E. W. Maslen-Jones - Fire by order : recollections of service with 656 Air Observation Post Squadron in Burma.

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FIRE BY ORDER

FIRE BY ORDER

RECOLLECTIONS OF SERVICE WITH
656 AIR OBSERVATION POST
SQUADRON IN BURMA

E.W. MASLEN-JONES

FOREWORD BY GENERAL SIR MARTIN FARNDALE KCB

TO JILL

First published in Great Britain in 1997 by Leo Cooper

Reprinted in 2012 by
PEN & SWORD AVIATION
An imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
47 Church Street
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S70 2AS

Copyright E.W. Maslen-Jones 1997, 2012

ISBN 978 1 78159 260 1

The right of E.W. Maslen-Jones to be identified as Author of this work
has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is
available from the British Library

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying,
recording or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission from the Publisher in writing.

Printed and bound in England
By CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CRO 4YY

Pen & Sword Books Ltd incorporates the Imprints of Pen & Sword Aviation,
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I am indebted to many comrades and friends for their readiness to assist either with the production of the manuscript or with reviving memories of particular events. Special thanks are also due to Debi Gardner for undertaking the typescript, Alan Watson for his initial reviews and Malcolm Phillips for his help in refining the maps. Similarly, for permission to quote from their private diaries;

Arthur Windscheffel R.A.F.
Reg Bailey R.A.
Denis Kemp R.A.F.
Ray Pett R.A.
Arthur Maycroft R.A.

and from their personal records;

Frank McMath R.A.
Cecil (Nobby) Clark R.A.F.

as well as Robbie Robertson and Arthur Adamson, both of whom served with 136 Field Regiment R.A. in Burma.

In addition, valuable assistance was received from Archivists at

The Museum of Army Flying Middle Wallop
National Army Museum
Public Record Office Kew
Imperial War Museum.

FOREWORD
by
General Sir Martin Farndale KCB
Master Gunner St Jamess Park

The story of 656th Air Observation Post Squadron RAF/RA is remarkable by any standards. Ted Maslen-Jones, a pilot in the Squadron, recounts how one single squadron composed of three Flights each of five tiny Auster aircraft provided air observation for the whole of the famous 14th Army in Burma from 1943 until the end of World War 2 in 1945 and then in Malaya and Java until 1947. The outstanding gallantry of all members of the Squadron, both ground crew and pilots, both in the air and on the ground where they often had to defend themselves in the jungle with small arms against direct attack, brings great credit to them all, to the Royal Air Force and to the Royal Artillery. It shows how men under pressure work together despite different backgrounds and different uniforms.

Even the formation of the squadron had to be done against all odds and only occurred because of the dedication of all concerned and in particular Major Denis Coyle, the Officer Commanding. Squadron Headquarters, A and C Flights were committed to the Arakan in January, 1943, and first saw action in the great Arakan battles where they played a significant part in the Battle of the Admin Box in February, 1943. B Flight went to Kohima in March, 1943, to be joined by Squadron Headquarters and C Flight, leaving A Flight to cope with the Arakan operations alone. The Austers spent much time patrolling over dense jungle to warn their comrades on the ground of what lay ahead or evacuating wounded, bringing up vital supplies and all the time directing the fire of the guns which did so much to keep the enemy at bay. After the monsoons of 1943 C Flight returned to the Arakan leaving Squadron Headquarters and A and B Flights on the northern front. Indeed it was Captain Jimmy Jarrett RA of C Flight who landed at Akyab and accepted its surrender ahead of the Army!

While this was happening in the Arakan the rest of the squadron was covering operations at Kohima and Imphal and in the bloody fighting along the Tiddim road. But perhaps their finest hour came in the magnificent support given to the whole of 14th Army at the same time in its advance to, and the crossing of, the Irrawaddy and then in the dash for Rangoon which defeated the Japanese and ended the War. The part played by the gallant few of this splendid squadron is out of all proportion to their size. Their flying hours broke all records, their feats of endurance and airmanship in appalling weather conditions set standards seldom equalled and they never once failed to answer a call for help from their comrades on the ground. Between October, 1944, and May, 1945, alone they flew 6712 sorties in 5170 flying hours! Some of the artillery attacks they directed had decisive impact on the great battles raging below them. The Japanese dreaded them and stopped all firing when they saw them above. To the British they gave confidence, help of all kinds and above all information.

But this is also a human story. Although some of their experiences were horrific, the pressures immense and the fatigue, problems and conditions appalling, they never failed. The feats of the Signallers in linking all Flights with Squadron Headquarters, a net which spanned the whole Theatre; the feats of the drivers in getting the ground crews forward when roads and tracks hardly existed and the feats of the Fitters in keeping the aircraft serviceable in such conditions were outstanding and without equal, to say nothing of the gallantry of the pilots. They also had fun and the bonds of comradeship then created have remained so strong as to last a lifetime.

This is a story that constitutes a remarkable feat of arms and must be recorded for ever in the Annals of the British Army, the Royal Air Force and the Royal Artillery. This splendid book does just that and is highly commended for doing so.

The motivation to write a book about my experiences as an Air O P pilot in the Far East arose primarily from the realization that no true record of the work done by 656 Squadron in supporting the 14th Army exists. I was also persuaded that the story was worth telling. Once I had decided to set down my recollections I found that my memory of incidents as well as the continuity of events was still quite clear. This was confirmed when I began to read through the Squadron Records at the Public Record Office. What had not been clear in my mind was the extent of the achievement of this Squadron in operating throughout the campaign on its own and without reinforcements. Once I was committed to the field of action, I became relatively unaware of the problems that Squadron HQ continually faced in terms of the supply of spare parts and replacement aircraft, administration difficulties, and a lack of reinforcements.

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