RAF Scampton originally referred to as "Squadron X", was formed at Scampton in order to carry out the proposed raid, codenamed Operation Chastise. More commonly referred to as the "Dambusters Raid", the raid would go down as the most famous and widely remembered in the history of the Royal Air Force. On the night of 16–17 May 1943, 617 Sqn despatched 19 Lancasters from Scampton. Led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, the main bulk of the squadron attacked the Sorpe, Eder and Möhne dams with an additional aircraft tasked to perform an attack on the Schwelm Dam. Both the Eder and Möhne
RAF Scampton Other RAF Scampton is now the home to the Red Arrows, the Control and Reporting Centre Scampton and the Mobile Meteorological Unit. As of 2018 the Red Arrows are the only permanent aircraft based on the station, although it is not uncommon to see RAF aircraft from other stations using Scampton for training operations. The current residents therefore provide a mix of fighter controllers, reservists and aircrew. The Red Arrows fall under No. 22 Group, although RAF Scampton is actually administered by No. 1 Group. The reason for this being that No. 1 Air Control Centre is a No. 1