The RAF's elite 617 Squadron, nicknamed the Dambusters, flew 19 Lancaster bombers into Nazi Germany and destroyed two Ruhr valley dams with their revolutionary "bouncing bombs".
On the 65th anniversary of Operation Chastise, as the mission was codenamed, this picture shows the cockpit of the oldest surviving Lancaster, S-Sugar.
Now on display at RAF Hendon, she flew in 137 Second World War raids – more than any other aircraft.
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The cockpit of S-Sugar, the oldest surviving Lancaster
She is 69ft 6in long, 19ft 7in high, has a wingspan of 102ft and was powered by four Merlin 1,280hp engines.
She had a top speed of 287mph, carried a crew of seven and could drop up to 22,000lb of bombs.
The crew comprised a bomb aimer, who lay in the nose of the plane, the pilot, who sat behind and above him, with a flight engineer on a collapsible "dicky" seat to his right.
Behind were a navigator, radio operator, mid-upper gunner and rear gunner.
RAF Hendon's Richard Simpson said: "The Lancaster is an iconic plane and this one is particularly important. It's the oldest, and has the greatest operational history."
Originally called Q-Queenie, S-Sugar did not take part in the Dambusters raids of May 16, 1943, when the Lancasters flew just 60ft above the water before dropping their deadly cargo.
Eight aircraft were lost that day and 53 of the 133 men who took part did not return.
• A new book about the Dambusters, Breaching The German Dams: Flying Into History, was published on Friday and is available from RAF Hendon.
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