 Air Commodore John Emilius " Johnny " Fauquier DSO & Two Bars , DFC ( March 19 , 1909 – April 3 , 1981 ) was a Canadian aviator and Second World War Bomber Command leader . He commanded No. 405 Squadron RCAF and later No. 617 Squadron RAF ( the Dambusters ) over the course of the war . A bush pilot , prior to the war , he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force as a flight instructor in 1939 . He then joined 405 Squadron in 1941 and would fly operationally for the rest of the war , taking a drop in rank on one occasion to return to active command . During his three tours of operation he participated in Operation Hydra and dozens of other sorties over Europe . 
