RAF Dakota in Burma WWII
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RAF Dakota in Burma WWII
There appears to be almost nothing in the public domain about Dakota Ops in Burma and Meiktila airstrip in particular. If anybody here has any photographs to share, I would love to see them.
Can't help with a pic, but I do know that Alan Bodger, GM for years of Gulf Aviation/Gulf Air, claimed he had the record SOB in a DC3 of 89, flying in that part of the world. I guess people are smaller there.
Was Meiktila one end of the Hump? I think that's where Alan said he did it.
Was Meiktila one end of the Hump? I think that's where Alan said he did it.
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If not 'the end', believe tht it was part of the scenario. Like I said, little can be found online to find out. For whatever reason, it has gone underground, yet lives were lost and my understanding is that UK forces plc won against a force far greater in number. We did however lose 7 Dakotas in a days bombardment so assuming this would have included associated loss of life and injury, it appears a hard won victory.
The RAF had several Dakota squadrons operating in Burma and these included 62, 117, 194 and 31, whilst later on the RCAF added a couple of units 435 and 436 (I think). There was also an SD flight operating in 357 Sqn. As the war progressed 238 Sqn became involved and there were inevitable unit number changes.
No: 31 also operated the DC2 and DC3, as distinct from the C47/Dakota. These aircraft were supplied from US civil aviation stocks and were used in the Middle East as well
There is plenty of history to be found and books like 'First in the Indian Skies' and '194 - The Friendly Firm' will help.
If this is so you can paint a picture, why not go to DORIS at the RAF Museum and search their photograph archive?
Old Duffer
PS What's the latest on the pair of Whirlwinds in Borneo - still waiting for my LE prints!!!!!!
No: 31 also operated the DC2 and DC3, as distinct from the C47/Dakota. These aircraft were supplied from US civil aviation stocks and were used in the Middle East as well
There is plenty of history to be found and books like 'First in the Indian Skies' and '194 - The Friendly Firm' will help.
If this is so you can paint a picture, why not go to DORIS at the RAF Museum and search their photograph archive?
Old Duffer
PS What's the latest on the pair of Whirlwinds in Borneo - still waiting for my LE prints!!!!!!
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It is to acquire reference info for a painting that thus far looks like this:
...and it is because of all the good information that came out when painting the Whirlwinds, that I ask the question on this forum. I have found only one photograph thus far of Meiktila airfield and the information gleaned from it was minimal.
...and it is because of all the good information that came out when painting the Whirlwinds, that I ask the question on this forum. I have found only one photograph thus far of Meiktila airfield and the information gleaned from it was minimal.
Last edited by Tiger_mate; 3rd Apr 2013 at 16:19.
Presumably by that stage of the war no one was really interested in keeping records.
We have talked before about a lack of information on RAF C-54 operations.
There were RAF Dakotas operating inside Australia and north up into the Pacific in support of the Pacific Fleet but I have never seen any mention of them.
We have talked before about a lack of information on RAF C-54 operations.
There were RAF Dakotas operating inside Australia and north up into the Pacific in support of the Pacific Fleet but I have never seen any mention of them.
Tiger_mate,
Some great photos here, including RAF Dakotas, but they probably won't help you much with your picture:
The Chindits – A Photo Record | chindits
Some great photos here, including RAF Dakotas, but they probably won't help you much with your picture:
The Chindits – A Photo Record | chindits
Mr WHBM Senior was on Daks in Burma in 1944-45, after his stint with Bomber Command. I've lost which squadron he was with. What I do know is they shipped from Glasgow via Cape Town to Calcutta, then rail to Gauhati where they picked the squadron up, thence forward over time to Imphal and down into Burma, establishing forward bases as they went, through Akyab and down to Rangoon. Main purpose was supply drops to the ground troops, principally Indian. At least some of the advances were made in parallel with US bases - there were some stories about that.
One ton of rice air-dropped by filling a large bag about 20% full, circling the drop zone as a signal to all to Stand Clear, open door at approx 500 feet, several local erks down the back started booting hard (no safety lines or anything), the bag slowly went out over the doorstep, suddenly - Wham - it was gone. Goodness knows what effect it had on the trim at that moment.
Anyway, can anyone give me a clue about which squadron it might have been.
One ton of rice air-dropped by filling a large bag about 20% full, circling the drop zone as a signal to all to Stand Clear, open door at approx 500 feet, several local erks down the back started booting hard (no safety lines or anything), the bag slowly went out over the doorstep, suddenly - Wham - it was gone. Goodness knows what effect it had on the trim at that moment.
Anyway, can anyone give me a clue about which squadron it might have been.
Last edited by WHBM; 1st Apr 2013 at 22:01.
WHBM,
The squadrons involved and on which your father probably served will have been shown in my first post on this Thread. Get his Record of Service or Certificate of Discharge and that will tell you everything you need to know about WHBM senior's RAF stint - absolute goldmine and opens up a whole series of opportunities to discover more of what he did.
Tiger Mate,
The first offering is looking good. If you can't find photographs of the airfield, you could try looking up the circumstances in which F/L Michael Vlasto was awarded the DFC. He saw a sign on the ground saying something like 'land here' and he did in an unprepared area to pick up a bunch of wounded squaddies, who would probably have died otherwise. The same site was used the following year as one of the fly-in sites for Operation FRIDAY, the 2nd Chindit expedition. Your painting wouldn't have any vehicles but could show troops gathered round a Dakota in a clearing, loading casualties aboard etc. See the book: "But Not In Anger" plus those mentioned in my other post.
Good luck with the project and please keep us all posted. I still want to know about the Whirlwinds though - my gang are interested in getting their prints!!!
Old Duffer
The squadrons involved and on which your father probably served will have been shown in my first post on this Thread. Get his Record of Service or Certificate of Discharge and that will tell you everything you need to know about WHBM senior's RAF stint - absolute goldmine and opens up a whole series of opportunities to discover more of what he did.
Tiger Mate,
The first offering is looking good. If you can't find photographs of the airfield, you could try looking up the circumstances in which F/L Michael Vlasto was awarded the DFC. He saw a sign on the ground saying something like 'land here' and he did in an unprepared area to pick up a bunch of wounded squaddies, who would probably have died otherwise. The same site was used the following year as one of the fly-in sites for Operation FRIDAY, the 2nd Chindit expedition. Your painting wouldn't have any vehicles but could show troops gathered round a Dakota in a clearing, loading casualties aboard etc. See the book: "But Not In Anger" plus those mentioned in my other post.
Good luck with the project and please keep us all posted. I still want to know about the Whirlwinds though - my gang are interested in getting their prints!!!
Old Duffer
Quite true JW411 but they didn't move east until early 1945 IIRC.
267 Sqn's greatest contribution with the Dakota was in the middle east and the Med. In the summer of 1944, it was 267 who flew the WILDHORN sorties into Poland, even bringing back bits of a V2 on one occasion. They collected at least one DSO and a shed load of DFCs/DFMs for that bit of work and the gratitude of the Poles; the latter providing a Polish speaking co-pilot on each WILDHORN. Some guys may remember Jack Blocki an ATC who retired to Cyprus and wrote a book called something like "First Tango in Warsaw". Jack was a Pole and flew on the first WILDHORN.
Amazing story, if anyone's interested, I'll post a summary of a presentation I gave a couple of years ago about the Warsaw Airlift and the WILDHORN sorties before it.
Old Duffer
267 Sqn's greatest contribution with the Dakota was in the middle east and the Med. In the summer of 1944, it was 267 who flew the WILDHORN sorties into Poland, even bringing back bits of a V2 on one occasion. They collected at least one DSO and a shed load of DFCs/DFMs for that bit of work and the gratitude of the Poles; the latter providing a Polish speaking co-pilot on each WILDHORN. Some guys may remember Jack Blocki an ATC who retired to Cyprus and wrote a book called something like "First Tango in Warsaw". Jack was a Pole and flew on the first WILDHORN.
Amazing story, if anyone's interested, I'll post a summary of a presentation I gave a couple of years ago about the Warsaw Airlift and the WILDHORN sorties before it.
Old Duffer
Thank you OD, I've never got round to that but should.
I am familiar with his service number because he scribed it on his shoe cleaning brush - which is still in daily use in my own house, along with his hammer which was used on anything recalcitrant in the aircraft. Now that's wartime quality !
I got the impression that it was actually a highlight of his life otherwise spent in the commercial world, no doubt in subsequent recollection rather than at the time. Heard many a description of the escapades in my younger years - to the extent that I reckon I could go VFR from Mandalay to Rangoon without charts. Actually that sounded straightforward, for he said they just followed the Irrawaddy. Most of their "dicey" moments actually seemed to have happened at the base rather than in the air.
I am familiar with his service number because he scribed it on his shoe cleaning brush - which is still in daily use in my own house, along with his hammer which was used on anything recalcitrant in the aircraft. Now that's wartime quality !
I got the impression that it was actually a highlight of his life otherwise spent in the commercial world, no doubt in subsequent recollection rather than at the time. Heard many a description of the escapades in my younger years - to the extent that I reckon I could go VFR from Mandalay to Rangoon without charts. Actually that sounded straightforward, for he said they just followed the Irrawaddy. Most of their "dicey" moments actually seemed to have happened at the base rather than in the air.
Charles Cruickshank's book "S O E in the Far East" contains a photo spread of a Dakota supply drop to guerrillas in Burma. Not particularly sharp and the credits are to British Movietone, so photos of clips from Movietone's newsreel I assume.
Dak is possibly from 357 Sqn. Daks replacing 357's Hudsons wef January 1945.
See below.
Dak is possibly from 357 Sqn. Daks replacing 357's Hudsons wef January 1945.
See below.
Last edited by Warmtoast; 2nd Apr 2013 at 16:02.
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I have now found out that IWM have a cine film whose description is exactly what I am after. But unavailable whilst restoration work takes place at IWM 
Tiger Mate: With the rest of 4 Group, 10 Sqn was transferred to Transport Command as WW2 ended, went to India and certainly did some work from Meiktila in March/April 1946. I have a few photos from that time, not great quality, and unfortunately with no annotations as to precisely where or when. Those taken on the ground tend to have groups of locals clustered around a Dak and that's about it. If you thought any of these might be of use, give me an email address via PM and I'll send them.
I undertook to post about the WILDHORN sorties and the Warsaw Airlift, (requested by pm). However, my scripts are too large.
I suggest you log on to the RAF Museum website and then go to RAF Historical Society and then to their journals. Journal 46 contains the full scripts and photos of my presentation on both subjects from page 147 onwards.
If those interested can't read the pages, please pm me with an email address and I will send the files to you that way.
Old Duffer
I suggest you log on to the RAF Museum website and then go to RAF Historical Society and then to their journals. Journal 46 contains the full scripts and photos of my presentation on both subjects from page 147 onwards.
If those interested can't read the pages, please pm me with an email address and I will send the files to you that way.
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Believe it or not, my grandfather got shot down in a Dakota over Cox's Bazaar on his way to/from Burma near the end of WW2 - if this is of any interest I can look out the relevant photos and pages from his logbook and put them online?
Last edited by ilesmark; 3rd Apr 2013 at 15:55.