Fly Past

May 2018 FLYPAST 63

134 and 258 Squadron while others

shepherded the landing ships but

there was little need. Indeed, Alan

MacGregor’s 123 Squadron was held

at readiness all day but did not get a

single call.

Road to surrender

With the arrival of the monsoon,

heavy rain reduced the speed of the

advance south and rendered many

strips – such as Kwetnge – non-

operational, resulting in various

moves for the Thunderbolt units.

For example, 34 Squadron followed

113 to Myingyan in mid-May and

on to nearby Kinmagen by the end of

the month.

By May 30, 123 and 135 Squadrons

had withdrawn to India, followed

in early June by 5 and 258 and later

261. All were to prepare for the
     invasion of Malaya but some were
     disbanded or re-numbered as follows:
     135 became 615, 123 became 81 and
     134 became 131.
     Also, in Burma 146 became 42
     when the latter, equipped with
     Hurricanes, disbanded. Finally,
     at Tanjore during July the veteran
     60 Squadron finally replaced its
     Hurricanes with Thunderbolts.
     Following a move to Meiktila on

July 1 conditions improved and from

there 34’s Thunderbolts supported

actions in Pegu Yomas and the

Sittang valley where large numbers

of Japanese troops were desperately

trying to escape. An assault by the

Japanese 23rd Army east of Pegu

began on the 3rd to try to cut off

Rangoon.

Operations by the remaining

Thunderbolt units were stepped up,

but 34 Squadron lost KJ252 when it

spun in near Thawatti on the 9th. All

the units were kept busy, decimating

the bedraggled Japanese Army as it

attempted to cross the river – 11,000

men were killed, most of them in

air attacks during Thunderbolt and

Spitfire operations.

Bad weather interfered but limited

flying was possible and 34’s final

Seeing the first bombs skip over
the walls after striking the upward
sloping earth ramparts he switched
the attack round to the opposite
direction. The pilots made 26
breaches in the walls and forced the
Japanese to flee and Mandalay fell.
A few days later the two squadrons
repeated the feat at Kyaukse. General
William Slim, commander of the
XIVth Army, said afterwards: “There
could have been no victory without
the constant support of the Allied Air
Forces. They never failed us, and it is
their victory as much as ours.”
The XIVth Army began a race
against time to capture Rangoon
before the monsoon season. All the
Thunderbolt units in central Burma
mounted ‘Rhubarbs’ – harassing
operations – and cab rank patrols
protecting the IV Corps’ ‘push’
against the Burmese capital.
At the advanced strips, there were
minimal facilities for Thunderbolts
and they were often choked with
dust. Aircraft from 34 and 113
Squadrons struck at Allanmyo
on April 23 before overseeing the
17th Division in its advance on
Nyaunglebin.
They helped clear the way to
Pegu, the last major obstacle before
Rangoon. The amphibious landings
to capture Rangoon went in under
extensive air cover on May 1, but the
Japanese had evacuated the city.
A parachute drop was guarded by

134 and 258 Squadron while others July 1 conditions improved and from July 1 conditions improved and from

Above

Republic Thunderbolt

II KL341 of 34

Squadron after Fg Off

Geoff Sorrell force

landed at Zayatkwin

on October 7, 1944.

P G WOODWARD

Left

Thunderbolt II HD299

of 30 Squadron

lands at Jumchar in

December 1944.

KEY COLLECTION

Left

Sqn Ldr Pat Kennedy,

second from right in

life jacket, with other

pilots of 81 Squadron

at Kemajoran, early

1946. A J SHORT