airlana
24-03-08, 11:26 AM
Back in 1999 "Flypast", a UK magazine, published a long article by Roy Barker on his memories of DC3 Dakota operations by 96 sqd RAF in India and Burma during the later part of WW2
Part of the article relates to operations at Hmawbi [Hmwaby] which is about 40kms north of Rangoon.
[quote]
Hmawbi has the distinction of being the airfield where planes operated from in the final offensive action of the RAF during World War Two. On August 20, 1945, Mosquitoes took off from Hmawbi and attacked the Japanese who were threatening guerrillas in the Tikeda area. Not only that, the squadron that made the last attack also made the first one on the first day of war: September 3, 1939, when it scored two direct hits on the German pocket battleship Admiral von Scheer.
In early June, Queen Victoria’s Own Madras Sappers and Miners got to work on Hmawbi — which up to then had been occupied by the Japanese. The runway at that time was a laterite strip (red clay rock) and the 2nd Indian Engineering Battalion was assisting in improving it, prior to laying pierced steel planking. On the night of August 15/16, a party of Japs infiltrated the RAF lines and killed and wounded several men.
When the strip at Hmawbi had been completed, it was arranged to give the Indians who had worked on it a flight in a Dakota. Unfortunately it failed to get airborne and slid into a paddy field at the end of the runway. As you can imagine, the Indians found it a traumatic experience and were more than pleased to evacuate the ‘iron bird’.
On September 20, 1945, a flying officer and crew went on a routine flight from Hmawbi to Don Muang, Bangkok, with instructions to bring back, on the following day, some internees to Mingaladon. This seemed a peculiar request as there were lots of aircraft flying the route that were able to accommodate passengers at short notice.
Instead of spending overnight at Don Muang, as was usual, the crew were taken to a large hotel in the city centre for the night. September 20 was the birthday of the King of Thailand, but as he was still safely in exile in Switzerland, it was proclaimed a day of mourning and the population of Bangkok stayed indoors, The Dakota crew travelled through empty streets with only a face occasionally peering out of curtained windows.
The 160 minute flight took off at 0555 the next day with five internees and 20 former PoWs. Who were the internees who received this special service? Your guess is as good as mine...
On December 1, a crew was specially chosen to make up a hush-hush flight with a flying officer pilot. The pilot-officer navigator detailed had just arrived back to Hmawbi after a long flight. The following day the crew entered Dakota KN687 and found it specially fitted out with three upholstered passenger seats. They got airborne at 1340 for the short 15 to 20 minute flight to Mingaladon — it varied according to how heavy the air traffic was.
The crew was instructed not to converse with their elite passengers. These turned out to be a senior Thai officer and a middle-aged Thai lady dressed in black lace. These two had to be conveyed to Dum Dum, Calcutta. After disembarkation of the two passengers, the pilot was told to ring the control tower at 1000 hours the next day (the 3rd). This he did, only to be told that there was a hold up and to ring back at 1000 on the morrow. This time, the crew was told to report to Dum Dum at midnight and be prepared to take-off at short notice, early on the 5th.
They did not have to wait long. At 0130 they got airborne for Mingaladon. In addition to the same two people on the outward flight, there was now a young and smartly-dressed teenage boy whose face was not dissimilar to that image carried on a Siamese banknote. At Mingaladon the crew breakfasted in a private room with a guard at the door. They heard that there was a ‘flap’ on because the King of Thailand had arrived.
Crew and VIP’passengers then took off again at 0730 for Bangkok and arrived at 1000. The pilot’s intention was to taxi the Dakota to the main building. However, they were instructed to taxi to the far corner of the airfield and to stay in the cockpit. A large black car, accompanied by two five-tonners loaded with armed Thai soldiers, drove up to the Dakota and whisked away the passengers.
A few minutes later, a silver Dakota landed and taxied to the main building. A gathering appeared and then disappeared back into the main building. It is a fact that the King of Thailand arrived back at Bangkok that day. He was 21 years old, died about five years later. He was succeeded by his younger brother. Was this the ‘teenager’ who was conveyed in Dakota KN687? It would appear so.
As for the crew, they were told to return to Hmawbi and to forget the whole affair!
[end quote]
Hope others enjoyed this small piece of history.
By chance, does anyone have details of the flight from Switzerland to Calcutta?
airlana
Part of the article relates to operations at Hmawbi [Hmwaby] which is about 40kms north of Rangoon.
[quote]
Hmawbi has the distinction of being the airfield where planes operated from in the final offensive action of the RAF during World War Two. On August 20, 1945, Mosquitoes took off from Hmawbi and attacked the Japanese who were threatening guerrillas in the Tikeda area. Not only that, the squadron that made the last attack also made the first one on the first day of war: September 3, 1939, when it scored two direct hits on the German pocket battleship Admiral von Scheer.
In early June, Queen Victoria’s Own Madras Sappers and Miners got to work on Hmawbi — which up to then had been occupied by the Japanese. The runway at that time was a laterite strip (red clay rock) and the 2nd Indian Engineering Battalion was assisting in improving it, prior to laying pierced steel planking. On the night of August 15/16, a party of Japs infiltrated the RAF lines and killed and wounded several men.
When the strip at Hmawbi had been completed, it was arranged to give the Indians who had worked on it a flight in a Dakota. Unfortunately it failed to get airborne and slid into a paddy field at the end of the runway. As you can imagine, the Indians found it a traumatic experience and were more than pleased to evacuate the ‘iron bird’.
On September 20, 1945, a flying officer and crew went on a routine flight from Hmawbi to Don Muang, Bangkok, with instructions to bring back, on the following day, some internees to Mingaladon. This seemed a peculiar request as there were lots of aircraft flying the route that were able to accommodate passengers at short notice.
Instead of spending overnight at Don Muang, as was usual, the crew were taken to a large hotel in the city centre for the night. September 20 was the birthday of the King of Thailand, but as he was still safely in exile in Switzerland, it was proclaimed a day of mourning and the population of Bangkok stayed indoors, The Dakota crew travelled through empty streets with only a face occasionally peering out of curtained windows.
The 160 minute flight took off at 0555 the next day with five internees and 20 former PoWs. Who were the internees who received this special service? Your guess is as good as mine...
On December 1, a crew was specially chosen to make up a hush-hush flight with a flying officer pilot. The pilot-officer navigator detailed had just arrived back to Hmawbi after a long flight. The following day the crew entered Dakota KN687 and found it specially fitted out with three upholstered passenger seats. They got airborne at 1340 for the short 15 to 20 minute flight to Mingaladon — it varied according to how heavy the air traffic was.
The crew was instructed not to converse with their elite passengers. These turned out to be a senior Thai officer and a middle-aged Thai lady dressed in black lace. These two had to be conveyed to Dum Dum, Calcutta. After disembarkation of the two passengers, the pilot was told to ring the control tower at 1000 hours the next day (the 3rd). This he did, only to be told that there was a hold up and to ring back at 1000 on the morrow. This time, the crew was told to report to Dum Dum at midnight and be prepared to take-off at short notice, early on the 5th.
They did not have to wait long. At 0130 they got airborne for Mingaladon. In addition to the same two people on the outward flight, there was now a young and smartly-dressed teenage boy whose face was not dissimilar to that image carried on a Siamese banknote. At Mingaladon the crew breakfasted in a private room with a guard at the door. They heard that there was a ‘flap’ on because the King of Thailand had arrived.
Crew and VIP’passengers then took off again at 0730 for Bangkok and arrived at 1000. The pilot’s intention was to taxi the Dakota to the main building. However, they were instructed to taxi to the far corner of the airfield and to stay in the cockpit. A large black car, accompanied by two five-tonners loaded with armed Thai soldiers, drove up to the Dakota and whisked away the passengers.
A few minutes later, a silver Dakota landed and taxied to the main building. A gathering appeared and then disappeared back into the main building. It is a fact that the King of Thailand arrived back at Bangkok that day. He was 21 years old, died about five years later. He was succeeded by his younger brother. Was this the ‘teenager’ who was conveyed in Dakota KN687? It would appear so.
As for the crew, they were told to return to Hmawbi and to forget the whole affair!
[end quote]
Hope others enjoyed this small piece of history.
By chance, does anyone have details of the flight from Switzerland to Calcutta?
airlana