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Australia’s War Diary
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50 Years Ago…
June 1- Crete. The last evacuations of Anzac and British troops are carried out during the night. For those left behind the only choices are to surrender or carry out guerrilla warfare from the hills. The Allies have lost 14,572 men consisting of 8,200 British, 3,376 Australian and 2,996 NZ, not including 2,011 naval personnel. The Germans admit to 3,714 dead and 2,500 wounded but these are mostly highly trained paratroops and such a large scale airborne assault will not be tried again.
June 2-Britain. 452 Squadron RAAF is declared fully operational. June 4-Britain. Back on May 8, P/O John Curchin of 609 Squadron had destroyed a Bf 109 and shared another to bring his score to nine. This afternoon the squadron escorts a Lysander searching off Dover for a downed pilot. The Spitfires are bounced by Bf 109Fs and emerge from the clash claiming two 109s destroyed and one damaged, but one Spitfire is missing. An aircraft, at first thought to be a Messerschmitt, is seen splashing down into the water but it is realised afterwards that it had been John Curchin’s Spitfire. The Australian ace from Hawthorne, Victoria, is KIA. June 5 – Britain. Operations for 10 Squadron RAAF continue to be mainly anti-submarine and anti-surface raider patrols off the Brest peninsula. F/Lt Gil Thurston and crew in Sunderland P9063/RB-H clash with two Arado 196 floatplane fighters. One is shot down by Thurstun’s gunners and the other breaks away damaged. Shortly afterwards thisArado too crashes into the sea. June 6 – Britain. 455 Squadron RAAF, Australia’s first medium bomber unit formed under the EATS, begins its official existence at Swinderby, Lincolnshire. At this stage it has no crews and over a month will pass before it will receive its first Handley Page Hampden. Meanwhile, in Australia, personnel for the unit have been gathering at Williamtown, NSW, under the command of F/O J Lawson. Liaison between the UK and Australia has been confused; the ground staff being assembled is appropriate for a two flight Wellington squadron.
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