The NZPA site is running this:

Les Munro, 87, of Tauranga is the only surviving pilot from the 1943 Dam Buster Raid on dams in the Ruhr Valley in the industrial heartland of Germany, He said Kiwi film maker Peter Jackson needs to get the casting and the facts right for his $80 million movie remake of the famous World War 2 raid, Tauranga, New Zealand, Friday, September 01, 2006. Credit: NZPA/John Peterson.

I was beginning to think I was on the wrong forum. The traditional Naval officers arguement was defined as “starting with a definite statement, followed by a flat contradiction and usually ending in personal abuse”.
Excellent nom de guerre Dilip and good to see your reasoned summary of events covering all that work. I’m waiting for the documentary with some trepidation.

Remeber the Lancastria? That’s what happens without air superiority in June 1940.

For those of us who live outside the UK and won’t see the programme, please post here afterwards who the culprit really was. My money is on the butler…

I’m with Dave on this, in fact if anyone can make or get me a legitimate copy (for research purposes only of course) of the programme I’d be most grateful – send me a PM and we’ll sort out the postage. The producer promised to send me notice and a copy but as I haven’t heard I suspect I’ll have to go the long way round.

Fair comments JDK. I met Douglas Bader twice, once as an 18-year-old visiting London and after dinner at his place in Petersham Mews, I had to catch a train back home. Time was short so he drove the wrong side of a traffic island to save a few seconds and said “You know what rules are for old boy..” It was very exciting to a lad from the colonies as you can imagine , he was a superb host and raconteur and he drove me down to Duxford to stay with Johnnie Johnson (AVM?) a few days later… (All this because my Dad served with him.)
The second time, he was visiting Christchurch NZ and he had me invited to a celebration luncheon at the Brevet Club. He ignored all the top dignitaries present, stomped to the back of the crowd and dragged me up to the top table. “This lad sits next to me, you’ll have to move,” and he had the whole seating reshuffled. As you can imagine, there were feathers well ruffled and while acutely embarrassed I was his friend forever. To me those episodes were the epitome of the man and I can well appreciate both the supporters and detractors.