60 FLYPAST 60 FLYPAST May 2018May 2018
WINGS OVER THE EAST RAF THUNDERBOLTS
First Victory
In mid-October, 146 and 261
Squadrons moved down to Cox’s
Bazaar alongside the USAAF’s 1st
Air Commando Group for a special
long-range operation to the Rangoon
area. This was flown on the 16th, and
intelligence estimated that around
50 JAAF aircraft would provide
opposition to it, but the Thunderbolt
pilots saw nothing over their target at
Zayatkwin.
During a fighter sweep toMingaladon, near Rangoon, on the
20th they found some enemy fighters
that had scrambled, reportedly
including the new Nakajima Ki-84
Hayate (Allied code name Frank),
in a huge defensive circle making
successful combats difficult.
Plt Off Rees of 261, flying HD183,
did attack a Kawasaki Ki-61 Tony and
W/O Carter in HD185 probably
destroyed Nakajima Ki-44 Tojo on the
airfield. Both squadrons then returned
north to Kumbhirgram where they
joined 909 Wing.
Towards the end of the month
30 Squadron began receiving
Thunderbolt IIs for long-range escort
work. Soon afterwards the 902 Wing
units moved to Cox’s Bazaar for the
two-day Operation Eruption, which
began on November 3.
The Thunderbolts flew a sweep over
the Rangoon airfields in support of
a raid on the city’s rail marshalling
yards by 49 of the new USAAF
B-29 Superfortresses and 28 B-24
Liberators. Lifting off at 07:30 hours,
30 and 135 Squadrons arrived over
Mingaladon in fine weather where the
three Nakajima Ki-43 Oscars seen kept
their distance.W/O Wright, who had taken off
late, arrived alone and approached
a trio of what he thought were
Thunderbolts. Only when he was
closing on them did he see the strange
camouflage and solid red roundels. He
fired on one before wisely retreating
into cloud.
The Insein rail workshops were
the target for a large formation of
Liberators the next day when the
escort again included Thunderbolts
from 30 and 135. After bombing, the
formation was engaged by a mix of
Oscars and Tojos.
At the controls of HD289, Flt Lt
Harry Whidborne attacked one of
the Ki-44s, seeing hits on the cockpit
area and causing it to burn. Flt Lt
Tom Fulford, in HD208, fired on the
same aircraft and it fell in flames, the
destruction being witnessed by a US
P-38 Lightning pilot.
Plt Off Ken Godfrey confided in his
diary: “We are getting plenty of action
now. Bombing, strafing and long-
range jobs to Rangoon. The first one
I did left me a wreck for three days
afterwards. Remaining alert in a very
hot, cramped cockpit for five or six
hours is a very big strain.”Sqn Ldr Lee Hawkins,
commander of 135
Squadron, the RAF’s
fi rst Thunderbolt
unit. L C C HAWKINSAbove
Fg Off Terry Marra was
a Far East veteran when
he began fl ying the
Thunderbolt with 146
Squadron. T B MARRABelow
‘Thunderbolt I HD265 of
30 Squadron at Jumchar,
January 1945. J D OUGHTONSqn Ldr Alan McGregor, the CO of 123 Squadron
during a visit to the East India Fund
headquarters at Alipore in
December 1944.
A J MCGREGOR