The last surviving Dambusters pilot has died at the age of 96.
Squadron Leader Les Munro, part of the RAF's 617 Squadron, passed away last night in Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand.
He had been in hospital with heart problems.
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Munro’s squadron carried out the "bouncing bomb" raid during the Second World War.
Flying from RAF Scampton near Lincoln in 1943, 19 bombers headed for Germany to destroy three dams in the Ruhr valley.
The crews dropped bombs over the water which then exploded at the base of the dam walls. They managed to breach the Eder and the Mohne dams and release 300 million tonnes of water, but the Sorpe dam was only damaged.
Munro’s bomber was hit by a flak over the Netherlands but made it home. Only 77 of the 133 crew that set off returned.
His friend Ron Mayhill said Munro's death was a “surprise” and “real disappointment”.
“He was a fine man, not just because he was famous as part of the Dambusters but as a man and as a person he was a very fine person,” he said.
“He got decorations in civil as well as military life. He was a justice of the peace, he was a local councillor, he was a mayor. His life was all about service.”
Munro had been a patron of the New Zealand Bomber Command Association.
In a statement on the association’s Facebook page, Dave Homewood wrote: “I have extremely sad news. Our New Zealand Bomber Command Association Patron, and well known Dambuster pilot, Les Munro passed away last night following a spell in hospital with heart problems. So, so sad. He was a mighty man.”
Homewood told the BBC that Munro was “very modest about what he did during the war”.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key paid tribute to Munro. He tweeted: “Really sad to hear of Les Munro’s death, New Zealand has lost a remarkable man who led a remarkable life.”
Additional reporting by PA
