May 2018May 2018May 2018 FLYPAST 61FLYPAST 61FLYPAST 61FLYPAST 61Oscars in combat
On the 11th, nine Thunderbolts
from 146 Squadron hit the airfields
at Meiktila and Thedaw where
W/O Cope destroyed a single-
engined aircraft on the ground.
Two more were taxying and were
attacked by Flt Lt H A Ivens. W/O
E R Griffiths’ aircraft was hit by
ground fire – he had to force land
and entered a harsh captivity.
Six days later, two dozen ‘Jugs’
from 30 and 135 covered a
Liberator raid on Rangoon. As it
approached the target, around 20
Oscars and Tojos intercepted the
formation. F/Sgt R E Maxwell
and Plt Off Bob Windle (in
HB982) from 135 Squadron hit
a 50th Sentai Oscar flown by Sgt
Shinohara, forcing him to bale
out. Soon afterwards, W/O W
V R Evans of 30 and F/Sgt F W
Hammond of 135 each damaged an
Oscar near Hmawbi. This was the
Thunderbolts’ most successful air
action in RAF service.
As the XIVth Army became
established across the Chindwin
and it advanced into Burma, 910
Wing’s Thunderbolts (79, 146 and
261 Squadrons) based at Wanjing,
south of Imphal, struck targets
around Meiktila and Heho where
W/O Owen of 261 destroyed a
Mitsubishi Ki-46 Dinah.
Before the end of November
more Thunderbolts arrived when
134 and 258 Squadrons of 905
Wing flew into Ratnap, near
Cox’s Bazaar. Equipped with nine
Mk.Is and seven Mk.IIs, 258 was
commanded by Sqn Ldr Neil
Cameron, a veteran of combat in
Britain, Russia and the Middle
East.
On December 15 nine
Thunderbolts of 79 Squadron
flew to Thedaw where Fg Off
B L Craymer attacked what he
identified as an Oscar causing
it to blow up. It was actually
a Tachikawa Ki-36 Ida army
co-operation type – Fg Off Reed
destroyed another.Making headway
Thunderbolt units continued to
escort long-range raids to southern
Burma with 30 and 135 Squadrons
shadowing Liberators bombinga railway bridge ahead of the
81st West African Division
advancing down the pestilential
Kaladan valley. Oscars from the
50th Sentai were attacked but
success eluded the RAF pilots.
Two new units, Sqn Ldr James
Cranstone’s 5 Squadron and 123
under Sqn Ldr Alan McGregor,
moved to Nazir where they
joined 258 in support to the
West Africans. By now the JAAF
was a largely spent force, although
strafing airfields continued. Most
units suffered losses. For example
on January 5, 1945 during a
ground attack near Ma Kyace by
134 Squadron, F/Sgt O’Neil’s
Thunderbolt was hit by anti-aircraft
fire and blew up.
By January 1945 the advance
into Burma really began to make
headway with the Japanese 28th
Army in the Arakan abandoning
Akyab, allowing amphibious
landings at Myebon and Ramree.
On the 11th the battle for the
Irrawaddy crossing began when
the 19th Indian Division formed a
strong bridgehead.
Few targets were available but on
January 13,^ Sqn Ldr ‘Gatty’ Maya railway bridge ahead of theThunderbolts’ most successful air
a railway bridge ahead of the
81st West African Division
advancing down the pestilential
Kaladan valley.
50th Sentai were attacked but
success eluded the RAF pilots.
Two new units, Sqn Ldr James
Cranstone’s 5 Squadron and 123
under Sqn Ldr Alan McGregor,
moved to Nazir where they
joined 258 in support to the
West Africans. By now the JAAFa railway bridge ahead of theled 79 Squadron on a sweep and at
Kangaung four Oscars were duly
strafed. On the 29th a USAAF raid
was covered by 123 Squadron and
as they turned for home several
enemy fighters appeared. Only one
ventured to attack but as Flt Lt Aris
positioned to respond, the Oscar
half rolled and dived away.
Bombing operations finally began
for 123 Squadron on the 16th
supporting the landings at Myebon.
Napalm was used for the first time
when the 135th dropped it on
bunkers near Kangaw on the 29th.Last victory
In early February Thunderbolts
patrolled the bridgeheads over the
Irrawaddy River at Thabeikkyin and
Singu. On the 11th, the heaviest raid
so far of the Burma campaign struck
at storage dumps near Rangoon. It
involved 84 Liberators of the USAAF
7th Bomb Group and the RAF’s 99,
215, 355 and 356 Squadrons and 59
USAAF B-29s.
American P-38s and RAF
Thunderbolts drawn from 30, 134
and 258 Squadrons provided the
escort for this large force. Over the
target, six Tonys from the 8th Rensai
Hikotai, an operational fighter
training unit, attempted to intercept
the bombers.
One of the Tonys flew under the
rear of the formation, apparently to
gain position for a beam attack. As
it did so, fire from several Liberator
gunners poured into it. At the same
time Sqn Ldr Neil Cameron in
HD292 tackled the fighter head on,
and the enemy pilot was seen to bale
out.
Aboard one of the 356 Squadron
Liberators, Flt Lt Frank Dismore
witnessed the action: “[the] ‘Jap’
fighters dropped aerial bombsAbove left
Sqn Ldr Neil Cameron,
commander of 258
Squadron, early 1945.
AUTHOR’S COLLECTIONLeft
A share of the fi rst
RAF Thunderbolt
combat victory was
claimed by Flt Lt
Harry Whidborne
of 30 Squadron on
November 4, 1944.
J F HAMLIN