Megaton (#81),
....Years ago I organised a cocktail party in the US to thank our hosts for their continuing hospitality and support. I can't remember on which day the event was held but the only joint UK-US operation which occurred on that day was a ground attack mission on or around Arakan. I wonder if Danny was involved? ...
Was never involved with any air operation with the US, but "Search this Thread has turned up:
(Extract from "Pilot's Brevet" Thread Page 161, my #3204):
"BBC - WW2 People's War - Army Days" (which I have mentioned a few Posts ago, lost, and which Union Jack has kindly found again for me) contains a gripping account by an infantryman (Percy Bowpitt) of his time in India and Burma.
...In our southward push after the break-out from Imphal - Kohima, the Jap reverted to the dig-in-and-hold tactic he always used in retreat. On one occasion, Percy recounts how his unit was held up in an advance over an old rifle range. The Jap was well dug-in in the butts at the far end, a frontal attack over the open range would have been very expensive.
They called in an air strike. First, a pair of US Lockheed "Lightnings" turned up, assessed the situation, chose the wrong end and (in all good faith) shot-up Percy and his pals. (Why weren't they marking the target with a mortar smoke bomb, surely the Army would have them ?) Fortunately, the Lightnings' aim was so poor that they only killed a couple of mules.
Hurricane IICs did better next time, at least they attacked the right way, but their bombs would be far less accurate than ours, they'd only carry two apiece, and, entering at a much shallower angle than ours, much of the blast would be harmlessly up into the air. Dug-in, Johnnie Jap kept his head down and laughed at the cannon....
I sighed on reading this: a "box" of VVs would have removed the butts in toto and everything in them "in one fell swoop". Sadly, they'd been pensioned off by then. EDIT : * Provided it was late enough in the year for dive bombing - Wiki says Imphal/Kohima finished end of June '44. (Percy is not good on dates).
This is the only thing I could find which is vaguely relevant. And it implies that the incident took place in Manipur, well North of the Arakan. In any case I was
hors de combat from 24th February, 1944, when my last 'op' came to a sticky end. When I came back from hospital, it was all over with the Vengeance - all the squadrons had been pulled off and would never return (with VVs, that is).
Sorry, Megaton, but can't help.
Danny.