Number 617 Squadron
virtual Officer Commanding: vWg Cdr Steve Harrison
Stationed at RAF Lossiemouth and flying the Panavia Tornado GR4, Number 617 Squadron is probably the best known Squadron in the RAF, behind the Red Arrows. It earned it's nickname of "The Dambusters" during the Second World War during it's attacks on the Möhne, Eder and Sorpe dams on the Ruhr.
A particularly notable attack was the sinking of the Tirpitz. Tirpitz had been moved into a fjord in northern Norway where she threatened the Arctic convoys and was too far north to be attacked by air from the UK. She had already been damaged by an attack by Royal Navy midget submarines and a series of attacks from carrier-borne aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm, but both attacks had failed to sink her. 
The task was given to No. 9 and No. 617 Squadrons, who operated from a staging base in Russia to attack Tirpitz with Tallboy bombs. They damaged her so extensively that she was forced to head south to Tromsö fjord to be repaired. This fjord was in range of bombers operating from Scotland, and from there, in October, she was attacked again, but cloud cover thwarted the attack. Finally on 12 November 1944, the two squadrons attacked Tirpitz. The first bombs missed their target, but following aircraft scored three direct hits in quick succession. Within ten minutes of the first bomb hitting the Tirpitz she turned turtle. Both squadrons claim that it was their bombs that actually sank the Tirpitz, however we will never know.
Previous aircraft operated
-Avro Lancaster - 1943
-Avro Lincoln - 1946
-English Electric Canberra - 1952
-Avro Vulcan - 1958
-Panavia Tornado - 1983
Today's vRAF 617 Sqn are extreamly proud of our real world history and aim to continue the squadrons excellent record into the virtual future.
617 Sqn are the vRAFs lead element in spearheading attacks on enemy positions and providing reconnaissance intelligence, they operate with extreme accuracy and pin-point precision and have a reputation for being the best formation flyers in the vRAF. This is, however, contested by other squadrons!
