New Zealander John Leslie Munro - known as Les - was born in Gisborne in 1919, and died in Tauranga last night after a short illness.
He joined the Royal Air Force during World War Two - in 1941. When he volunteered for the legendary 617 Squadron two years later, he had already flown 21 bombing missions.
The 24-year-old was one of two New Zealanders selected for the bombing raid on Germany's Ruhr Valley hydro dams - the other was wireless operator Len Chambers.
He was among 19 pilots - among 133 crew - who flew a top-secret mission and became known as the Dambusters.
They set out to smash the Moehne and Eder Dams on the night of 16 May 1943. They used so-called bouncing bombs, designed by Barnes Wallis, which skimmed the surface of the dam lakes before sinking at the walls and exploding.
The wrecked dams flooded the Ruhr Valley, the industrial heart of Nazi Germany, and severely affected water and electricity supplies.
Of the 19 bombers that left England on the raid, only 11 returned. Mr Munro's was one of them - although he had been unable to complete the mission, having been hit by flak over the Dutch coast.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/280470/tributes-paid-to-last-dambusters-pilot
No comments:
Post a Comment