Jack Currie Livres

This is a welcome reissue of a book which has been described as one of the best accounts about life in Bomber Command during World War II. Lancaster Target is the classic story of one crew's fight to survive a full tour of operations in the night skies of wartime Europe. Flying Lancaster bombers from RAF Wickenby in Lincolnshire between 1943 and 1944, Jack Currie chronicles the life and death struggles against flak, night fighters and perilous weather with clarity and feeling, whilst capturing the 'live for the moment' spirit of off-duty escapades Jack Currie DFC served as a stretcher bearer and later ambulance driver during the London Blitz before gaining his wings in the USA. Having completed his first perilous operational tour of 30 missions in Lancaster's, he went on to serve as a Pathfinder Mosquito pilot. He remained in the RAF after the war eventually reaching the rank of Squadron Leader. After he left the service, he became a renowned aviation writer and broadcaster and appeared in a number of TV and video productions.

A reconstruction, in words and pictures, of the Allied air campaign against Nazi Germany during World War II. It documents the Anglo-American day-night bombing offensive, with contemporary photographs and interviews of those who took part.

More so than even the sea, the world of aviation has spawned an amazing store of tales of ghosts, the supernatural and inexplicable events, ghostly bombers and phantom aircrew on long-deserted airfields, prophetic warnings from beyond the grave, restless spirits apparently drawn back to places from which they flew. This book looks in dispassionate detail at many of these stories. More than just repeating well-worn legends and myths, Echoes in the Air relates the background to these ghostly tales, based on eye-witness accounts and historical facts. The Montrose ghost, the haunted watch tower at East Kirby and the messages from the doomed R101 crew are all investigated. So too are the specters of Eastern Airlines Flight 401, the phantom Polish airman at Lindholme, the North Weald ghosts, and stories from the author's own experiences as a WWII bomber pilot. The book is illustrated throughout with historical material, and specially commissioned photographs taken at the haunted airfields themselves. Reprinted, the final work from the renowned aviation author Jack Currie, Echoes in the Air is set to become the classic collection of aviation ghost stories.

Forerunner to the best-selling Lancaster Target, Wings Over Georgia is the story of Jack Currie's entry into the RAF, his early UK training and his initial training with the US Army Air Corps under the Arnold Scheme. This eventually led to his first solo and the ultimate achievement of that coveted pair of silver wings. Following his return to England he joined Bomber Command and met the men who were to become his Lancaster crew.

The compelling autobiographical sequel to Lancaster Target graphically and humorously describes all aspects of life as a WWII RAF bomber pilot on 'rest'. Mess life and antics intermingle with Jack's real task of instructing trainees on the fourengined Halifax bomber. Following his return to operational duties as a glider pilot, Jack was later posted to the elite Pathfinder force flying Mosquitoes of 1409 Weather Flight as a 'Weather Spy' where his weather signals provided vital information for the advancing bomber stream. An illuminating portrait of RAF life.

Without the merchant navies of Britain, Cana da and the USA the British would not have survived even a fe w weeks of war. In words and pictures this book honours the mariners who faced danger day after day to bring essential s upplies to Britain. '

The book explores the crucial role of England during World War II as a base for British and American air forces, enabling them to conduct extensive bombing missions against Nazi-occupied Europe and Germany. It details the operations of the American Eighth and Ninth Air Forces, which executed long-range daytime raids, alongside the Royal Air Force's challenging nighttime missions, highlighting the strategic significance and risks involved in these aerial campaigns.

This is a gripping account of the ill-fated RAF raid on May 3, 1944, on the Panzer tank depot and military barracks at Mailly-le-Camp south of Rheims in northern France, part of the softening up process on German military targets, in preparation for the D-Day landings. Raids like this over occupied France were considered relatively low risk affairs and only counted for one third of a mission for the crews concerned. In total, 362 RAF bombers, Lancasters, Mosquitoes and Halifax, from bases in England took part in a raid and although no-one involved anticipated disaster, 42 Lancasters never returned home. Almost incredibly, those who planned the attack were apparently unaware that four German night fighter bases were located nearby. Luftwaffe fighters wreaked havoc on the bombers as they circled a marker in bright moonlight awaiting the order to attack their target. This is the story of that battle, bitterly contested and ever-remembered by those who were engaged, one among hundreds that were fought in the skies over Europe between the RAF's bombers and the Luftwaffe's night-fighters in the course of World War II. It lasted less than 60 minutes but cost 255 lives.