Dambusters

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The nickname of the RAF Squadron 617 airmen who carried out the 1943 raid breaching German dams in the Ruhr valley
2. Name given to the British bomber crews of Squadron 617 who destroyed German dams during a famous Second World War raid
3. Refers to the Royal Air Force aircrew of Squadron 617 whose low-level attack on Ruhr reservoirs in 1943 became legendary

Etymology: Dambusters is the plural of dambuster, a compound of "dam" and "buster." "Buster" comes from "bust," meaning to break or smash, so a dambuster is something that breaks open a dam. The name became famous through a wartime bombing raid on German dams, when crews attacked the dams with specially designed bouncing bombs. Since then, the plural has been applied to that squadron and its raid, though its basic sense remains the literal one: those who break dams.