Air Battle For Burma

After a long series of crushing defeats by the apparently unstoppable Japanese air and ground forces, the eventual fight back and victory in Burma was achieved as a result of the exercise of unprecedented combined services cooperation and operations. Crucial to this was the Allies supremacy in the air coupled with their ground/air support strategy.Using veterans firsthand accounts, Air Battle For Burma reveals the decisive nature of Allied air power in inflicting the first major defeat on the Japanese Army in the Second World War. Newly equipped Spitfire fighter squadrons made the crucial difference at the turning point battles of the Admin Box, Imphal and Kohima in 1944. Air superiority allowed Allied air forces to deploy and supply Allied ground troops on the front line and raids deep into enemy territory with relative impunity; revolutionary tactics never before attempted on such a scale.By covering both the strategic and tactical angles, through these previously unpublished personal accounts, this fine book is a fitting and overdue tribute to Allied air forces contribution to victory in Burma.

Covers the air war in Burma from the Royal Air Force point of view. Gives a detailed account of the RAF's efforts from the defeats of 1942 to final victory in 1945. Covers the pairing of land and air forces and comments upon Wingate's efforts to further success against the Japanese in this war front.

The scene is set with an overview of the respective states of the RAF and Japanese Airforce, and an explanation of how the American Volunteer Group (The Flying Tigers) came to be in China. There is a concise description of air ops covering the Japanese invasion of Indo China, Malaya and Singapore, together with a close study of the sinking of the Prince of Wales and Repulse, which altered the air/sea power equation. The main emphasis is on the use of air power both offensive, defensive and air transport during the protracted Burma Campaign. This embraces operations in the Arakan and the various Chindit long range penetration expeditions. These relied almost totally on air supply and evacuation. In the later stages of the War, the US and RAF combined forces and predictably this was not without controversy. Few realize that US B29s operating from India attacked Japan itself. Finally the role of ground attack aircraft against the retreating Japanese played a significant part in the Allied advance in Burma.

In 1943 the U.S. Army Air Forces created what would become the Air Commandos, a unit that marked a milestone in tactical operations in support of British ground forces invading Burma. William T. Y’Blood tells the story of how these daring American aviators trained and went into combat using unconventional hit-and-run tactics to confuse the enemy and destroy their lines of communication and supply. The force comprised light planes to evacuate wounded, transports to move heavy cargo, fighters, gliders, helicopters, and more than five hundred men. The book describes how this top-secret force successfully attacked the enemy from the air, resupplied British commandos on the ground, and airlifted the wounded out of the battle area—eventually driving the Japanese out of Burma.

This is the story of the Allied air campaign across Australia, Sumatra, Java, the Philippines, Burma and Ceylon during World War II. It documents the Allied underestimation of Japanese ability, and ends with the Japanese at the extremities of their advance.

After a long series of crushing defeats by the apparently unstoppable Japanese air and ground forces, the eventual fight back and victory in Burma was achieved as a result of the exercise of unprecedented combined services cooperation and operations. Crucial to this was the AlliesÕ supremacy in the air coupled with their ground/air support strategy. Using veteransÕ firsthand accounts, Air Battle For Burma reveals the decisive nature of Allied air power in inflicting the first major defeat on the Japanese Army in the Second World War. Newly equipped Spitfire fighter squadrons made the crucial difference at the turning point battles of the Admin Box, Imphal and Kohima in 1944. Air superiority allowed Allied air forces to deploy and supply Allied ground troops on the front line and raids deep into enemy territory with relative impunity; revolutionary tactics never before attempted on such a scale. By covering both the strategic and tactical angles, through these previously unpublished personal accounts, this fine book is a fitting and overdue tribute to Allied air forcesÕ contribution to victory in Burma.

Explores the causes of the Burma War, tells the story of its course, and reveals for the first time the surprisingly significant role Canada and Canadians played in it.