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Last battles in Burma: Chiang Mai and afterward

continued from part 12

Following the pummeling of Magwe, the Japanese concentrated on wiping out the British remnants on the west coast of Burma. Raiding Akyab on March 23, the 64th Sentai lost one Hayabusa, cause unspecified. (The British claimed two bombers and one fighter.) A return trip was almost spoiled by the AVG's March 24 raid on Chiang Mai, which destroyed three planes and sidelined 10 more to strafing damage. (This number apparently included both of the "werewolf" Hurricanes that the 64th Sentai had brought from the Indies. For their part, the Flying Tigers were credited with destroying 15 aircraft at Chiang Mai.) When the raiders struck, four Hayabusas of the 3rd Chutai were apparently preparing to take off for a raid on Akyab.

Updated: Though identified in Japanese histories as Newkirk's plane, this wreck bears the CAF serial P-8165. Either AVG records are wrong or this is the Tomahawk that made a forced landing near Lashio in late March or early April.

The Japanese historian notes that "the immortal Jack Newkirk was shot down" by ground fire, along with William McGarry, who was captured by Thai police, brought back to Chiang Mai by boat, and there interrogated. by The Japanese "strictly pushed him to answer the questions"--an ordeal that must have been very unpleasant for McGarry. However, it was less than satisfactory for Colonel Kato: there was no one at Chiang Mai who spoke both English and Japanese, so one Thai asked the questions and translated McGarry's answers into French for the second interpreter, who then rendered them--apparently ineptly--into Japanese. "Commander Kato was greatly annoyed because he could not understand the French language," the Japanese historian relates. In consequence, it was "hard for him to understand what was happening in this combat" between the AVG and the 64th Sentai. Later, the Japanese concluded that McGarry had given "a lot of incorrect information" to his questioners.

Back to Akyab

Despite the AVG raid--the worst pummeling the 64th Sentai had received during the war--"the whole troop reorganized and joined the combat again." Indeed, it was back in action the same afternoon. Eleven Hayabusas were still in service after the AVG strike, and these finally managed to get off for Akyab, escorting 26 Sally heavy bombers of the 98th Sentai.

Over the British base, Kato's pilots claimed three Hurricanes shot down at no cost to themselves. (The British did lose three fighters at Akyab, with two of the pilots surviving. In turn, they claimed a Hayabusa shot down, plus other probables.) Of this engagement, the Japanese historian relates that five Hayabusas had occasion to go into "a defensive circle"--what western pilots knew as a Lufbery Circle--in which each pilot protected the tail of the plane in front, the formation apparently stacked up vertically.

Afterward, the historian relates how "the Kato troop was happily talking and remembering" the battle The "2nd Chutai tried to make themselves look like the enemy troop and shot down heavily-gunned fighter planes." I assume this mock combat was just talk, on the ground, but it's not clear. "Thus they proudly encouraged" themselves.

On March 27, after spy planes had discovered a "British secret field" near Akyab, the 64th Sentai sent 18 planes over the Arakan mountains at 2:20 p.m. Tokyo time. (Note that Kato's group had almost made good the damage suffered at Chiang Mai, with 7 more planes back in service.) One squadron swept down "super low" to strafe the airfield, while the others stayed higher to engage the Hurricanes that took off. "Brave soldiers fighting even though [it was] very dangerous"; afterwards, as the historian notes, they "had a great appetite." Of this battle, one pilot recalled seeing Sergeant Antai "happily pounding himself on the shoulder and chest and sighing to the sky." After, they drank the emperor's wine.

The Japanese claimed several Hurricanes shot down in this raid, with other planes destroyed on the ground. (The British lost one Hurricane, with the pilot surviving; a transport and seven Hurricanes were wrecked on the ground.) The RAF did evacuate the Akyab airfields, though continuing to use them as advance fields for operations in Burma.

Moving north

The Chinese troops holding the line at Toungoo under General Stilwell now pulled back, meaning that the old AVG training base was in Japanese hands. On the west, the British Commonwealth forces were likewise driven back. The only RAF air defense still in Burma was based at Lashio, the last city before the Burma Road turned over the mountains into China. For its part, the AVG was based just across the border at Loiwing.

As the army moved north, the air force moved with it. On March 29, near Loiwing, the Japanese historian notes that Chuck Older of the AVG's "Hell's Angels" squadron shot down a twin-engined Ki-46 "Dinah" reconnaissance plane of the 51st Independent Chutai. Elsewhere, the light bombers of the 31st Sentai and a squadron of 77th Sentai fighters attacked British tanks in front of the Japanese army. Medium bombers from the 8th Sentai also joined this attack, "strongly strafing till sunset." One of the Ki-27 Nate pilots "sacrificed himself and was lost," being shot down in flames. However, he was found and saved, though heavily wounded.

On March 30, the Japanese occupied Kyedaw airfield at Toungoo and began putting it into service for offensive operations. During the first week of April, JAAF squadrons in Burma were devoted to supporting the army's advance and defending Rangoon from American B-17s attacking from India, while navy aircraft battled the RAF off the island of Ceylon (Sri Lanka).

Searching for the AVG

Meanwhile, the JAAF sent out observation planes to locate the American airfields that had been used to launch the raid on Chiang Mai. The possibilities seemed to be the airstrips at Heho, Loilem, Lashio, Loiwing, Maymyo, and Mandalay. The 62nd Sentai heavy bombers attacked the first two of these, March 28-29, and when the runways were not repaired--indicating that they weren't being used--the Sallys bombed Lashio on March 30 with the same negative result.

On April 2, General Obata went to Lampang and drew up a new plan for attacking Loiwing on the Burma-China border. This was indeed the base from which the AVG had launched its raid on Chiang Mai. (There was a refueling stop at a British airstrip at Namsang, which was evidently overlooked by the Japanese.)

For its part, the 64th Sentai sent fighter patrols to Lashio on March 31, to Lashio and Loiwing on April 1, and to Mandalay on April 3. Finding no planes at any of these places, they decided that McGarry had told them the truth and the Americans had all retreated into China.

continued in part 14