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MARKING ANNIVERSARY: A Lancaster from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight flies over the Derwent dam yesterday

A LANCASTER bomber swooped over a Peak District reservoir yesterday to mark the 65th anniversary of the Dambusters raid.

The Lancaster - similar to the one used by the RAF's 617 Squadron to bomb three German dams in 1943 - flew three times along the Derwent valley as the centrepiece of the flypast, which also featured a Spitfire, a Hurricane, two Tornado fighters, from the present 617 Squadron, and a Dakota transport plane.

All the aircraft flew from RAF Coningsby, in Lincolnshire.

The Derwent dam was used by the Dambusters to train ahead of their mission to destroy the dams in Germany's Ruhr valley.

On March 17, 1943, 617 Squadron the Dambusters was formed at RAF Scampton, in Lincolnshire.

Drawing on hand-picked crews from Britain, the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, the squadron's mission was to damage three dams in Germany's Ruhr valley that provided a vital source of power to the country's industrial region.

The Dambusters had to fly at a height of 60ft, so the mines they were carrying would bounce over the water before hitting the dams' walls and sinking 30ft. The mines would then explode, causing the dams' walls to be breached, releasing millions of tons of water into valleys below.

On the night of May 16, 1943, 19 Lancaster bombers, led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, set off for Germany with the aim of destroying the Mohne, the Eder and the Sorpe dams.

Two of the dams, the Eder and the Mohne, were breached, releasing 300 million tons of water, and the parapet of the Sorpe dam was damaged, although there was no breach.

But 53 servicemen lost their lives. They included 20-yearold navigator Tom Jaye, from Crook, County Durham, who died when his plane was shot down over Holland.

Another three airmen were taken captive after the raid.

The squadron's bravery earned it 33 decorations, including the Victoria Cross for Wing Commander Gibson.

Squadron Leader Les Munro, the last surviving pilot from the mission, was one of the guests of honour at yesterday's service.

As the roar of the Lancaster's engines echoed across the lake, Squadron Leader Munro, 89, joined enthusiasts to relive memories of the daring raid, which used the celebrated "bouncing bomb" invented by Barnes Wallis.

He said: "It's very nice to be back here, I'm very pleased to have had the opportunity to attend."

Squadron Leader Munroe was accompanied by Michael Gibson, the nephew of Wing Commander Gibson.

"I think it's fantastic that something like this can be remembered 65 years later, when so much of what happened during the war has been forgotten," said the 67- year-old, from Balsall Common, in Warwickshire.

"I also like to think that perhaps this is a memory to all those unsung heroes of Bomber Command who never get remembered."

During the service actor Richard Todd, who played Wing Commander Gibson in the 1955 film The Dam Busters, laid poppies on the water of the reservoir.

Then, after two wreaths had been laid in the gatehouse of the dam, the Lancaster bomber came into view at the top of the Derwent Valley and flew at 100ft between the two towers of the dam.

7:47am Saturday 17th May 2008

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