Air Battle for Burma by Evans Bryn;

Author:Evans, Bryn;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Limited
Published: 2016-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Unless other enemy aircraft were encountered, it may have reflected some double-claiming. It was nevertheless a very heavy blow against the JAAF.14

The last day of 1943 was a red letter day for No. 136 Squadron, which brought their total of confirmed claims for the month of December 1943 to thirteen victories, four probables and nine damaged, which comprised:

Squadron Leader Noel Constantine received a personal signal from Prime Minister Winston Churchill, which stated, ‘My congratulations and compliments on your brilliant exploit.’15

As the new year of 1944 dawned next day at their Ramu airfield, No. 136 Squadron combined further training and familiarization with their new Spitfire VIIIs with daily readiness for a Japanese attack. At 09.25 hours on 1 January two Spitfires scrambled, and four more at 0930, to intercept suspected bogies. The six Spitfire VIIIs screamed up to 15,000 feet before the targets were identified as friendly. Thereafter the day dragged on with other pilots taking training flights and cannon-firing tests. Although it was the dry season, the weather was alternating, some days fine with good visibility and only a slight wind at ground level, some days with heavy continual rain and low cloud.

At 15.30 Squadron Leader Constantine decided to try out the Spitfire VIII in a full power, simulated ‘Battle Climb’. In Europe the Spitfire VIII had proved that even in a climb it could catch the feared German fighter-bomber, the Focke Wulf Fw190. Constantine reached 1,000 feet in 31 seconds, and 20,000 feet in 2 minutes 48.5 seconds. Incredibly the next 20,000 feet came up in a similar 2 minutes 47.5 seconds. From take-off to 40,000 feet it had taken Constantine 5 minutes 36 seconds, which was thought at that time to be a record climb.

The recent successes of No. 136 Squadron had re-energized Constantine and, on 4 January, he wrote to his sister Briny in Melbourne.

I am hanging my head in shame, I know I am an awful correspondent, but I haven’t forgotten one little whit of happy days and the folks at home. Rather does time increase the longing to return to you all. However as you may have probably guessed . . . I’m up to my neck in the war here and loving it. I have probably the most envied appointment in the Command.

. . . this is probably my last shooting season on a time-basis, and I want to make the best of it.

It may shake you to know your young brother has turned ‘teetotal’. After all there comes a time and I rather saw it approaching very fast! Partly the influence of my friends . . . who complain bitterly – ‘What a confusion when Con gets drunk.16

Being squadron leader of one of the first fighter squadrons in the India-Burma theatre to fly the Spitfire in combat, and repaying the trust placed in him with some early and significant results, must have given Constantine great satisfaction.

On 6 January the rain never stopped from dawn to dusk, closing down the Ramu airfield. Overnight the deluge ceased and in the morning it was fine with only patchy cloud and good visibility.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.