John Emilius Fauquier John Emilius “ Johnny ” Fauquier ( March 19 , 1909 – April 3 , 1981 ) was a Canadian aviator and Second World War Bomber Command leader . He commanded No . 405 Squadron RCAF and later No . 617 Squadron RAF ( the Dambusters ) over the course of the war . A bush pilot , prior to the war , he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force as a flight instructor in 1939 . He joined 405 Squadron in 1941 and would fly operationally for the rest of the war , taking a drop in rank on one occasion to return to active command . During his three tours of operation he participated in Operation " Hydra " and dozens of other sorties over Europe . Early years . John Emilius " Johnny " Fauquier was born at Ottawa , Ontario on March 19 , 1909 , educated at Ashbury College and then entered the investment business at Montreal , Quebec where he joined a flying club . After earning his commercial pilot ' s licence he formed Commercial Airways at Noranda , Quebec and prior to the Second World War had flown some 3 , 000 hours as pilot in command on bush operations . Second World War . He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1939 as a Flight Lieutenant , completed an advanced course and served until mid - 1941 as instructor of British Commonwealth Air Training Plan instructors . After a short period in England at a glider and paratrooper training center , he was posted to No . 405 Squadron RCAF . On returning in difficult weather conditions after bombing Berlin with the squadron on the night of November 7 , 1941 , he was forced to land his plane on a non - operational airfield , and as a result was temporarily suspected to be a spy by the Home Guard . By February 1942 , Fauquier had been promoted to acting Wing Commander and given command of the squadron . He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross ( DFC ) for gallantry . Shortly afterwards he was transferred from operations to the RCAF ' s Overseas Headquarters for staff duties . He then served a short term with No . 6 Group before once more taking command of No . 405 Squadron in February 1942 . During Operation " Hydra " in August 1943 , a bombing raid on a German military research facility at Peenemünde , he acted as deputy master bomber , making 17 passes over the target . He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order ( DSO ) in September 1943 , in part for his leadership during the raid . Soon after that raid he was promoted to acting Group Captain of that squadron , which had become a member of No . 8 ( Pathfinder ) Group . During January 1944 , he flew 38 sorties , completing his second tour of operations with No . 405 Squadron . He was then awarded a Bar to his DSO . After promotion to acting Air Commodore — a rank precluded from operational flying — he was Mentioned in Despatches in December 1944 . He then voluntarily reverted to Group Captain so that he might begin a third tour of operations , this time as commanding officer of No . 617 Squadron RAF ( the Dambusters squadron ) , which he led from December until the end of the war . Under his command the Dambusters conducted raids against submarine pens , viaducts and other targets . With the end of the war in Europe , he was awarded a second Bar to his DSO for his command of 617 Squadron . Spencer Dunmore , a historian and novelist , remembers Fauquier in his history of Canada ' s Air Force during World War II : After the war . After the war was over , Fauquier returned to private business . He was inducted into Canada ' s Aviation Hall of Fame in 1974 . On July 4 , 1964 Fauquier traveled to Calgary , Alberta with Minister of Defence Paul Hellyer , to observe the last official RCAF flight of an Avro Lancaster . This Lancaster , KB - 976 , was captained by F / L Lynn Garrison with F / L Ralph Langemann as his co - pilot . Other crew members were Captain E . J . McGoldrick , F / O Brian B . McKay , and Jimmy Sutherland , a wartime Lancaster flight engineer . Fauquier died on April 3 , 1981 .