‘Johnnie’ Johnson, who has died aged 101, was the last surviving Dambuster. He flew as the bomb aimer in Joe McCarthy’s crew and they had completed 19 operations when McCarthy met Guy Gibson who selected him to join ‘X’ Squadron, which became 617 Squadron. McCarthy’s crew were assigned to attack the Sorpe Dam with four others. On start-up. their aircraft was unserviceable and they switched to the spare, delaying them by 35 minutes. In the event, theirs was the only aircraft to reach the Sorpe. They made 10 bombing runs in the wooded terrain before Johnson was satisfied and he dropped the bomb. McCarthy was awarded the DSO and Johnson the DFM. They remained with 617 and went on to complete another 19 operations. After the war, Johnson flew with Coastal Command before retiring in 1962 to become a schoolteacher.

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