One of the most famous air raids of the Second World War was commemorated yesterday by descendants of those who flew the 1943 Dambusters mission and its one surviving pilot.

They gathered at the shores of Derwent Water in the Peak District, which were used to train for the top-secret bombing raid in Germany's Ruhr valley, to watch a Lancaster bomber fly past on the 65th anniversary of the raid.

The original mission, codenamed Operation Chastise, was a triumph of technological innovation and military planning which, although it inflicted only limited long-term damage on Germany's war machine, was an important psychological blow by the Allied forces.

It was immortalised in the 1955 film The Dam Busters, which dramatised the RAF's 617 Squadron's attempt to destroy three dams, using the celebrated "bouncing bomb" invented by Barnes Wallis.

The Lancaster - similar to those originally used - flew three times along the Derwent valley as the centrepiece of a thrilling fly-past. Also taking part were a Spitfire, a Hurricane, two Tornado fighters from the present 617 Squadron, and a Dakota transport plane.

All the planes flew from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire to take part in the anniversary fly-past, which was preceded by a special memorial service on top of the Derwent dam at 10am.

Squadron Leader Les Munro, the last surviving pilot from the mission, was one of the guests of honour. He was accompanied by Michael Gibson, the nephew of Wing Commander Guy Gibson, who led the Dambusters.

During the service Richard Todd, 88, who played the wing commander in The Dam Busters, laid poppies on the water of the reservoir.

On May 16, 1943, 19 aircraft set out to destroy three dams in the Ruhr valley - the Mohne, the Eder and the Sorpe - and so damage a vital source of power to the key industrial area of Germany.

The mission was hailed a success after the Mohne and Eder were breached. But eight aircraft and 53 crew were lost during the raids and the most significant target withstood the attack.

The memorial service on top of the Derwent Dam was attended by about 80 VIP guests, many of whom were involved in the Dambusters mission.

Michael Gibson, 67, from Balsall Common in Warwickshire, a private investigator, is the nephew of Wing Commander Guy Gibson who led the Dambusters. He said: "I think it's fantastic that something like this can be remembered 65 years later when so much of what happened during the war has been forgotten.

"People seem to be more and more interested every year.

"It was a one-off raid that had an immediate result that everyone could relate to and when the film came out it was brilliant.

"I also like to think that perhaps this is a memory to all those unsung heroes of Bomber Command that never get remembered."

Squadron Leader Munro, 89, said: "In a way it's very emotional. I'm not one to get emotional about things but it's very nice to be back here, I'm very pleased to have had the opportunity to attend.

"It does surprise me that people of subsequent generations take part in things like this but it's up to the individual how they react."

Mr Todd added: "It's the most wonderful sight, watching the old Lancaster flying over the dam. It's a wonderful sight and sound.

"It's very exciting, moving and memorable, I just wish the weather had been a little bit kinder. It's very cold but luckily it's good enough for the fly-past to take place."

Andrew Wallis, a musician from Huddersfield, 46, is the grandson of Sir Barnes Wallis, the aircraft engineer who devised and planned the raids.

He said: "We're very humbled in thinking that all these people lost their lives so that we could be here today.

"My grandfather was always very upset about what happened, how many of the pilots and air crew died. It pained him for the rest of his life, that he felt in some way responsible."