To mark the 75th anniversary of Operation ‘Chastise’, Britain at War were privileged to interview Britain’s last surviving Dambuster, Squadron Leader George ‘Johnny’ Johnson, MBE, DFM, who gave a candid account of his part in that heroic operation.
As he approached the Royal dais for his investiture as a Member of The British Empire (MBE) in September 2017, George ‘Johnny’ Johnson swelled with justifiable pride as Her Majesty The Queen beamed him her smile and remarked: ‘Ah, here comes the Dambuster!’ For ‘Johnny’, it was the ultimate accolade in a life spent serving country and community. Indeed, the award of MBE was specifically for his services to community - albeit the public impression, gained through UK news coverage, was that the honour was to recognise his part in Operation ‘Chastise’.
For Johnny, joining up to fight was something he knew he had to do: ‘I was anxious to fight. Hitler had started this all and he needed sorting out. We were under threat. Everything we stood for; our country, our families and our way of life was threatened. He couldn’t be allowed to win. For me, and many others, there was no alternative. We were in a pickle, and something had to be done.’
Having joined-up, his in…
