Final mission of the Dambusters is rained off: Lancaster flypast cancelled as famous squadron is disbanded after 71 years
-
•The unit is still at the forefront of the RAF 71 years and five fleets after the 1943 raid on the River Ruhr, Germany
-
•It has flew its last mission in January in Afghanistan before its current fleet of Tornado GR4 jets is replaced
-
•617 Squadron made its name in the audacious Dambusters raid on the Rhur in the Second World War
-
•Wing Commander Guy Gibson led the unit in spring 1943 with less than two months to plan his attack
-
•The famous unit will reform in 2016 when its Tornado GR4 aircraft are upgraded to new Lightning II fighters
-
•Planned
By Leon Watson
PUBLISHED: 15:26, 28 March 2014 | UPDATED: 19:57, 28 March 2014
The RAF's legendary Dambusters squadron - sent on the most daring missions during World War II - was given full military honours today before it is disbanded.
Created during the Second World War, 617 Squadron carried out fearless 'bouncing bomb' attacks which breached dams in industrial heartlands of Nazi Germany.
But after 71 years, five new fleets of planes and thousands of missions later, the squadron is being stood down for only the third time in its history on April 1 to have its Tornado GR4 aircraft upgraded to new Lightning II fighters.
Today, a ceremony attended by Prince Andrew was held at the unit's base at RAF Lossiemouth near Inverness, Scotland, to mark the occasion. A flypast by an original Lancaster bomber was due to take place but was cancelled due to the weather.
Scroll down for video
Top brass: Personnel 617 squadron the Dambusters and their sister squadron 12 take part in a disbandment parade at RAF Lossiemouth
The band of the Royal Air Force join personnel from 617 squadron the Dambusters and their sister squadron 12 prepare to take part in a disbandment parade
617 squadron was formed at RAF Scampton on 21 March 1943, specifically for the task of destroying the major dams in west Germany
The Squadron will reform in 2016 and will have both RAF and Royal Navy personnel and fly the new F-35B Lightning II joint strike fighter
The squadron will receive its sixth new fleet of planes, replacing its aging Tornado GR4s with the Lightning II stealth fighter in 2016 and move to its new location, RAF Marham in Norfolk.
Until then 617 Squadron will be no more. In January crew members took their last flight aboard 617's current fleet - from Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan.
The air force's most famous squadron took over aerial reconnaissance there in November and has flown more than 400 missions. Now its crew members will disperse to join other squadrons or become flight instructors.
Officer Commanding 617 Squadron, Wing Commander David Arthurton, said: 'The spirit and ethos of the Dambusters survives to this day and will go on.
'In 1943, 617 Squadron delivered weapons against the dams in Germany, while in recent times we have continued to use precision flying in Afghanistan, delivering close air support in the protection of troops on the ground.
'The good news is that the Dambusters will not be forgotten - they will reform in 2018 as the RAF's first Lightning II Squadron. It's a sad day, but seeing the current members of 617 Squadron lined up on the parade square was an exceptionally proud moment for me as their commanding officer.'
In May 2013, two of the surviving Dambuster airmen 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.
Despite the very modern nature of the task in hand, the crew could not forget their past - the image of water pouring from a broken dam is inscribed on their badge.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York inspects RAF personnel from 617 squadron the Dambusters and their sister squadron 12
The air force's most famous squadron will disperse to join other squadrons or become flight instructors
The unit has been through several transformations to keep up with the times. It began with Lancaster bombers and received Lincolns the year after the war ended
Historic: Jets from the famous 617 Squadron flew from Khandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, for the final time before the squadron is disbanded for only the third time in its history
The unit is still at the forefront of the RAF 71 years and five fleets after the 1943 raid on the River Ruhr, Germany
The unit is still at the forefront of the RAF 71 years and five fleets after the 1943 raid on the River Ruhr, Germany
The squadron is being stood down for only the third time in its history on April 1 to have its Tornado GR4 aircraft upgraded to new Lightning II fighters
Britain's new Lightning II jet piloted last year by RAF Squadron Leader, Jim Schofield at Fort Worth, Texas
Pride: 617 Squadron has used Tornado jets (left), a leap in technology from the famous bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis (right), who was later knighted
FROM OLD TO NEW: HOW 617'S FAMOUS LANCASTER COMPARES TO THE TORNADO GR4
First flight: January 9, 1941
Engines: 4 × Rolls-Royce Merlin XX V12 engines
Thrust: 1,460 HP each
Max speed: 280mph
Length: 69 ft. 5 in.
Max altitude: 23,500ft
Span: 102ft
Aircrew: 7
Armament: The Lancaster bomber came with eight .30 in (7.7 mm) machine guns, 14,000lbs of bombs and depending on range, a 22,000lb Grand Slam bomb
First flight: April 4, 1997
Engines: Two RR RB199 Mk103 turbofans
Thrust: 16,000lbs each
Max speed: 1.3Mach
Length: 17.23m
Max altitude: 50,000ft
Span: 28ft
Aircrew: 2
Armament: Storm Shadow, DMS and Legacy Brimstone, , AIM-9L Sidewinder, Paveway II, Paveway III, Enhanced Paveway, Paveway IV, Mauser 27mm Cannon, ASRAAM
Born into battle at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, with just a few weeks' notice of its star mission, the unit has been through several transformations to keep up with the times. It began with Lancaster bombers and received Lincolns the year after the war ended.
In 1952 defence chiefs provided Canberras, the first jet-powered light bomber to enter mass production in Britain. The Squadron then disbanded in 1955, re-entering service two and a half years later with a new fleet of Vulcans which lasted almost 30 years.
In 1981 it disbanded again to replace the Vulcan bombers with a fleet of Tornado GR1 jets, which were later upgraded to GR4s.
Although no mission would match the notoriety of the Dambusters, 617 Squadron saw service for many high-profile tasks.
It made the first use of the RAF's cruise missile Storm Shadow during the invasion of Iraq in April 2003.
Daring raid: The Dambusters in action during the Second World War
Rushed: Dr Barnes Wallis (right) had very little time to test his bouncing bomb, which skimmed the surface of the water before impacting low on the dams. It was tested off the British coast in top secret conditions, so confidential that even Wing Commander Gibson was not told the full nature of his mission until shortly before
The Squadron was formed on March 21, 1943, with Wing Commander Guy Gibson tasked to recruit top fliers from other squadrons.
For weeks not even he was told of the task - only that it was essential to be able to fly low over water.
They trained by flying over the dams and reservoirs of Derbyshire while the bouncing bombs, designed by Barnes Wallis, were tested off the Kent coast.
The crews were tasked with breaching four huge dams on the river Ruhr, the heart of German industry and crucial to the Nazi war effort.
In just a few precious weeks, top-secret tests had shown the bomb had to be dropped at exactly 220mph, 60ft above the water in order to skim across the surface.
Heroes: All of the 113 men who took part in the 'Dambusters' raid of 1943 pictured together
Nineteen modified Lancaster bombers flew into enemy territory on the night of May 16, with Gibson deliberately using his own plane to draw away German aircraft while his team undertook their task.
Eight of the aircraft and their crews were lost, and two of the four dams - Mohne and Eder - were breached.
Upon their return, the crew were honoured for the danger they had faced, the short time they had to prepare and the audacity of what they had done.
The last surviving member from that night, Squadron Leader George 'Johnny' Johnson, 91, recently revealed how he celebrated - with a nice cup of tea.
The Tornado GR4 jets are now set to return to RAF Lossiemouth as the Dambusters story fades into memory for another two years, before it rises again, ready to fight another day.
RAF Bomber Command in World War II. Guy Gibson, centre, with the air crews who took part in the raid on Cologne. Guy Gibson won the Victoria Cross for his bravery during the Dambusters raid
How the Daily Mail reported the Dambusters raid on May 18, 1943
DAMBUSTERS: THE NIGHT-TIME RAID THAT MADE GUY GIBSON A NATIONAL HERO
Gibson was the perfect choice to lead the 617 Squadron - colloquially dubbed 'the Dambusters'.
He had a flawless record, leadership skills and could fly the new Lancaster. He took control of the mission with no idea what was to come.
Unusually, the 24-year-old was given the authority to pick his own team. Gibson flew only the Dambusters raid with 617 Squadron despite them flying more precision bombing missions after.
The success of the Dambusters made Gibson the most highly decorated pilot in the RAF and gave him a place in history.
He was awarded the Victoria Cross - the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Usually, former commanders moved on to senior office-based roles to see out the rest of the war after a successful raid. Army leaders and politicians encouraged him to do so - if he was captured or killed it would have seriously damaged British moral.
But Gibson insisted on operational duty. He was initially posted at a Lincolnshire bomber base at East Kirkby on a strictly non-operational basis.
However, after persistent pestering from Gibson, they decided to let him lead a bomber squadron into Germany.
On September 19th 1944, Gibson led a huge force into Germany to attack railways and industrial targets at Monchengladbach and Rheydt.
Gibson did not return from the operation in his Mosquito.
Mystery and controversy have surrounded his crash ever since.
He orchestrated the attack and ordered the bombers home but was then never heard from again. His Mosquito was seen plunging into the ground at Steenbergen in Holland. Part of his remains were later found.
Air Marshal Arthur Harris openly regretted his decision to let Gibson out into the field again.
Sir Barnes Wallis, who invented the bouncing bomb, described Gibson, saying: 'For some men of great courage and adventure, inactivity was a slow death. Would a man like Gibson ever have adjusted back to peacetime life?
'One can imagine it would have been a somewhat empty existence after all he had been through. Facing death had become his drug. He had seen countless friends and comrades perish in the great crusade.
'Perhaps something in him even welcomed the inevitability he had always felt that before the war ended he would join them in their Bomber Command Valhalla.
'He had pushed his luck beyond all limits and he knew it. But that was the kind of man he was… A man of great courage, inspiration and leadership. A man born for war…but born to fall in war.'
Dambuster squadron set to disband
ONE OF BRITAIN'S BEST LOVED FILMS: THE STORY OF 617 SQUADRON
The Dam Busters film was an instant classic as soon as it hit the movie screens in 1955. Nearly 60 years later, it continues to be a big favourite that is often repeated.
Starring Michael Redgrave and Richard Todd, and directed by Michael Anderson, the film recreates the true story of Operation Chastise when in 1943 the RAF's 617 Squadron attacked the Möhne, Eder and Sorpe dams in Germany with Barnes Wallis's 'bouncing bomb'.
It was based on the books The Dam Busters (1951) by Paul Brickhill and Enemy Coast Ahead (1946) by Guy Gibson.
However, controversially, the film included the name of the squadron's wing commander Guy Gibson's black Labrador, which he gave a racially offensive name.
The beloved dog was the mascot for RAF 617 squadron and was mentioned 12 times. It was run over and killed during the planning of the raids, and was buried at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire - from where the operation was launched and therefore a crucial part of the plot.
The film's reflective last minutes convey the poignant mix of emotions felt by the characters – triumph over striking a successful blow against the enemy's industrial base is greatly tempered by the sobering knowledge that many died in the process of delivering it.
The main theme music, the Dambusters March by Eric Coates, is for many synonymous with the film, as well as with the exploit itself.
As a reminder of British success, it remains a favourite military band item at flypasts and can be heard at football games during England matches.
One version released featured dialogue extracts from the film (specifically, the bombing run scene).
The flight sequences of the film were shot using real Avro Lancaster bombers supplied by the RAF.
The aircraft, four of the final production B.VIIs, had to be taken out of storage and specially modified by removing the mid-upper gun turrets to mimic 617 Squadron's special aircraft, and cost £130 per hour to run, which amounted to a tenth of the film's costs.
A number of Avro Lincoln bombers were also used as "set dressing."[2] (An American cut was made more dramatic by depicting an aircraft flying into a hill and exploding. This version used stock footage from Warner Brothers of a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, not a Lancaster.)
The Upper Derwent Valley in Derbyshire (the test area for the real raids) doubled as the Ruhr valley for the film.
The scene where the Dutch coast is crossed was filmed between Boston, Lincolnshire and King's Lynn, Norfolk, and other coastal scenes near Skegness. Additional aerial footage was shot above Windermere, in the Lake District.
The film was the most popular film at the British box office in 1955. As of 2013, The Dam Busters currently holds 100 per cent maximum approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with a four and a half star rating (7.2/10) on IMDb.