617 Squadron
| No. 617 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
617 Squadron badge
|
|
| Active | 21 March 1943 – 15 December 1955 1 May 1958 – 31 December 1981 1 January 1983 – 1 April 2014 |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Branch |
 Royal Air Force
|
| Nickname(s) | The Dambusters |
| Motto(s) |
French: Après moi le déluge ("After me, the flood") |
| Battle honours |
|
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Guy Gibson Leonard Cheshire Willie Tait John Fauquier RCAF |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron badge heraldry | Lightning striking a dam, with water flowing from the breach. |
| Squadron roundel |  |
| Squadron codes |
AJ 1943 - 1946 KC 1943 - 1952 (used alongside AJ) YZ 1945 (only used on aircraft used to carry 'Grand Slam' bombs) AJ Carried on Tornados |
No. 617 Squadron was a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron based at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland. It is commonly known as the "Dambusters", for its actions during Operation Chastise against German dams during the Second World War. In the early 21st century it operated the Tornado GR4 in the ground attack and reconnaissance role until being disbanded in the Spring of 2014. As of 2016[update] it is in the process of forming ahead of standing up in January 2018 as the first British frontline squadron with the F-35 Lightning II.
According to the Squadron's entry in Flying Units of the RAF by Alan Lake, 617 was allocated the unit identification code MZ for the period April to September 1939, even though the unit didn't actually exist at the time.
The squadron was formed under great secrecy at RAF Scampton during the Second World War on 21 March 1943. It included Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force and Royal New Zealand Air Force personnel and was formed for the specific task of attacking three major dams that contributed water and power to the Ruhr industrial region in Germany: the Möhne, Eder and Sorpe. The plan was given the codename Operation Chastise and was carried out on 17 May 1943. The squadron had to develop the tactics to deploy Barnes Wallis's "Bouncing bomb", and undertook some of its training over the dams of the Upper Derwent Valley in Derbyshire, as the towers on the dam walls were similar to those to be found on some of the target dams in Germany.
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