The last surviving pilot of 617 squadron who took part in the dambusters raid has died.
The bravery of these men should never be forgotten, even if what they did had little effect on the outcome of the war.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-33769486
Blue Skies, Sqn Ldr Munro. To go on such a raid must've taken bravery and courage seldom seen in the modern world. It's a scandal that many Bomber Command crew were branded with Lack of Moral Fibre (LMF) once they finally broke down with what we now know as PTSD and couldn't face going on 'ops' any more.
The raid may not have had any significant immediate military effect on the war, but less materially and longer-term its' effects were profound:
1. It demonstrated to our Allies (USA and USSR), that we were capable of mounting major operations on our own
2. It pioneered forming squadrons and units for special missions. 617 Squadron is now a household name because of this raid, and those on the Tirpitz etc.
3. At a time when Bomber Command had been hammered by the Butt Report for only 1 in 5 bombs landing within MILES of the target, it was a demonstration of precision bombing
4. It was a great morale boost to the country, at a time when the war was going pretty badly for the Allies, in Asia and North Africa and no inroads into Europe
5. The Germans were forced to divert men and material from war production to repairing the dam and making good the damage in the Ruhr valley, with a detrimental effect on output.
I'm grateful that we had many such brave men as Les on our side in WW2.