To Danny and others....
Only recently learned of and became addicted to this thread. I sincerely salute all of you who earned RAF pilot brevets during WWII and to all other RAF men and women who served. I am very glad to be a "former colonial" who is free to speak English - even if our version is considered a "foreign language" to the Queen's subjects.
My father's ancestors immigrated to the USA from England during the late 19th century. My father served in the USAAC during WWII and, perhaps of interest to you, Danny, in the CBI. Sadly, he passed away 37 years ago and I didn't have the sense to ask him all the questions I might have.
He too landed by ship in Bombay, having come from California, to Australia and thence to the subcontinent. Quite an experience for a young midwestern farm boy. He was an aircraft mechanic, who assembled from crates of parts packed in cosmoline, many different types, including I believe P-38's and P-47's, but sorry I have no data to back that up. He would have arrived, I believe in 1943 after a year's technical training in the US, including a visit to the Curtis factory.
He served much of his time in the vicinity of Calcutta, told a few humorous stories of unintentionally offending the natives and of a harrowing dash through the streets fleeing from a Sikh armed with a terrible bladed weapon.
My father also told of assembling and caring for P-47's. The initial engine power ups, with tails tied down and sandbags on the tail. The many Indian workers/laborers whom he supervised. Of test pilots taking off with these hot airplanes for the their first time, all excited about that huge engine and the water-injection, which they learned by experience and possibly a fatality or two, that water injection should not be used during takeoff roll.
Dad eventually became a flight mechanic - aircrew - on C-47's and C-46's. Was introduced to a famous US pilot, Philip Cochran, during his action in/over Burma. At some point he had the privilege of visiting the Taj Mahal. He and his brother, who also happened to be nearby in the CBI, for fun built their own motorcycle from heaven knows what parts and pieces.
Dad came home in 1946 as a Technical Sgt in the USAAF, initially tried to get his A&P and start a civilian career in aviation - just like thousands of others - but a job in the field being hard to come by, he gave up on that. He tried dairy farming and then became a home-builder and had a wonderful business in the small Wisconsin town I grew up in. I admire my father beyond words and only wish I could live up to my image of him. I measure myself everyday, even at the age of 65, by my memories of him.
So, to Danny and all the others of my father's generation who put it all on the line, and as Danny said, served because if they didn't, no one would, "Thank you". Thank you also to the men who described their experiences so well during that chaotic time. After serving 22 years ('73-'95) in a much more modern Air Force, I can hardly imagine how you did what you did.
Last edited by GlobalNav; 11th Dec 2015 at 18:24.