No. 617 Squadron RAF that New Zealand film director Peter Jackson and David Frost would co-produce a re-make of the film. It has been scripted by Stephen Fry and will be directed by Christian Rivers. The last living Dam Buster pilot at the time, New Zealander Les Munro (1919-2015), offered his services as a technical adviser. In 2010 the National Archives released documents that showed it was considered using 617 Squadron to target the Italian leader Mussolini in July or August 1943. The British believed if Mussolini was killed it might take Italy out of the war. It would have been a flight carried
David Cooper (RAF officer) David Cooper (RAF officer) Air Vice Marshal David John Edwin Cooper CBE is a senior Royal Air Force officer. Cooper was commissioned into the Royal Air Force on 27 March 1988. He became officer commanding No. 617 Squadron RAF in April 2008. He went on to be Station Commander RAF Marham in November 2011, Director Air Operations for NATO in November 2013 and Joint Force Air Component Commander in Afghanistan in November 2014. He was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service for service on this tour. He became the Air Officer Commanding No. 2 Group RAF in June 2017.