Pearson - The Burma air campaign: December 1941-August 1945

THE BURMA AIR
CAMPAIGN

By the same author

Red Sky in the Morning: The Battle of the Barents Sea, 1942
The Ohio and Malta: The Legendary Tanker that Refused to Die

THE BURMA AIR
CAMPAIGN

December 1941August 1945

MICHAEL PEARSON

First published in Great Britain in 2006 by
Pen & Sword Military
an imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
47 Church Street
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S70 2AS

Copyright Michael Pearson, 2006

ISBN 1-84415-398-3

The right of Michael Pearson 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.

Typeset in 10/12pt Sabon by
Concept, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire

Printed and bound in England by
Biddies Ltd

For a complete list of Pen & Sword titles please contact
PEN & SWORD BOOKS LIMITED
47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 2AS, England
E-mail: enquiries@pen-and-sword.co.uk
Website: www.pen-and-sword.co.uk

For Corporal Leslie Pearson RAFVR
Headquarters 226 Group
My father.

Contents

To the following individuals and organizations I would like to offer my grateful thanks for their invaluable cooperation during the preparation of this book:

Wireless Operator Ken Armstrong, RAF.

Flight Sergeant Les Brazier, 167 Wing, 224 Group RAF.

Flight Sergeant Alex (Paddy) Calvert, 607 Squadron RAF.

The Embassy of Japan, London.

F.A. Galea, 355 Squadron RAF.

Flight Lieutenant Wilfred Goold DFC, 607 Squadron RAF.

Imperial War Museum Photographic Archive, London.

The Library of Congress, Washington DC.

Mr J.W. Loosemore, 67 Squadron RAF.

The National Archive, Kew.

National Archives and Records Administration, Modern Military Branch, Maryland USA.

Steven Ramsey for his excellent work on the maps.

Royal Air Force Museum, London.

607 (County of Durham) Squadron Association, Northumberland.

Harold Staines, 34 Squadron and the RAF Regiment, and his daughter Diana.

Ronald White, 152 Squadron armourer fitter.

Basil Wood, 159 Squadron RAF.

Michael Pearson

Burma Principal Geographical Features

The Japanese Plan

The Japanese Imperial High Command believed that by conquering Burma they would cut off the last supply route to China and protect their vast conquests in the south-west Pacific. The possibility also existed for further gains westward into India.

They also believed that mountains and jungles would set the Allies an impossible task should they attempt to reconquer Burma from bases in India to the north.

Airfields in Burma/Siam December 1941April 1942

The Japanese Invasion of Burma

Key. The three fronts along which battle lines stabilized:

1. The Arakan.

2. The Central Front around Imphal.

3. Northern Combat Area Command.

Operation Thursday the Second Chindit Expedition

Imphal and Kohima

The Reconquest of Burma