A picture taken in 1944 during WWII shows allied bombers flying above the Tirpitz, Germany's biggest battleship, sailing in a Norwegian fjord. Photo: AFP / NTB Scanpix
A service has been held for the last surviving pilot of the World War II Dambusters Squadron.
Arthur Joplin, 99, known to his comrades as Joppy, was a volunteer Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) pilot during World War II, who helped defeat a critical threat for the allies.
In October of 1944, Joplin and his squadron launched their first attack on the German battleship, the Tirpitz, in Norway.
A second attack was launched two weeks later which saw the boat sunk, eliminating a key threat to the allies.
The entire mission took 13 hours of flying to complete.
The Bomber Command Association's Lindsay Mouat said Joplin leaves behind a lasting legacy.
"A couple of representatives from the air force spoke at the service, and they said that the current generation of air force have been built on the shoulders of Joppy, and the other 6000 New Zealanders who served in Bomber Command," he said.
The service was held in Auckland on Monday.