Home / Squadron / 617 Squadron

617 Squadron

Aprés moi, le déluge – (After me, the flood)

Badge: On a roundel, a wall in fesse, fracted by three flashes of lightning in pile and issuant from the breach water proper – approved by King George VI in March 1944. The broken dam is indicative of the successful attack on the Rhur dams in May 1943.


Formed at Scampton on 21 March 1943 specifically to undertake one operation – Operation Chastise – the breaching of German dams. Equipped with Vulcans at Scampton from May 1958 to December 1981.

Dear Reader

Thank you for taking an interest in this article.
Did you know that Vulcan to the Sky is a charity? We rely on merchandise sales and donations from you, the supporter, to enable us to look after XH558 and tell her story.
Please help us to keep delivering articles of interest to you by donating below, or alternatively visit our Shop or see what projects we currently have on.

Related Articles

Early Vulcan Flying… Another view

Mr. Alan Ainsworth, was on the Flight Test and development Team of AV Roe – read on for an interesting account of the early days, with yet another mention of “that roll” I first met the Vulcan early in 1956…

Early Vulcan Flying… Another view

Journals

First Flight of the First Production Vulcan B.1, XA889

On 4 February 1955, the first production Vulcan B.1, XA889, made its maiden flight, flying with the original Vulcan wing design. In September 1955, Avro test pilot, Wing Commander ‘Roly’ Falk flew the second production Vulcan B.1, XA890, at the…

First Flight of the First Production Vulcan B.1, XA889

Historical

VTST Volunteer Malcolm Stainforth

They say it takes a village to raise a child, well it certainly takes an army of supporters and volunteers to look after a heritage aircraft. One of the volunteers who gives his time to ensure that Avro Vulcan XH558…

VTST Volunteer Malcolm Stainforth

Journals

Cold War Stories: Operation Gold / Stopwatch

On 19 October 1945, just over two months after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, English writer George Orwell’s essay, “You and the Atomic Bomb” , was published in a British newspaper. This is thought to be the origin of the term ‘cold war’.  The Cold…

Cold War Stories: Operation Gold / Stopwatch

Historical

Adrian Sumner

Someone with a true understanding and passion for the Vulcan is retired Wing Commander Adrian Sumner, who has flown around the world in this aircraft. Now a volunteer at the Vulcan to the Sky Trust, he explains his remarkable journey…

Adrian Sumner

Journals

Britain’s Nuclear Deterrent Development – Part Two

On 2 August 1939, the US President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, received a letter written by Leó Szilárd, a Hungarian-German-American physicist and inventor who conceived the nuclear chain reaction in 1933 and patented the idea of a non-fission nuclear reactor in…

Britain’s Nuclear Deterrent Development – Part Two

Historical

JOIN US

Stay up to date with all of the latest news and updates

Vulcan to the Sky swoosh

The Vulcan to the Sky Trust is registered with the Fundraising Regulator.

Registered address: Vulcan to the Sky Trust, Unit 4 Delta Court, Third Avenue, Doncaster Sheffield Airport, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN9 3GN Company No. 4478686. Charity Reg No. 1101948