The Augsburg raid: The story of one of the most dramatic and dangerous raids ever mounted by RAF Bomber Command

by Jack Currie

The Augsburg The Story of One of the Most Dramatic and Dangerous Raids Ever Mounted by RAF Bomber Command

144 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1987

About the author

Currie was born in Sheffield but moved as a child to Harrow, London. On leaving school he took a variety of jobs including being a cartoonist for the Harrow Observer and singer with a dance band. On the outbreak of war he volunteered for the RAF and having been successful in the aptitude tests was placed on the deferred service list. While waiting for his call up Currie found full time employment as a stretcher bearer/ambulance driver for Harrow council's rescue team, this was in addition to voluntary activity as an ARP runner.

Jack was called up in 1941 and after initial training was sent to the USA for pilot training under the Arnold Scheme. Narrowly avoiding being failed at primary flying school for low flying, Currie earned his wings and returned to the UK in late 1942 and was posted to Bomber Command with the rank of sergeant. With a crew assembled during the period at Operational Training Unit and final training at a Heavy Conversion Unit they were posted, in June 1943 to 12 Squadron based at RAF Wickenby. 12 Squadron had started the war flying the Fairey Battle and later the Vickers Wellington but since 1942 had been equipped with the Avro Lancaster. The crew consisted of one officer; the navigator, Pilot Officer Cassidy and six NCOs; Sergeant Currie (pilot), Flight Sergeant Myring (bomb aimer), Sergeant Walker (flight engineer), Sergeant Fairbairn (wireless operator), Sergeant Protheroe (mid upper gunner) and Sergeant Lanham (rear gunner). All were on their first operational tour, Cassidy, Myring and Lanham were Australian and the other four British.

Currie's first operation was as second pilot to one of the squadron's more experienced pilots on an bombing operation to Cologne on 3 July 1943, his first operation with his own crew was a mine-laying operation (known as "gardening") in the Bay of Biscay on 6 July 1943.

In August Jack was commissioned as a Pilot Officer (back dated to 4 July), the same month on a mission to attack Hamburg the Lancaster they were flying was caught in severe weather conditions, so bad that Currie did give preparatory instructions to bail out. The aircraft lost 10,000 feet (3,048 m) before Currie regained control and managed to fly the aircraft home despite the loss of aileron control. For this episode an award of the Distinguished Flying Cross was made to Currie, Cassidy and Lanham and the Distinguished Flying Medal to Fairbairn.

Soon after the crew took part in the raid on Peenemünde where they scored their only aerial combat victory, when Protheroe shot down a German night fighter.

Part way through the tour Currie and his crew became part of the newly formed 626 Squadron still based at Wickenby for the rest of their tour, which completed in early 1944. Lanham's tour finished slightly earlier as he had completed 9 operations before joining Currie and the rest.

After a period of leave Currie was posted to 1662 Heavy Conversion Unit based at RAF Blyton and qualified as an instructor flying the Handley Page Halifax. Promoted to Flying Officer (Probationary), he spent several months at Blyton before being posted to RAF Sandtoft.

After the war, Currie worked in civil defence and became an author of several works on the Second World War.

Reviews

[dist]

I read this over a 7 hour journey from Southern England to Scotland by train. I enjoyed it, even the dialogue parts. I woudn't say I'm a fan of WW2 aviation, but I found the book interesting enough to not put down until I had finished it.