Bombers Fly East: WWII RAF Operations in the Middle and Far East by Martin W Bowman

Author:Martin W Bowman [W Bowman, Martin]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2017-06-30T04:00:00+00:00

Endnotes Chapter 12

1 Pathfinders by Wing Commander Bill Anderson OBE DFC AFC (Jarrolds London 1946).

Chapter 13

The Forgotten Air Force

When Britain declared war on Germany in September 1939 urgent operational requirements in other theatres of war made it impossible to reinforce or modernize the pre-war air force in India. Until Japan's involvement in the war in December 1941 the Royal Navy had protected India's 3,000 mile coastline and her armies had defended her land frontiers and maintained internal stability. As a result, when Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Peirse arrived in India at the beginning of March 1942 he discovered the RAF had no more than four squadrons. The most modern aircraft were a handful of Curtis Mohawks and three Indian Air Force squadrons - equipped with obsolete Hawker Hart biplane fighters and a few Lysanders. In Burma the four fighter; three bomber and two Army Co-operation squadrons lacked the necessary repair and maintenance facilities and the only early warning system was maintained from inadequate observer posts. Early Japanese advances overwhelmed both air and ground forces and the sadly depleted squadrons were forced to retreat with the 14th Army to Indian hinterland. As the war progressed British material personnel were reserved mainly for the Home front and the 14th Army sardonically named itself 'The Forgotten Army'. The Air Force squadrons which supported and supplied it might justly have been called the 'Forgotten Air Force' as they too seemed always at the end of any list of priorities. Fortunately no further Japanese attacks were launched on India or Ceylon before the 1942 Monsoon giving the Allies the opportunity of building up their depleted squadrons.

In January 1942 159 and 160 Squadrons reformed at Molesworth and Thurleigh respectively and were equipped with Liberator Mark IIs. At the end of January 1942 159 Squadron's ground personnel embarked for the Far East. Its Liberators flew out via the Middle East in June but became involved in long range bombing raids from Palestine and Egypt until September. 160 Squadron was given training on Liberators by 86 Squadron before flying to Nutts Corner, Northern Ireland in May 1942 for a short period of anti-submarine patrols with Coastal Command before flying on to the Middle East in June. Their passage to India was halted while five Liberators provided air cover for convoys desperately needed for the relief of Malta. This was followed by bombing raids on Tobruk and others targets in the Mediterranean area. In January 1943 its personnel was combined with that of 159 Squadron, remaining in the Middle East and became 178 Squadron. On 15 January 1943 160 Squadron was reorganized in Ceylon as a Liberator general reconnaissance unit. For the rest of the war it operated under the auspices of Headquarters 222 Group and later Area Headquarters Ceylon. In addition to patrols and shipping escort duties 160 Squadron flew long-range photographic reconnaissance missions over Sumatra and the Nicobar Islands.

During the first two weeks of October 1942 the first 159 Squadron Liberator IIs flew to India touching down at Salbani.

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.