Im stephen sackur. We are slowly but inevitably losing the generation of men who fought in and survived the last world war. And what we are left with are monuments to courage and to loss like this one in Central London which is dedicated to the 55,000 young men who lost their lives serving in britains Bomber Command. My guest today is 96 year old George Johnny johnson, the last remaining british survivor of one of the most extraordinary and most famous Aerial Missions of world war ii, the dambusters raid. It was costly and it wasnt entirely successful so why has it become such a part of Britains National folklore . Theme music plays johnnyjohnson, welcome to hardtalk. Thank you. I want to begin by asking you whether you feel more pride or sadness that you are the last british dambuster . I think its both. Pride, certainly, because i am still able to support that squadron that ijoined in that time. So many things happened in my favour, or seemed to, i have to remind people i am the luck
Im stephen sackur. We are slowly but inevitably losing the generation of men who fought in and survived the last world war. And what we are left with are monuments to courage and to loss like this one in Central London which is dedicated to the 55,000 young men who lost their lives serving in britains Bomber Command. My guest today is 96 year old George Johnny johnson, the last remaining british survivor of one of the most extraordinary and most famous Aerial Missions of world war ii, the dambusters raid. It was costly and it wasnt entirely successful so why has it become such a part of Britains National folklore . Theme music plays. Johnnyjohnson, welcome to hardtalk. Thank you. I want to begin by asking you whether you feel more pride or sadness that you are the last british dambusters . Or sadness that you are the last british dambuster . I think it is both. Pride, certainly, because i am still able to support that squadron that ijoined in that time. So many things happened in my fa
Im stephen sackur. We are slowly but inevitably losing the generation of men who fought in and survived the last world war. And what we are left with are monuments to courage and to loss like this one in Central London which is dedicated to the 55,000 young men who lost their lives serving in britains Bomber Command. My guest today is 96 year old George Johnny johnson, the last remaining british survivor of one of the most extraordinary and most famous Aerial Missions of world war ii, the dambusters raid. It was costly and it wasnt entirely successful so why has it become such a part of Britains National folklore . Theme music plays. Johnnyjohnson, welcome to hardtalk. Thank you. I want to begin by asking you whether you feel more pride or sadness that you are the last british dambuster . I think it is both. Pride, certainly, because i am still able to support that squadron that ijoined in that time. So many things happened in my favour, or seem to, i have to remind people i am the luc
We are slowly but inevitably losing the generation of men who fought in and survived the last world war. And what we are left with are monuments to courage and to loss like this one in Central London which is dedicated to the 55,000 young men who lost their lives serving in britains Bomber Command. My guest today is 96 year old George Johnny johnson, the last remaining british survivor of one of the most extraordinary and most famous Aerial Missions of world war ii, the dambusters raid. It was costly and it wasnt entirely successful so why has it become such a part of Britains National folklore . Theme music plays. Johnnyjohnson, welcome to hardtalk. Thank you. I want to begin by asking you whether you feel more pride or sadness that you are the last british dambuster . I think it is both. Pride, certainly, because i am still able to support that squadron that ijoined in that time. So many things happened in my favour, or seem to, i have to remind people i am the lucky one. I am still
Assembled bombs and munitions. Sewed parachutes and uniforms and trended wounded troops. One time i worked seven weeks, seven days without a day off. It makes you proud. They were the wives or the sisters of men who were serving. And one of the women i spoke to, she was a riveter. And she said when she was riveting that plane, she was thinking of her brother, and she was thinking, if i dont get this rivet right, just right, he could die. More than just a job. Right. It was an inadvertent resolution. What is it that causes women to suddenly be brought into the armed forces like they were . We couldnt get enough people to go into the armed services. We needed more people. General wilma vaught, the 28 year veteran of the u. S. Air force and one of the most highly decorated military women in United States history. When she retired in 1985, vaught was only one of seven female generals in our armed forces. There is no question in my mind that i owe my career to the women in world war ii. Who