Wing Commander Guy Gibson VC, DSO and Bar seen with his wife at Buckingham Palace to receive the Victoria CRoss and bar to the DSO, handed to him by Queen Elizabeth. Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson, VC, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar (12 August 1918 ? 19 September 1944), was the first Commanding Officer of the Royal Air Force's No. 617 Squadron, which he led in the "Dam Busters" raid (Operation Chastise) in 1943, resulting in the destruction of two large dams in the Ruhr area. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, and in June 1943 became the most highly decorated serviceman in the country, but lost his life later in the war. He had completed over 170 operations at the age of 26.