AZ Model Curtiss Mohawk Mk.IV, Sqn. Ldr. `Porky' Jeffries, 155 Sqn, Agartala, India 1943

[tonyot]

14 minutes ago, 2996 Victor said:

 

Thanks, Tony, I'm looking forward to it! I find the Far East campaigns fascinating and distressing in equal measure.

 

My Grandfather was a Major serving with the Indian Army during the first half of the war in the Far East. Sadly, he had throat cancer, and passed on in 1944 when my Dad was just nine months old.

 

We have a couple of books of his, complete with his handwritten notes in the margins, dating from then. He knew Bill Slim, among others.

 

Of particular interest is O D Gallagher's Retreat in the East, which covers the fall of Rangoon amongst other Allied disasters. There is an interesting chapter relating to the RAF fighter squadron operating from Rangoon golf club, and their attempts at night-fighting in Brewster Buffaloes, together with descriptions of AVG operations.

 

Retreat in the East is well worth tracking down.

 

Kind regards,

 

Mark

Hiya Mark, 

               Very sad to hear of your Grandfather,.... which regiment was he in? Bill Slim was a soldiers general and respected by everybody.

 

My wifes Grandad also died of throat cancer, but later in life. He too was a Burma veteran,..... he joined up in 1935, had GSM`s for Palestine, Burma and the NW.Frontier from pre war dys,..... he then left India to fight the Germans and Italians in N.Africa and then went back to India and Burma again later in the war to show the Japanese who was boss,..... a tough little bloke,.... he was one of a handful of his pre war battalion still left standing by VJ Day! My own Grandfather (from Ireland near Dublin, so a volunteer) was also a Burma veteran,.... he was a jungle warfare instructor and from what he told me I  suspect he was a Chindit too,..... he would never speak of the war to anybody,.....and (just  like my wife`s Grandad he hated the Japanese too),... until just before he died when he took me aside and told me some of what he experienced.... he said that being an ex soldier myself,....I would be the only one to understand,.... bless him. He also told me that he wanted to die as all his mates were dead and he missed them! That campaign killed many and then scarred the survivors for the rest of their days.

 

I have read about 60 Sqn`s Buffalo`s at Rangoon, fighting alongside the AVG and their Hawks,..... between them they gave a very good account for themselves and I`ve read a little about their use at night,..... but I shall certainly search out `Retreat in the East'... it sounds like a very interesting book.  

 

Chees mate,

                 Tony

 

[2996 Victor]

Hi Tony,

 

So sorry to hear about your wife's Grandad, too, the "c" is a foul thing. It sounds like he had a very varied career, very lucky to come through it all. I bet he felt the losses of his comrades very keenly.

 

Your Grandfather sounds like a very interesting chap. It's such a shame that so many of their generation wouldn't talk of their experiences. It's easy to understand why they would want to forget what they'd endured, but if we don't learn from and pass on the lessons of history, it just repeats itself.

 

I don't know if you know of it, but there is also a book entitled Wingate's Raiders, and if memory serves it describes both Chindit operations. I'm afraid I can remember the author, and our copy is at my Mum's house 200 miles away!

 

I'm absolutely ashamed to admit that I can't remember my Grandfather's regiment, only that he was attached to the Indian Army. There are a couple of artifacts among the family heirlooms that include a cigarette lighter engraved with crossed kukris and inscribed 4th/70th Burma Rifles. We've long intended to look into his service record.

 

Kind regards,

 

Mark

[112 Squadron]

On 28/01/2021 at 19:37, tonyot said:

Thanks mate. The thing is,.... the P-36/P-36`s at Duxford is/are earlier version`s aren`t they? I know the one wearing French markings is anyway. The RAF Mohawk Mk.IV had the larger nose for a Wright Cyclone engine and the nose guns were recessed inside the cowling. 

You are right Tony, these two planes are different earlier versions. I wasn´t actually aware that there are quite that many different sub-versions of the P-36. Nevertheless, with taking a little bit of "historic license" it would still be nice to see one in British colors on the Air Show circuit where similar compromises with historically authenic paint schemes such as P-40Ns in AVG colors are quite frequent. Let alone those Spanish planes with Merlin engines which have been assuming the role of Me-109s in airshows for more than five decades now.

Edited January 30, 2021 by 112 Squadron