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Aviation History
1944
1944 - 0481.PDF
MARCH QTH, 1944 FLIGHT 245 R.A.F. Marauders picking up formation. From a pencil sketc WAR Supplies by Air in Arakan Victory : Seizure of Admiralty Islands : Heavy Bombers* Part in Anzio Battle THE South East Asia Command, or perhaps we should say the Fourteenth Army, lias at last fought a considerable battle with the Japanese in Burma, and has gained a striking victory. Apparently the initia tive came from our side, as a steady advance in Arakan challenged the ^jfapanese to offer resolute opposition. They tried to be too clever, and to cut off the 7th Indian division from its communications. The division imme diately organised itself into groups of strong defensive positions, hit back as opportunity offered, and waited for relief. Measured by past standards, the Japanese plan did not seem a bad one. No doubt they reckoned that the var ious groups of the 7th Indian division would soon run short of food and munitions, and would be wiped out before relief could come. This seemed a reasonable supposition, except that the enemy forgot one thing, namely the air. It was strange that they should have overlooked this factor, for &jf adventures of Brigadier Wingate's force a year ago had shown how troops in Burma could be supplied by air. The contingent of Transport Command in India and Burma again came to the rescue, and the detachments of the 7th Indian division were kept supplied. In the meantime other British and Indian troops cut off the too-enterprising advanced Japanese force in its turn, and practically exterminated it. It was a victory important enough to bring a message of congratulation from the Prime Minister to Lord Louis Mount- batten. None the less, but for Trans port Command, the incident might have been a severe set-back for the British and Indian forces. Talking of the Burma campaign, ons cannot help feeling a little amused at the remarks of Capt. Harold Balfour in the debate on the Air Estimates when he answered a question about dive-bombers. He said that while it was true that we had received those which we had ordered from the United States, practice had shown that fighter- bombers had proved to be more suc cessful for the particular function which a dive-bomber performed than the dive-bomber itself. No doubt he was quite right, but the Vengeance dive bombers to which the question related have been sent to Burma, and seem to be doing quite useful work against the Japanese. That is not to say that they would be suitable for the more modern forms of warfare now in vogue in Europe; but having bought the Vengeances we had to use them somewhere, and in Burma they seem to be justifying their existence. It should not be thought that the argu ment is that anything is good enough for the Burma campaign; but when one side enjoys such conclusive air superiority as the Allies now hold there, one can make use of classes and types of aircraft which it would not be wise to use in other theatres. Major-General Lethbridge, who ha; led a combined British, American anr Canadian mission to the S.E. Ask Command, has stated that the Alliec margin of air superiority there was nol so great as he would like to see it. The reports of operations, however, show that our superiority is quite substantial. Another unusual proceeding has been reported from the Burma front. Not long ago American heavy bombers raided Moulmein and Martaban by night. So Americans can bomb by night, when occasion arises, though in the West and the Mediterranean thev
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