...

Nigel Farage has voiced his strong opposition to plans that would see the home of the Dambusters turned into a migrant camp. RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire was confirmed earlier this month to be considered as an asylum centre by the Home Office. The airfield was used as the headquarters for the famous World War Two Dambusters squadron. Speaking on GB News, Nigel Farage said the plan would be an act of “cultural desecration”. “Scampton was a very, very important place. This has been for many years the home of the Red Arrows,” he said. “As many of you know, we...

The last surviving member of the RAF's 'Dambusters' squadron, who was awarded France's highest honour after carrying out 30 operations against enemy targets in the Second World War, has died at the age of 100. Lawrence 'Benny' Goodman helped to demolish Germany's Arnsberg railway viaduct with a 22,000lb Grand Slam bomb in March 1945. He was also took part in a raid which aimed to destroy the German battleship the Tirpitz in October 1944, after it had been damaged by bombs a month earlier. And in April 1945, he was part of the team which tried to bomb defeated Nazi...

Britain's last surviving Dambuster says he still misses his crewman as they are remembered on the 75th anniversary of the iconic WWII raids. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, George 'Johnny' Johnson says he feels lucky to still be alive as he turns 96 later this year. On the night of May 16, 1943, Mr Johnson was one of 113 airmen from the Royal Air Force 617 Squadron to fly to Germany for one of the most complex military operations of the war. Operation Chastise set out to destroy three dams deep within Germany’s Ruhr valley in order to set back the...

The Dambusters Raid on the night of May 17, 1943, carried out by 19 Lancasters from Gibson’s squadron, has gone down in history as one of the most audacious exploits of World War II. Not only was the colossal Mohne dam breached, but a second, the Eder, was also smashed, while a third, the Sorpe, was damaged, though not broken. Although the attack cost the lives of 53 RAF airmen, it caused devastation to the German economy and gave a tremendous boost to public morale. The tale of the assault on the vast structures almost seemed a national metaphor for...

One of the last survivors of the Dambuster missions has lashed out at revisionist historians who criticise Britain's tactics of razing German cities to the ground. Johnny Johnson MBE, 95, hit out at historians who were not there at the time, telling them to 'keep your bloody mouth shut,' as he demands bomber crews are finally recognised with a medal. The former bomb aimer for a Lancaster bomber was a part of the top-secret Operation Chastise, that sought to breach dams and flood munitions factories in the Ruhr valley.

Photographs described by experts as 'extremely rare' which show the damage wreaked by the famous Dam Busters in World War II are to be auctioned next week. The aerial shots taken by German Intelligence depict the Möhne and Edersee Dams before the raid and after they were breached by the ingenious bouncing bomb, designed by Barnes Wallis, causing catastrophic flooding of the Ruhr valley. Operation Chastise, as the famous raid was officially known, was an attack on major dams in Germany's industrial heartland carried out on 16-17 May 1943 by the Royal Air Force's renowned 617 Squadron, based at Scampton,...

Flying Officer Harold Hobday, navigator I don't think any of us expected to get through, really, because so many of our friends had been shot down or gone missing or simply had accidents. The percentage was very high. I'm surprised I got through. All the same, I don't think people took special precautions - making wills - I certainly didn't. Wing Commander Guy Gibson Hoppy Hopgood, my second-in-command, said to me: 'Hey Gibbo, if you don't come back, can I have your egg tomorrow?' I realised that the first aircraft to attack the dam would probably catch the gunners with...

'Two of the surviving Dambuster airmen have attended a ceremony after a flypast to mark the 70th anniversary of the World War II raid on German dams. Hundreds of onlookers gathered as a Lancaster bomber flew over Derwent reservoir - one of the practice sites used ahead of the top-secret mission. More than a third of the men never returned from the raids, when they had to fly just 60ft above ground. RAF Scampton later hosted a sunset service. The RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and 617 Squadron flew over the dam in Derbyshire's Hope Valley on Thursday lunchtime....

He was the loyal companion of the Dambusters hero whose extraordinary bravery captured the nation. Now ghost hunters believe the spectre of Nigger the dog, the Dambusters mascot, is still faithfully guarding his master's old quarters. Ghost enthusiasts are convinced that the ghosts of both Wing Commander Guy Gibson and his chocolate–coloured Labrador still haunt the remote Lincolnshire airfield from which the audacious raid was launched.

A team of engineers has managed to recreate one of the greatest wartime raids in history – with a little help from a cricket bowling machine. The bouncing bomb developed by scientist Barnes Wallis was used to breach key German dams in 1943, cutting off hydro-electric power and wrecking factories. The raid was the subject of Paul Brickhill’s 1951 book The Dambusters and the 1954 movie of the same name. But the science behind the successful operation, including the original calculations and designs, was lost in a flood in the 1960s.

The last surviving veterans of the Second World War Dambusters raid will meet for what is expected to be the last time on Saturday night to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the mission. Engineers, ground staff and the last surviving pilot to fly one of the 19 modified Lancaster bombers of 617 Squadron will be amongst those at the gathering. The veterans are now all in their late 80s and many have said they plan to make these anniversary celebrations their last. Their mission, on May 16, 1943, to destroy German dams with Barnes Wallis’s bouncing bombs, has become part...

Pictured: Lancaster bomber in dramatic flypast to mark 65th anniversary of Dambusters raidLast updated at 18:49pm on 16th May 2008  It is one of the most stirring images of the Second World War - a Lancaster bomber coming in terrifyingly low over a huge dam.  Today, the last surviving pilot of the epic Dambusters operation was present to witness a spectacular re-enactment as one of the bombers flew again above the Derwent Valley dam in Derbyshire to mark the 65th anniversary of the raid. Scroll down for more...Bombs away: The world's only flying Lancaster makes a low pass over...

Another movie coming up from famous director Peter Jackson who announced that he’s gathering a team for a “Dam Busters” remake. As a child, Peter Jackson said he was a real fan of the 1954 version of “Dam Busters”, a movie based on the book with the same name written by Paul Brickhill, which revolved around inventor Barnes Wallis and mission commander Guy Gibson. He was 12 when he watched the movie for the first time. “I always thought that out of all the World War II true stories this is one of the most extraordinary," Jackson, a longtime aviation...

Peter Jackson is to produce a remake of the classic British war film The Dambusters, about the intrepid mission of a Royal Air Force squadron. According to Screen Daily, the film is budgeted at between $30-40m and will be mark the directing debut of Christian Rivers. A long-time colleague of Jackson, Rivers served as animation director on King Kong and a visual effects director on the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Speculation over a possible Dambusters remake was initially sparked in May, when Jackson reportedly spent a day filming one of the last surviving Lancaster bombers that took part in...

Gary Bettman makes it official: 2004-05 NHL season has been cancelled. Damn you.

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

Britain's only surviving operational Lancaster bomber is taking to the air to mark Friday's 60th anniversary of the Dambusters raid. The Dambusters 617 Squadron was formed in 1943 after warplane designer Barnes Wallis developed the bouncing bomb. It was designed to spin backwards at 500rpm, skipping over torpedo nets, before detonating against dams in enemy territory. A weekend celebrating the skill and bravery of the aircrews centres around Brooklands Museum in Weybridge, Surrey, where Wallis and his team worked. A key member of the team, Norman "Spud" Boorer, who worked at Brooklands for many years, will open a Dambusters exhibition....

THE commanding officer of the RAF’s Dambusters spoke yesterday of his pride when his pilots were given the honour of leading the aerial bombardment against Saddam Hussein - on the 60th anniversary of the formation of the Second World War bomber squadron. Wing Commander Dave Robertson and the crews of 617 Squadron fired Britain’s new super bomb, "Storm Shadow", in precision attacks on Iraqi command and control bunkers in and around Baghdad, marking the start of the "shock and awe" phase of the war. "It was absolutely incredible," he recalled yesterday after the first of the air crews from the...