The Dambusters: 70 Years On

This is the only Lancaster Bomber left flying in Britain.

Earlier today it flew down the Derwent Valley

to mark the 70th anniversary of one of the most daring raids

of the Second World War.

Welcome to RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, where that raid began.

Almost exactly 70 years ago to the hour,

the 133 young men involved in that raid had just been briefed.

As night fell, they clambered aboard

specially modified Lancaster Bombers,

taxied out to the runway and took off.

After weeks of secret intensive training, this was it.

They were to fly into the heart of enemy territory

and with pinpoint precision they were to drop

specially invented bouncing bombs on three mighty dams

that powered the Nazi war machine.

They were flying in the dead of night

at ultra low level on routes they'd never been on before.

The skill and the courage they displayed and the results

they achieved meant that for ever more they would be known simply

as Dambusters.

70 years ago, this airfield would have been littered with Lancasters.

It was a hive of activity as the men who flew them,

and the many more who serviced and repaired the aircraft,

prepared for the raid.

This evening, the tarmac between numbers one and two hangar,

the original hangars used by 617 Squadron, still here,

is where the events to mark the 70th anniversary of this historic mission

will take place.

Two of the last three surviving veterans of the Dambusters raid

are here - pilot Les Munro, who's travelled from his home

in New Zealand, and bomb aimer Johnny Johnson.

They are joined by their families

and the men and women of today's RAF

to remember the raid and the 53 airmen who never returned.

And paying their own special tribute in the skies above

will be two modern fighter jets -

Tornado GR4s of today's 617 Squadron.

They will be followed by two Spitfires.

And the Lancaster itself will be landing here at Scampton.

The evening will end with a short sunset ceremony,

led by the RAF College Band and the Queen's Colour Squadron.

So why is it that the Dambusters raid has remained so iconic?

The dams had long been identified as a very important target,

but they lacked the technology

to deliver a precision strike against them.

That is, until Barnes Wallis, Assistant Chief Designer

at Vickers Aviation, had a brilliant idea,

an idea that began on a family holiday on Chesil Beach,

as his daughter remembers.

It was down here we had the greatest fun.

When the water was calm you could find flat stones

and he showed us how to skim them over the water.

He used to get up to seven, eight, nine jumps

with his stones before they sank.

I probably managed about two.

Barnes Wallis was one of the country's

leading aeronautical engineers,

He had an extremely fertile mind and was a tremendous innovator.

The whole of his life, he was always thinking one step ahead,

which in a way is disadvantageous

unless the rest of the world keeps up with you.

His idea was to overcome the torpedo nets

which protected the German dams

by skipping a bomb across the water's surface.

As you can imagine, if somebody came to you and said,

"I can make a 4.5-tonne lump of metal

"skip across the surface of the water like a stone,"

you would perhaps think something wasn't quite right with them.

Wallis started experimenting with his children's marbles.

And that he could only try quite privately in our back garden,

on my mother's famous water tub, with his four children in attendance.

My brother being the oldest and the wisest,

to measure the number of jumps and the height of the jumps,

and the rest of us to look for the marbles in the flower beds

when they were lost.

The major problem was that it required the bombers to fly

much, much lower than usual.

A normal bombing raid would be carried out

at perhaps 12-15,000 feet,

and 617 Squadron's crews were asked to fly into Germany

at heights of around 100 feet.

The Commander-in-Chief of Bomber Command,

Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris,

had serious doubts about the whole idea.

Yet the order came from the Air Ministry to press on

with the development of the bomb.

And start training the crews.

From my point of view, absolutely exhilarating.

Seeing that ground whizzing past was so exhilarating

and it was great fun, it really was.

I could have gone on flying like that indefinitely, I think.

It was a race against time,

because for the bomb to work the dam had to be full.

And the water levels would soon start dropping fast.

But the bomb's development wasn't going well.

During trials off a Kent beach

the casing around the bomb kept on smashing,

so Wallis scrapped the casing.

He asked the bombers to fly even lower, down to a mere 60 feet.

Bear in mind the Lancaster weighs 30 tonnes,

has a wing span of 102 feet.

When you're flying at 60 feet

you don't have to dip a wing tip too low

before you suddenly find yourself hitting a tree, any obstruction,

the ground, whatever, so the skill required to fly these aircraft

at that height and make an accurate attack is absolutely tremendous.

The squadron had less than eight weeks to train

for this totally new kind of attack,

with a weapon that still had to be proved.

In fact, the bomb was only fully tested

three days before the raid had to happen.

The mission was run out of this office.

It's been lovingly restored, so it's just the way it was 70 years ago.

It belonged to the man in charge of this raid,

Wing Commander Guy Gibson.

He was very experienced.

He'd flown 172 operational missions

and had been decorated for gallantry no less than four times,

but he was only 24 years old.

But by the standards of the people he flew with,

he was virtually an old man.

Some were no older than schoolchildren.

Although some were married,

others had to postpone their weddings

to do the intensive training needed for this raid.

This fantastic panel has been added to this room.

This displays all the names of the air crew

who went on the Dambusters raid.

Aircraft here, and it works the way along.

You've got Guy Gibson - he was going to lead the first wave.

We also have the names

of the gentlemen joining us tonight.

Johnny Johnson down here

and Les Munro, who's come all the way from New Zealand

to be here today.

He's a reminder that not all of the aircrew were Brits.

Canadians. Fraser here was a Canadian.

We had New Zealanders, Australians, even an American on the mission.

Tragically, many didn't return.

That's why there are 53 poppies beside 53 names.

These are the men who were killed on this night 70 years ago.

I've got a map here to show the route they took

out across the North Sea.

The three waves left Lincolnshire

aiming for the Dutch coast.

There wouldn't be too much anti-aircraft defences.

They would go east into Germany, the Ruhr,

industrial heartland of Hitler's war machine,

probably the most heavily defended part of Germany.

There they would make for three primary target dams -

the Mohne, the Eder and the Sorpe.

It was an 800-mile round trip.

By the time the light began to fade

the crews were briefed, fed and ready.

The bombs were ready. The ground crew had spent all day

trying to get the Lancasters out there airworthy.

Gibson led the men out to the planes.

As they prepared to take off into the gathering dusk,

they felt apprehensive. None of them knew

just how this unprecedented mission would turn out.

I think anyone who isn't a bit apprehensive

is either devoid of emotion or a stranger to the truth.

I think it was accepted as something special by most people.

I learnt subsequently that there were some crews who didn't think

they were going to come back.

And they were leaving with that impression.

From the crew's perspective you can imagine being strapped

to your seat for, say, six hours.

Noisy, cold, you were being buffeted around at low level.

There was ever-present fear of defences opening up on you.

But they were trained for it. It was the job they had to do.

They faced flying low over enemy territory

for hundreds of miles before they even reached their targets.

We didn't see anything, fortunately,

but Joe said he was very much aware the gunners would hear us coming

and recognise the engine,

but he saw two sand dunes close to the coast.

He went down between those to get away from the guns.

Three aircraft were shot down en route to the target by flak,

and two more collided with high-tension cables on the way in,

emphasising the risks taken by the crews

not only from enemy action but just from ill fortune.

When we got there it was brilliant moonlight right over the dam.

But even in the moonlight it was still a struggle

to get the planes into the right position

in the steep and twisting valleys.

So off we went the first time.

It wasn't easy to get into position.

If I wasn't satisfied, I called "dummy run".

The humorist of the crew was our rear gunner Dave Rodger.

After the sixth or seventh dummy run,

the voice from the rear turret,

"Won't somebody get that bomb out of here!"

On the tenth run I was able to make the drop.

When I said, "Bomb gone," from the rear turret, "Thank Christ!"

I didn't see what the explosion was like.

But in the rear turret Dave could see it.

He estimated that the spout of water went up to about 1,000 feet.

We set course for home.

And then we had the... I would say the satisfaction

of seeing the result of the breaching of the Mohne Dam.

It was just like an inland sea.

There was water everywhere.

Both the Mohne and Eder Dams were completely breached

and the Sorpe Dam was significantly damaged.

I didn't realise how special the raid was

until the headlines in the papers the next morning.

Big headlines - the German dams burst by the RAF.

God, did we do that?

This evening is made all the more special by the presence

of two men who, 70 years after they took off from that runway,

are back here to join us.

We have Les Munro, a pilot, and Johnny Johnson, a bomb aimer.

Les, you've travelled 12,000 miles to be here. Why?

To renew old acquaintances and to take part in the various functions

that have been organised to mark the 70th anniversary.

What does it mean to you, being a Dambuster?

I guess, I think I've taken a great deal of pride in the fact that

coincidentally I've been a Dambuster, not by original choice,

but by answering the call for volunteers

for the special squadron that was being formed.

You came all the way from New Zealand.

That must have been a huge effort.

This really must be important to you?

It is important to recognise those involved in the dams raid.

I believe I'm fortunate to have taken part in the raid,

although not particularly successfully.

Well, Johnny, how about you?

You were here for a couple of months back in 1943.

What was the atmosphere like back then?

Rather busier than it is now.

It was very active.

A lot of work, interesting work, and thoroughly enjoyable work.

The station, yes, it was beginning to look much like it used to now,

but at one stage it was rather badly shattered.

Not by bombs, merely by deterioration.

What does it mean to be here

preparing for this commemoration today for you?

It's a wonderful occasion.

It's a great reminder of what happened here 70 years ago.

One which I certainly shall never forget,

and I don't think any of us that were there,

the three of us that are living, will ever forget it either.

Has it been a big part of your life to be a Dambuster?

It's had to be.

It's cost me so much in drinks,

but also something which I've enjoyed very much

is talking about it to various groups.

I only do this if they ask

because I think if they ask, they're interested

and if they're interested, I'm quite happy to talk to them.

Well, we are very interested and I will buy you a drink later,

don't worry. It's costing you too much!

Now, guys, very exciting because I think the tornadoes are on their way

and I'm going to hand over to Eddie Butler to talk you through it.

Thank you, Dan.

The skies over RAF Scampton, the flatlands of Lincolnshire,

and we await the arrival of two very rapid

Tornado GR4 all-round fighters.

This is a tribute by the machines of today, and here they come.

These are 617 Squadron's aircraft of today,

complete with GPS, laser guidance.

They and their crews are paying homage to the machines of yesteryear

and the crews, the founding fathers of the Dambuster Squadron.

The pilot is Flight Lieutenant Stewart Campbell.

With him, Flight Lieutenant Mahmoud Abdallah,

his weapons system officer.

And the second tornado, Captain Erik Snel of the Dutch Air Force,

an exchange officer with the RAF.

His weapons system officer, Flight Lieutenant Christopher Whitehair.

These tornadoes are based at the home of the 617 Squadron

at Lossiemouth in Scotland.

Scampton was where the 617 newly formed

for the Dambuster raid. It took off in 1943.

Mary, good to see you. You're Barnes Wallis's daughter.

I am indeed, yes.

You were very, very excited when you heard about the Dambuster raid.

How did you find out?

Well, it was out in the newspapers on May 18th, wasn't it?

And the minute I read about it in the newspaper,

I knew why we'd done that marble game on the terrace of our old home.

Mary, I've got a brilliant letter that you've written here.

This might embarrass you. I think you wrote it as an 11-year-old.

"My darling Daddy..."

-No, I have to say I was 14.

-You were 14 years old?

I was wondering because it's very advanced for an 11-year-old!

I was getting worried about my own development here!

It says, "Hooray, hooray, hooray! Wonderful marbles! Up the marbles!

-"Cheers! Cheers! Cheers! Oh, well done, Daddy!"

-Well, there you are.

-Clearly very excited.

-Of course I was excited!

We had fun on the terrace and it went to this marvellous outcome.

It does say in this letter that you have to rush now

because you have some Latin homework to do.

That must have been a terrible trial.

Do a Latin unseen. I say it was a come-down!

For your father, for the rest of his life,

did he look back on this as a bit of a highlight, a career highlight?

My father, for the rest of his life,

was decimated by the loss of the young men's lives.

Yes, it was a highlight, but it was

THEIR highlight more than his.

It was their doing, their glory.

He was very humble about his contribution. Yeah.

Now, what does it mean to you to be here tonight,

alongside some of the surviving Dambusters

and all these people who are here to commemorate this event?

It's wonderful. I'm so impressed, I'm amazed.

I mean, I think it's worth it, every minute of it,

but it's lovely to see the old brigade.

It sure is. Stay wrapped up there because we've got some Spitfires

coming, apparently, so, Eddie, back to you.

Here we have the fighters of yesteryear coming in

and alongside me is Flight Lieutenant Loz Rushmere,

a pilot in the RAF

and also a pilot with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

We are just waiting for the arrival of these old Spitfires, Loz,

but this is meant to be the Lancasters' party, isn't it?

-What are these Spitfires doing here?

-Well, that's correct, Eddie.

The Spitfires are here representing the photo reconnaissance Spitfires

of 542 Squadron, which flew from RAF Benson.

The pictures you can see on screen now are those that were taken

after the raid by Flying Officer Frank Fray,

who had taken a large amount of pictures both before and after.

The intelligence prior to the raid was all essential

because it was important that the dams were full of water

so that the weapon would work effectively

and clearly afterwards to ensure that

the raids had the effect which was intended.

These were modified Spitfires.

They had a long-haul flight themselves

to get to Germany and back,

but what was different about them?

The aim of the photo reconnaissance Spitfires was to fly high

so they could keep away from the trouble

and the defences over enemy territory

and also to get the imagery that was required.

They were flown without armament in order that they could carry

additional fuel to make the extended journey over enemy territory.

Here we have it. The sky, for the moment, is empty.

Interesting that the Spitfire, there were more of them made

than any other military aircraft in our British history.

-Over 20,000 Spitfires manufactured.

-That's correct.

They first came into service with the Royal Air Force in 1938

and served until well after the war, into the '50s.

And here they come, two Mk 19 Spitfires,

representing those of 542 Squadron with the Griffon engine.

If they bank for us, we may see that they are blue.

That's correct, Eddie. They were blue because

the role they undertook was flying at high altitude,

so they needed to be camouflaged from below

against the blue of the skies rather than the more traditional

ground-style camouflage of the greens and browns.

With a sound of their own.

I mean, the Lancaster, the Tornado, has a sort of music of the RAF,

-but the Spitfire perhaps is the most iconic noise.

-That's correct.

The earlier versions of a Spitfire had the Merlin engine,

the same engines that are fitted onto the Lancaster.

These later models had the Rolls-Royce Griffon engine.

It's a slightly more snarly sound and we'll take a pause here

just to listen to the sound as they fly over.

ENGINES THRUM

They say everybody wants to be a fighter pilot.

You fly the Lancaster, the Dakota, in the Memorial Flight.

You fly big AWACS planes. Would you want to fly a Spitfire?

I'd love to have a go at a Spitfire.

Unfortunately, it's not something that is open to me

through my role at the Royal Air Force

Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, but maybe one day.

There is the Spitfire. The Lancaster is yet to come,

the aircraft topping the bill. It will appear live,

but the star of the Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight

has been out today already and made somebody's day.

The RAF managed to squeeze the very tall Dan Snow aboard.

I'm so familiar with the Lancaster.

I've seen it on the ground and at air shows,

but I never imagined for one second that I'd ever get to fly in one.

This is an enormous honour, and today we're not just flying,

but we're going over the dams at which the Dambusters trained

70 years ago. It's going to be an incredible experience.

It's quite physical, apparently -

the sounds and smells, being jostled around inside.

It's not built for comfort.

I'll try and give you guys at home a sense of what it's like.

-Welcome aboard the Lancaster.

-The gunner's down there, I take it?

That's it. Vitally important,

he's the guy who spots the fighters that were trying to

-take them out as they came along.

-Yeah.

Getting over these wing struts is always a challenge.

So, Dan, this is where the crew is going to be for the sortie.

You have the captain in the left-hand seat,

the co-pilot in the right-hand seat.

During the war, both the flight engineer and a navigator

are standing behind the crew.

Of course, you'll be down the front in the bomber's position.

Good stuff. I'll try and crawl down there now.

And this is the iconic bubble at the front of the Lancaster

where the bomb aimer would have sat,

but because the navigation was so tricky on this mission,

they were flying solo, the bomb aimer actually helped the navigator

keep the plane in the air and on course.

Turning now.

Right wheel turns, tail straight.

I cannot believe we're going to be taking off from the same runway

that the Dambusters took off from 70 years ago today.

And we are up! I can't believe it!

You can just see crowds of people and flashes of cameras.

This is a moment none of them will ever forget, and neither will I.

They're really having to throw this Lancaster around from side to side.

And there are the Tornadoes, the 617 Squadron Tornadoes.

The direct descendants of the men who flew these aircraft

during the Second World War.

We are almost brushing the treetops. Wow!

And there we are, we are now being accompanied by the Spitfires.

What a beautiful sight those Spitfires are.

Followed by the Spitfires.

We are really having to throw this aircraft around.

Banking from right to left.

The banks of the reservoir are absolutely crowded with people

who are here to pay tribute to the air crew who took part

in this most audacious of raids 70 years ago today.

There is the dam. Wow!

Extraordinary banking turns. We are going to hit it bang on.

This is incredible. It's a very emotional experience.

What a way to remember those people on both sides

who died during this raid and to commemorate

something that will be forever remembered for its audacity

and the bravery of those who took part.

That is a day that I will not forget in a hurry.

It was just fantastic.

And that Lancaster will be here live in a minute.

We've got the Spitfires parking up now. The Rolls-Royce Merlin

is making a bit of noise, the Griffon, perhaps, on that one.

I'm joined by John Maltby, who is David Maltby's son,

one of the pilots on the Dambuster raid.

Your dad survived the Dambusters, didn't he,

-but then what happened to him?

-Yes, he'd gone through all that,

then several months later he was killed in a flying accident

when the whole flight was recalled due to fog coming over.

The bad weather was over the target.

We understand that a Mosquito possibly flew into him

because we know one went missing at the same time.

It's such an important reminder that even the ones that survived

the Dambusters raid weren't guaranteed to survive the war,

there were a lot of dangerous days and weeks and months ahead.

Yes, I was involved with flying when I was younger and I know

there will always be accidents and I don't hold any malice.

These things unfortunately do happen.

How old were you when he died?

I was only ten weeks old, so I never really got to know him.

But you do have something very special of his, don't you?

Yes, I do. I happen to have his logbook,

which was handed to my mother by Harry Humphries,

who was the adjutant to the squadron at the time.

And we can see down there...

That's right, look at that, May 16. "Ops Mohne Dam."

That is... What a piece of history you've got there!

Thank you very much indeed.

We think the Lancaster is on its way,

so we're going to go back to Eddie now and enjoy this display.

And here she comes in all her glory.

This one nicknamed Thumper III.

Came into service in 1943.

Dropped tallboy bombs, also designed by Barnes Wallis.

Loz, this is more your size, isn't it?

That's correct, Eddie.

I have the great, great privilege to be one of the captains

that get to fly these aeroplanes, present them to the public.

If we just listen now...

ENGINES DROWN SPEECH

As you can see, the flight crew of four.

We've got, on the right of camera there,

that's tonight's captain, Flight Lieutenant Roger Nichols

and co-pilot Flight Lieutenant Tim Dunlop.

Also with him tonight, navigator, Squadron Leader Russ Russell

and flight engineer, Flight Sergeant Martin Blyth.

Crew of seven during the war and just four for us

when we display here on ceremonial duties.

7,377 Lancaster bombers were built.

3,500, that's more or less half, were lost on operational duty.

It's staggering, but it...

It suggests exactly how dangerous it was,

flying these aircraft during World War II on bomber operations.

55,573 servicemen lost their lives

flying on bomber command operations in World War II.

It was the most dangerous branch of the armed services,

to be in bomber command. 55,000 out of 125,000 lost their lives.

That's correct, Eddie.

And I think, to stop and think about it for a moment,

the odds of people actually completing a tour

were very slim indeed,

yet night after night, they went out, taking the fight back.

Now, she's very graceful,

-but she was not designed to do what the Dambusters did.

-No, absolutely.

She was designed for medium- to high-level bombing

and that was what she was best at. However, for this operation,

the specific requirements of the weapon required her

to be flown at extreme low-level and I have had the great pleasure

to fly down the Mohne Dam at some 250 feet in daylight in peacetime

and these guys had about eight weeks to learn how to

do that at 60 feet, at night, whilst under attack.

It's staggering if you think about it.

The bomb bay doors gaping open there,

but those were taken off to accommodate the...

-the mine, it was called, wasn't it?

-That's correct.

The upkeep weapon,

which was the technical term for the bouncing bomb as we know it,

was actually mounted externally to the aircraft

and there was no room for the doors,

so effectively it hung underneath the aircraft

and there were some fairings put in to streamline it a little,

but the doors themselves were not there

and the upper turret was also removed

for the 617 Squadron aircraft.

Nearly 7,500 of these beautiful beasts were built.

-This is the only one flying over Britain now.

-That's correct.

There is one other that flies in Canada, which is privately owned.

However, this is the only one in the rest of the world

and we actually fly her and display her to the public.

We also take her to Europe sometimes,

so she really is still operating

very much as an aeroplane doing its job, not sat in a museum.

And the bomb bay doors close,

-which must have come as a relief to many a pilot.

-Absolutely.

I think Johnny Johnson noted that it took them

ten goes to drop the weapon and get it on target,

and the relief of the rear gunner

when they finally got the weapon away

and got to start the not safe, equally dangerous journey back home.

Some lovely views from the cockpit here.

You can see the good all-round visibility

from the Lancaster cockpit.

-Nursing an old girl through the skies.

-Absolutely.

When we display the Lancaster, it doesn't take a great deal

of effort for us to do anything special with her.

We turn up in the aeroplane and we present her to the crowd

and she talks with the song of her Merlins, does it all.

Flying over Lincoln.

Lincoln Cathedral, of course, was the last landmark they saw

-and the first thing they saw on homecoming.

-That's correct.

Iconic, as the Lancaster is, so is Lincoln Cathedral.

As you suggest, it was a sign of coming home.

Indeed, this aircraft is The City Of Lincoln.

She has the honour of carrying that on her right-hand side.

We'll just see when she comes round.

Lovely view from the mid-upper there,

the classic view of Lancaster.

A very unusual view of an aeroplane, but a wonderful one to see.

Lancaster in the air. Dan, very much on the ground.

I've got with me the current Commanding Officer of 617 Squadron,

Wing Commander David Arthurton.

And also Squadron Leader Mark Jackson.

So you've really inherited the legacy of these Dambusters.

-That must be an extraordinary feeling.

-It is.

It's an absolute honour and a privilege to be

the commanding officer of 617 Squadron in this anniversary year.

The spirit and the ethos that were forged by those brave crews

back in 1943 lives on to this day

and it just warms my heart to see that in my crews.

Do think you'll stand a bit taller

and take yourself a bit more seriously

-because of what your forebears achieved?

-Very much so.

It's a fantastic honour and a privilege

to be part of this squadron

and we relive that ethos in the squadron today

from 1943 right up to 2013.

Because, I suppose, in some ways, the mission is still the same.

It's surgical strikes on high-value targets.

-I mean, you're doing the same job. Different kit, though.

-Exactly.

Precision strike was what the Dambusters were about in 1943

and that's very much the same today.

We're looking forward to our future deployment to Afghanistan

at the end of the year where there is the potential for us to

use weapons of precision strike if required during that deployment.

You can help me with something, because what I do not understand

is how on earth they managed to drop the bombs and hit those dams,

so if we come over here, we've got a World War II bubble canopy.

My beautiful assistant here is holding it. Thank you very much.

Now, could you just try and talk me through,

how did they manage to land those bombs on those targets?

This is an example of the very rudimentary bomb aiming sight

that they used back in the Second World War.

But that's not... I mean, I could have knocked that up in my shed.

-That's not actually what they used, presumably?

-Exactly like this.

This is a replica, but they used a sight like this,

they looked through the hole in this end nearest to me here

and they waited until the two nails

were lined up on the towers on the dams

and that was the cue that they were at the right range from the dams

and they let the bombs go.

That is completely extraordinary.

Looking at that, with the kit you have now, what do you think?

It's astonishing to think they were using kit like that.

They were also using two small sort of lights,

which pointed towards each other.

They created a figure eight on the ground, which allowed them

to know they were 60 feet above the dams.

And then you think about today, with the sort of technology that we have,

Storm Shadow missiles and the precision strike that we have,

-it is an astonishing feat.

-Do you think you could hit a target

with the equipment they had back then?

I think it would be very, very difficult.

Considering they only had a matter of weeks to train for it,

it was an astonishing feat.

I suppose it is worth remembering

that as well as being courageous and heroic,

it was extraordinary innovation. It was pushed through very quickly.

It was. They started with the scientists who designed the bomb,

then the weapon was integrated onto to aircraft very quickly

and then the crews had to learn how to drop it.

So it was a real team effort

-and that team spirit endures to this day.

-Great stuff.

We've got the band coming out now to begin the Sunset Ceremony.

MAN SHOUTS ORDERS

BAND STRIKES UP

The band of the Royal Air Force College.

At the head, Drum Major Chief Technician Simon Carter.

And they're playing Eagle Squadron,

which was written by Kenneth Alford

in honour of the American volunteers

who came to fly before America joined the war.

The Director of Music is Squadron Leader Chris Weldon.

MUSIC ENDS

The Tornado is stationary, the Spitfire is stationary.

We just await the arrival of the Lancaster.

And the veterans, waiting to see a dear old friend.

Johnny Johnson, Les Munro, the survivors.

There is a third,

Fred Sutherland,

who was a front gunner from the Royal Canadian Air Force.

And if Eagle Squadron wasn't so very familiar to you,

well, the next tune the band will play,

I think we'll all be able to tap along to this one.

MUSIC: "Dambusters March" by Eric Coates

The Dambusters March slightly drowned

by the roar of four Rolls-Royce Merlin engines.

The aircraft and the band together.

APPLAUSE

The Guard of Honour.

Guard of Honour, by the left, quick march.

The Queen's Colour Squadron.

BAND STRIKES UP

The parade commander, Flying Officer Robert Ward.

Guard of Honour...

..halt!

Into line,

left turn!

Shoulder arms!

Right dress.

Next, the Squadron Standard

will be presented to 617 Squadron.

A very special badge.

A little bit of shuffling going on

before one of the most famous standards appears.

Guard of Honour, slope arms.

March on, the 617 Squadron Standard.

Guard of Honour, general salute.

Present arms!

BAND STRIKES UP

Standard Party,

by the centre, quick march!

Here we have the Standard.

A dam with a lightning strike overhead,

a breach in the dam and water pouring through.

And the motto - apres moi, le deluge.

After me, the flood.

Parade,

slope arms.

Guard of honour,

shoulder arms!

Guard of honour,

stand at ease!

Stand at ease!

The Standard Party,

a cross-section of all the skills in the RAF -

a Tornado pilot, an expert on weapons systems,

an expert on Rolls-Royce engines.

Air Vice Marshal Stuart Atha...

Tonight, we remember a heroic chapter

in the history of the Royal Air Force,

written by men of good character

and courage,

the Dambusters of 617 Squadron.

Here, at Royal Air Force Scampton,

exactly 70 years ago tonight,

airmen drawn from across the Commonwealth

launched in 19 Lancasters,

to deliver the most daring operation of all time.

Under a full moon, and armed with only self-belief,

courage and a bouncing bomb,

they flew at treetop-level deep into hostile territory

to deliver a precise and devastating attack

that marked a turning in the war.

This success was delivered through the ingenuity of Barnes Wallis,

the leadership of Guy Gibson

and above all, the valour and the skills

of the 133 airmen who flew that night,

and of whom only 77 returned.

Their immense bravery, their significant sacrifice

inspired a nation,

and every generation of airmen and airwomen

who have followed their steps.

Now, as then, the Royal Air Force combines innovative technology,

intense training,

ingrained tenacity

to deliver precise, decisive effect on operations.

The current members of 617 Squadron continue to write history,

and I wish the ground crew and the aircrew of the Squadron well

as they prepare for their forthcoming deployment

to Afghanistan.

All those who serve today

salute that extraordinary generation of yesterday,

including the few of Fighter Command

and the many others of Bomber Command.

Tonight, 70 years on,

we pay tribute to that indomitable band of airmen,

the magnificent Dambusters of 617 Squadron.

The tribute from Air Vice Marshal Stuart Atha.

And now the chaplain, the Rev Squadron Leader Alex Hobson.

Let us pray.

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we give you thanks for the vision

and ingenuity of those who planned,

and the dedication, courage and self-sacrifice

of those who carried out the Dambusters raid.

And as we remember their heroism, we lament the cost of war.

Remembering all those who, in the air or on the ground,

gave or lost their lives

in this and other raids by Bomber Command

in the struggle against tyranny.

And so, may the noble qualities

symbolised by this Squadron's standard inspire us all

to strive against those forces that cause conflict between peoples,

and to be ready, like our forebears,

to give our all in the service of freedom and justice,

in the name of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace,

who died that all might be free.

Amen.

Guard of Honour.

Guard of Honour, attention!

Guard of Honour, slope arms.

March off, the 617 Squadron Standard.

Guard of Honour, general salute.

Present arms!

BAND STRIKES UP

Standard Party, by the centre,

left wheel, quick march.

And the Standard of 617 Squadron

leaves RAF Scampton

and will be heading home to the Squadron's base

at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland.

Guard of Honour,

slope arms.

Guard of Honour,

shoulder arms.

And so we begin the Sunset Ceremony, starting with the Evening Hymn.

Guard of Honour,

slope arms.

Guard of Honour,

present arms.

The RAF Ensign is lowered, as it is at the end of the working day

at every RAF station across the world.

MUSIC: "The National Anthem"

Guard of Honour,

slope arms.

Sir, that concludes the RAF Scampton Sunset Ceremony.

Permission to march off.

-Carry on.

-Thank you, sir.

Guard of Honour,

move to the left.

Left turn.

Guard of Honour, by the right, quick march.

BAND STRIKES UP

70 years ago, from this very place,

19 bombers took off and flew like swallows.

Their story and their crews have come down the years loud and clear,

like the roar of a Lancaster engine,

the legend of the Dambusters.

From the home of the Dambusters,

the sun goes down behind the Lancaster there,

the enduring symbol of brains and bravery

but also the cost of war.

We wish you a very good night.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd