Dam Buster Pilot Interview Sqn Ldr Les Munro | Education Video by World of Military

<p>Les Munro. The last surviving pilot from the Dambusters Raid. Interview filmed in Tauranga, New Zealand. </p><p><br></p><p>Squadron Leader John Leslie (Les) Munro CNZM, DSO, QSO, DFC, JP (born 5 April 1919) is the last surviving pilot of the Dambusters Raid of May 1943.</p><p><br></p><p>Dambusters Raid</p><p>Munro was one of hundreds of aircrew volunteering to be part of the secretive 617 Dambusters Squadron being formed at RAF Scampton, and joined it four days after it was formed, on 25 Mar 1943.</p><p><br></p><p>The squadron was created to attack the dams of the Ruhr in an effort to wreck the industrial capacity of Germany. Of the 19 Lancasters that flew on that full-moon night, only 11 returned. Munro, as pilot of W-Willie, was scheduled to bomb the Sorpe dam. His aircraft was damaged by flak over the Netherlands, which knocked out all communications, and after a vote among the crew it turned back to land in Lincolnshire, still carrying its mine. His DSO was awarded while he was with 617, on 28 March 1943.</p><p><br></p><p>Munro was promoted to Squadron Leader on 14 February 1944 and was posted to command 1690 BDTF Squadron (Bomber Defence Training Flight) on 13 Jul 1944. He