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British Commonwealth Occupation Forces – Japan
Participation in the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) marked the first time that Australians were involved in the military occupation of a sovereign nation which it had defeated in war. BCOF participation in the allied occupation force was announced on 31 January 1946, though planning and negotiations had been in progress since the end of the war. The main body of Australian troops arrived in Japan on 21 February.
Up to 45,000 Australians served in BCOF, including an infantry contingent of 4,700, base units consisting of 5,300, an air force wing of 2,200 and 130 from the Australian General Hospital. The Australian Navy also had a presence in the region as part of the British Pacific Fleet. For two thirds of the period of occupation the Commonwealth was represented solely by Australians and throughout its existence BCOF was always commanded by an Australian officer.
Japanese prefectures
The BCOF area of responsibility was the western prefectures of Shimani, Yamaguchi, Tottori, Okayama, Hiroshima and Shikoku Island. BCOF headquarters were located at Kure, the army was encamped at Hiro, the RAAF at Iwakuni, and the naval shore establishment at the former Japanese naval base at Kure. At the peak of its involvement the Australian component of BCOF was responsible for over 20 million Japanese citizens and 57,000 sq. kilometres of country. Adjacent to the area of Australian responsibility were prefectures occupied by the 2 New Zealand EF (Japan), the British and Indian Division (Brindiv) and, further away, the US 8th Army.
100 Yen BCOF note
The main Australian occupation component was the 34th Infantry Brigade, which arrived in early 1946, and was made up of the 65th, 66th and 67th Battalions. The RAN ships that served were: HMAS Australia, HMAS Hobart, HMAS Shropshire and the destroyers: HMAS Arunta, Bataan, Culgoa, Murchison, Shoalhaven, Quadrant, Quiberon. Landing Ships Infantry: Manoora, Westralia and Kanimbla were used for transport.
The Australian air force component was stationed at Bofu, in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The RAAF Squadrons which served were No. 76, No. 77 and No. 82, all flying Mustangs. The air force component of BCOF was known as BCAIR. By 1950 only one Australian squadron, No 77, remained in Japan.
By early 1947, BCOF had begun to decline from its peak of over 40,000 service personnel from the UK, New Zealand, India and Australia and, by the end of 1948, BCOF was composed entirely of Australians. The force was dismantled during 1951 as responsibilities in Japan were handed over to the British Commonwealth Forces Korea. Some personnel stayed on to serve in the Korean War. Members of No 77 Squadron, for example, had their ‘going home’ celebrations interrupted by the news that they were to be sent immediately to Korea. BCOF ceased to exist on 28 April 1951 when the Japanese Peace Treaty came into effect.
BCOF
The primary objective of BCOF was to enforce the terms of the unconditional surrender that had ended the war the previous September. The task of exercising military government over Japan was the responsibility of the United States forces. BCOF was required to maintain military control and to supervise the demilitarization and disposal of the remnants of Japan’s war making capacity. To this end, Australian army and air force personnel were involved in the location and securing of military stores and installations.
BCOF medal, Australian
The Intelligence Sections of the Australian battalions were given targets to investigate by BCOF Headquarters, in the form of grid references for dumps of Japanese military equipment. Warlike materials were destroyed and other equipment was kept for use by BCOF or returned to the Japanese. The destruction or conversion to civilian use of military equipment was carried out by Japanese civilians under Australian supervision. Regular patrols and road reconnaissances were initiated and carried out in the Australian area of responsibility as part of BCOF’s general surveillance duties.
The RAN component of BCOF was responsible for patrolling the Inland Sea to prevent both smuggling and the illegal immigration of Koreans to Japan. In this task they were assisted by the RAAF whose aircraft were also involved in tracking vessels suspected of smuggling or transporting illegal immigrants. RAAF squadrons also flew surveillance patrols over each of the prefectures in the BCOF zone in order to help locate left over weapons and ordnance.
During 1947, the BCOF began to wind down its presence in Japan. However, BCOF bases provided staging posts for Commonwealth forces deployed to the Korean War from 1950 onwards. The BCOF was effectively wound-up in 1951, as control of Commonwealth forces in Japan was transferred to British Commonwealth Forces Korea.
Click on images to enlarge.
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BCOF Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Kjell F. Andersen – New London, CT; Merchant Marines, WWII, ETO, / US Army, Korea
Mary Barraco – Renaix, BEL; Danish Resistance, WWII, Captain, USO, POW
Albert Bracy (104) – Durham, CAN; Queen’s Own Rifles, WWII, Hamilton Light Infantry
Leslie Edgerton – NZ; RAF/ RNZ Air Force, WWII, ETO, 75th Squadron
Lyle “Moose” Hardy – Belconnen, AUS; RA Air Force, Sgt., (Ret.)
Kenneth Johnson – Doncaster, ENG; RAF, WWII, Warrant Officer, 61st & 9th Squadrons
Alan Lepper – Taranaki, NZ; RNZ Air Force # 432823, WWII
Vera McLane – London, ENG; RAF, WWII, Photograph intelligence
James K. Thompson – Allentown, NY/Largo, FL; US Army, 11th Airborne Division
Esme Wirth – Leeton, AUS; Australian Womens Land Army, WWII
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The British Unsung Hero of Burma
Major Hugh Paul Seagrim
Major Hugh Paul Seagrim
For all the heroes that became famous, there are just as many that did heroic deeds which, for them, was their duty. One of them, British Major Hugh Paul Seagrim, dedicated his life to resisting Japanese forces when they invaded Burma.
Seagrim was born in Hampshire, England in 1909. He was schooled at Norwich and then joined the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. In 1929 he obtained a commission in the British Indian army. He was sent to Burma and before long was accepted by the Karens, forming close friendships.
British in Burma
Burma, now called Myanmar, is situated west of Laos and Thailand in Southeast Asia. It was a colony of Great Britain from 1886 until 1948. The different major ethnic groups living in Myanmar are Burmans, Karen, Shan, Chinese, Mon, and Indian.
Most Indonesian countries regarded the British as haughty foreigners, who looked down on the native peoples while exploiting their land. They were pleased to find none of those traits in Seagrim.
He discarded his uniform, grew a beard and due to the sun his skin turned brown. The Major was always identifiable due to his extreme height of six feet four and earned the nickname “Grandfather Longlegs” from his men. He was a calm, grounded man who always put his men first and was kind to everyone.
Stuart tank advancing on Rangoon
In 1940, the Japanese invaded Burma, with their objective being the conquest of India. Over three hundred thousand British soldiers were forced to withdraw. Seagrim, however, stayed and fought.
The Burmans had their own Independent Army, which sided with the Japanese against the Karen, who possessed only crossbows for protection. Seagrim and his men hid in the jungle and obtained food and weapons when they could. Forced to move around to keep out of reach of the Japanese, they slept in crude bamboo huts and often had to eat rats. The Major was a man of faith and held a daily prayer service for those whose families had been converted to Christianity by missionaries in the 1800s.
After about a year of guerrilla warfare, the Japanese were aware of Seagrim and his men. Having by then lost their ability to wage war, they spied on the Japanese and relayed information to the British in India. Seagrim begged for reinforcements but to no avail.
The frustrated Japanese began attacking the Karen villages to flush the Major out of the jungle. One of their victims finally gave in after horrendous torture and revealed the location of the guerrilla army. As many as three hundred Japanese soldiers closed in on the area, but Seagrim and his men escaped.
Japanese firing squad
Rather than put the Karens in any more danger, the Major decided to surrender. He was taken to the “Rangoon Ritz,” a notoriously brutal prison. All through his captivity, the Major kept his poise, good humor and ability to walk with his head held high. He pleaded for the lives of his men, pointing out that he was the spy, not the Karens. When Seagrim refused to do what the guards told him, he did so courteously. He would not bow or show any submission but did so without animosity. Just his presence buoyed the spirits of the other prisoners.
After being sentenced to death by a Japanese tribunal, and ordered to dig their own graves, Seagrim and seven of his men were executed on September 22, 1944, as they were singing a hymn.
Seagrim posthumously received the Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire; the Distinguished Service Order and the George Cross.
The medals are on display at the Imperial War Museum in London.
Click on images to enlarge.
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Military in the Movies –
General admission – Private showing.
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Farewell Salutes –
Kenneth Adams – Cincinnati, OH; US Navy, WWII
John Bauer – Furth, BAV; US Army, WWII, ETO & Nuremberg Trials, MIS Interpreter “Richie Boys”
Harold Dawson – Bartow, FL; US Army, WWII
Allen Glenn – Great Mills, MD; US Navy, ATC, Vietnam, Desert Shield & Desert Storm
Gerard Gorsuch – NYC, NY; US Navy, WWII & Korea
Bonnie Jackson – Edgar, AZ; US Army Air Corps,WAC, WWII
Jack Moyers – Denver, CO; US Navy, WWII, pilot
Christina Neigel – Verendrye, ND; Civilian, Red Cross, WWII
Robert Sommer – Woodstock, IL; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, B-17 gunner
Frederick Wheeler – Concord, MA; Civilian, WWII, ETO, ambulance driver
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CBI Theater – May 1945
B-24 Liberator, “Black Magic”, 7th Bomb Group
Outstanding mission of the period was a record bridge-busting jaunt by B-24’s of the Seventh Bomb Group, which destroyed or damaged 37 rail and road spans on the Burma-Siam railroad east of Thanbyuzayat. The Japs have been using rail cars with special auxiliary wheels which can leave the bombed-out trackbed and use the highways, and pilots reported seeing several of these, some of them directing machine gun fire at the attackers.
B-29, WWII
HEADQUARTERS, XX BOMBER COMMAND, INDIA – (UP) – Administering treatment prescribed by a medical officer by radio at this headquarters, two crew members of a B-29 returning from a raid on Japanese-occupied Burma saved the life of a third member of the crew.
When the crew member was seriously wounded by shell fire over the target, Sgt. Patsy J. Grimaldi of Brooklyn, radioed the following message to his base:
“Wounded man on board. Shot in neck. Can’t move right arm. Think collar bone broken. Advise if possible.” The radioed pulse and respiration reports continued every ten minutes during the ship’s return trip. An ambulance met the plane at the airstrip and the injured airman was rushed to a hospital where he is now recovering.
Sgt. Grimaldi, who is a member of the Billy Mitchell Group, Twentieth Bomber Command, sent back the messages as well as rendering first aid. A tactical mission report said he “is to be commended on the manner in which he discharged his duties under a trying situation.”
A XX BOMBER BASE, INDIA – The navigator who called calmly over the interphone to ask for certain information received as an answer, “Hell, I couldn’t piece these maps together if I wanted to.”
The answer came from Lt. Harold Vicory of Greenleaf, Kans., 23-year-old radio officer aboard a B-29 Super-Fortress who fortunately was not working with his legs crossed during a mission over Jap-occupied Singapore.
“Enemy fir was very thick,” said Vicory. “The Japs were really peppering us. I was at my desk with a packet of maps and charts when gunfire pierced the belly of the plane, zipped right between my legs, up through the top of the desk, through the maps, and shot out the top of the plane. It all happened pretty fast.”
After he had collected his wits, Vicory examined his maps to discover that the Malay Peninsula had disappeared in thin air.
“They wiped themselves off the map and didn’t know it,” he exclaimed. “And just about that time, the navigator called back and wanted me to give him some information.”
WACs in the CBI
WACS IN THE CBI
The War Department announced this week that 15,546 WAC’s of the Corps’ total strength of 94,000 are serving overseas, including 334 in India and Ceylon.
Other distribution includes, European Theater – 7,030; Southwest Pacific, including Australia, New Guinea, Dutch East Indies and Philippines – 5,255; Italy – 1,612; Guam and Hawaii – 206; Africa and Egypt – 596; Alaska – 103; and Bermuda, Labrador and British Columbia – 394.
Here are two Americans rescued by the 14th Army near Pegu after having been POWs in the hands of the Japanese. At left, Lt. Allan D. DuBose, of San Antonio, Tex., finds it’s the same old Army as he “smilingly” absorbs a shot from Sgt. Orlando Roberto of the 142nd General Hospital in Calcutta. After 18 months as a prisoner in Rangoon, DuBose finds that times change, but not the Army. And at right, Maj. Wesley Werner of St. Louis, happily quaffs his first bottle of beer at the same hospital in Calcutta. Werner had been a prisoner of the Nips since November 17, 1942. A former pilot with the old Seventh Bomb Group he is remembered by old timers in the Theater as the skipper of the noted B-24 Rangoon Rambler. Werner was one of the best known airmen in the 10th Air Force.
CALCUTTA – Happiest group of American soldiers in the India-Burma Theater this week were 73 prisoners of war liberated by the British 14th Army near Pegu on their drive to Rangoon.
The first group of recaptured American prisoners, mostly Air Corps personnel, was recuperating in 142nd General Hospital in Calcutta – with American beer, cigarettes, good food, candy bars, fruit juice, newspapers, magazines and everything possible that Army authorities and Red Cross would provide comfort.
Behind them was a grim memory of starvation, filth, disease and indignities administered by the Japanese to the “special treatment” group composed of flyers captured after the bombing of the Japanese homeland began.
The rescued men will also never forget the forced march out of their prison stronghold in Rangoon to north of Pegu where their Japanese guards deserted in the face of bullets and sound of artillery of the advancing 14th Army.
Two airmen, Lt. Kenneth F. Horner, New Orleans, and Pfc. Smith W. Radcliff, Dexter, Kans., had been prisoners for nearly 35 months; many others had sweated out their return since the fall of ’43 and only two of the recaptured prisoners had been missing since this year.
Click on images to enlarge.
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Military Humor – C.B.I. style – 
“IS THERE REALLY A COSTUME PARTY AT THE RED CROSS TONIGHT?!”
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Farewell Salutes –
George Bezecny – brn: CZECH; British information Service & US Army Intelligence Div. / USMC
Donald Gillis – Cancouver, CAN; RC Navy, WWII
William Hare Jr. – Sylacauga, AL; US Army, WWII, ETO
Ray Jones – Chesterfield, MO; US Air Force, Sgt.
Eleanor Kruger – Pottsville, PA; civilian, War Department, decoder
Arthur Mulroy – Brooklyn, NY; US Navy, Korea & Cuban Missile Crisis, USS Antietam
John Peter Jr. – Swansea, IL; US Army, 11th Airborne Division, medic
Gary Riggins – Sawyer, KS; US Army, WWII, Engineer Corps
Michael Sklarsky – Bristol, FL; US Air Force (25 y.)
Homer Waybright – Fayetteville, NC; US Army, WWII, Korea & Vietnam, Sgt. Major (Ret.)
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CBI Theater – January 1945
Here are snippets of what was going on in the China-Burma-India Theater at the opening of 1945.
Happy New Year, From Over “The Hump”
EAC HQ. – The light of a full moon gave EAC planes an opportunity to hit Jap-held railways, roads, rivers and airfields and smash enemy communication lines, as decisive daylight support was given ground forces on the Burma battlefronts this week.
B-25’s of the 10th Air Force strafed motor vehicles at night in North Burma. The 10th also hit enemy fields at Lashio during daytime, setting two planes afire.
The night intruders, composed of USAAF B-25’s and RAF Mosquitos, Beaufighters and Hurribombers, carried out their operations as far south as Hninpaze, near the mouth of the Sittang River.
Well over 150 sorties were flown in support of the 15th Indian Corps in its current drive in the Arakan.
On the Irrawaddy-Chindwin front, RAF Hurribombers attacked objectives on the road to Yehuphonu. The village of Tabayin was left aflame.
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KANDY – Maj. Gen. Albert C. Wedemeyer, commanding the American Forces in China, and Maj. Gen. George E. Stratemeyer, commanding the Eastern Air Command, have been awarded the Order of the Bath by King George VI, it was announced this week.
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US Infantry meeting up with the Mars Task Force
The 533rd Brigade (Provisional) was activated on 26 July 1944. It soon came to be known as the MARS TASK FORCE. It was designed as a Long Range Penetration Force and training, equipment and organization were all directed toward this end.
Mars Task Force
MARS was able to profit by the experience of Wingate’s Raiders and Merrill’s Marauders in Burma jungle operations. The leaven of veteran jungle fighters was mixed with the freshness of volunteers and the assignment of the 124th Cavalry Regiment.
FAMILY TIES
1328TH ATC BASE UNIT, ASSAM – It’s usually the father who offers guidance and advice to the son, but the combination of the Army and India has proved too much even for such a stalwart tradition.
Cpl. Kadzie Goodwin arrived here recently on a change of station and not long afterward encountered his father, S/Sgt. William A. Goodwin, who he hadn’t seen for more than a year.
Now Kadzie, a ground radio technician in the Army Airways Communication System, guides his father, an aerial radio operator flying The Hump for the ATC’s India-China Division, over the treacherous transport routes between Assam and China.
The Chan brothers.
THE WOMBAT SQUADRON – The story of how two Burmese youths walked 900 miles over some of the most treacherous terrain in the world to evade the Japanese and join the American forces was revealed recently with the appearance of two new waiters in the officers mess hall at this “Liberators of China” field.
after 2 years, Mj. Arthur Walker (R) meets up with his son, Pfc. Peter Walker of the Mars TF, in Burma
TENTH AIR FORCE HQ, BURMA – Probably the first instance of twin brothers meeting in the I-B Theater after a long separation occurred recently when Eugene and Edward Crivaro, 19, of Carnegie, Pa., met each other at a base in Burma. In most cases, twins in the Army remain in the same outfit throughout their service.
Edward and Eugene Crivero
Pvt. Eugene, bomb maintenance man for a service group in China, requested and was granted permission to fly over The Hump. Arriving in Burma, he immediately began a quest for his twin whom he had not seen for 20 months. Using an APO number as a guide, Eugene was soon directed to a 10th Air Force fighter control squadron of which Pfc. Edward was a member. Reunion… at long last.
Eugene spent seven hours in the cold Atlantic waters a year ago when the ship taking him overseas was sunk by German torpedo bombs.
Football Round-up
Rice Bowl
GROUND FORCES BEAT SOS (Services of Supply)
Rice Bowl Champs
HQ CT & CC, CHINA THEATER — Capitalizing on two pass interceptions and a safety, the Army Ground Force, touch football champions of China, fought off a strong SOS team to win the New Year’s Day Rice Bowl classic, 16-0, before a large G.I. crowd.
Ground Force grabbed a slight edge, on a safety in the first Period, adding touchdowns on pass interceptions by Wolfe for 40 yards in the third and Bruner for 60 yards in the fourth. Ben Schall booted both extra points.
SOS often penetrated enemy territory but could not muster a score. Of 20 aerials they tossed in the second half, only four were completed.
The Lineups:
GROUND FORCE: Uhlen, Meyers, Autry, Petiit, Wolfe, Chapman, Schall, Bruner and Becker.
SOS: Crowe, Demski, Harding, Roland, Snyder, Staley, Hardee, Sleteher and Heckman.
Information from CBI Theater.com and CBI Roundup. Clark King & Gary Goldblatt also have a CBI website.
Clark King & Gary Goldblatt
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE.
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Military Humor – CBI Style –
Oh sure – they’re real.
Oops! Not enough money for this place!!
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Farewell Salutes –
Florence Blohm – Wooster, OH; US Navy WAVES, WWII
Peter Carrie (102) – Dundee, SCOT; RAF, WWII, ETO, Flt. Engineer / CBI, Tank Corps
Alan Dick – NZ; RNZ Air Force, Wing Commander (Ret.)
Raymond Evans – Stollings, WV; US Army, Vietnam
Harry Hanen – Alberta, CAN; RC Air Force, WWII
Keith Iwen – Milwaukee, WI; US Navy, WWII
Mancel King – Agra, KS; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, B-24 pilot
William Marshall – Vine Bluff, UT; US Navy, WWII
Edward Reimuth Jr. – Poughkepsie, NY; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 7th Infantry & 11th Airborne Div.
Harold Wilbur – New Castle, DE; US Navy, WWII / US Coast Guard, Korea
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Elephant in the room: Indian Army in Burma
The rarely heard CBI Theater
Chennai, Nov 4:
The China-India-Burma Theatre was ablaze with heavy firing during the Second World War. Indian soldiers died in thousands over a two-week period at Imphal. The combat zone was reduced to a Maharaja’s tennis court as the Battle of Kohima ended and came knocking on Indian doors.
India’s intrusion in a global war was unprecedented.
Despite having had a significant impact on the East, why was the Burmese zone rarely acknowledged in India?
“It is interesting to note how India’s place in the world is attributed to the summer of 1991 and the new liberalization policy. The assumption is that this ‘Asian Power’ is a consequence of the last 25 years or so. I believe that the Second World War was the catalytic moment of India’s emergence in the world stage”, said Dr. Srinath Raghavan, author of India’s War: The Making of Modern South Asia and a senior…
View original post 490 more words
April 1944 (2)
Battle of Kohima
4 April – In the CBI, the Japanese started their offensive towards India by attacking Kohima, India. This operation would suffer from supply problems and the typhoon season. Over 30,000 of the enemy would eventually be lost to due to disease and starvation. Ground troops in Burma received support from the 10th Air Force as over 120 aircraft struck Japanese railroads and supply areas.
5-6 April – the Japanese 138th, 58th and 24th regiments of the 31st Div. surrounded the Allied troops at Kohima into a 10-mile pocket. The 58th attempted to make a surprise attack at the center, but were thwarted by the Royal West Kents. Within the circle, dependent on air supply were the 17th Indian Light Div., 50th Parachute Brigade, 5th Indian Div, 23rd Indian Div. and the 254th Tank Brigade.
10th Gurkha Rifles clearing ‘Scraggy Hill’ at Imphal
6-18 April – the Japanese 53rd in Burma took the Chindit supply base known as “White City.” The Chindits in northern Burma received glider-borne reinforcements. They then occupied the Japanese base at Indau and that cut the enemy off from southern Burma.
7 April – in Japan, it was decided that despite the Army being overstretched in the Pacific and Burma, the new offensive in China would commence. Inchi-Go’s objective was to occupy south China, thereby providing open land routes to their other forces in Malaya and Thailand while crushing US air bases.
7-13 April – in India, the Japanese 138th Regiment encircled the 161st Indian Brigade and took Kohima, but further into the settlement, 1500 troops [mostly the Assam Rifles and 4th Royal West Kents), best back the invaders.
14-18 April – the Allied XXXIII Corps began to try relief operations in the Kohima area. The 5th Brigade/2nd Div. smashed the Japanese roadblock at Zubza and made a break in the circle around the 161st Indian Division.
18 April – the Allied troops were finally relieved in the Kohima area as the 5th Brigade reached them. This does not in any way slow the fighting down. Both sides tried to encircle the other with flanking maneuvers.
Kohima War Cemetery
26-27 April – the Allied XXXIII Corps started a major offensive to retake Kohima. The 5th attacked the Japanese right flank from the north and the 4th Brigade came from the south. After the British took the road junction, both sides took entrenched positions about 72 feet apart, around the “Tennis Court”. The following 2 weeks would bring heavy and close-quarter battles.
27-28 April – in New Guinea, the Cyclops Airdrome had limited operation. With the swift success at Hollandia, plans by generals MacArthur and Kenney began to take form on heading west.
A short gallery of photos of constructing an airdrome in WWII.
Click on images to enlarge.
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CBI Military Humor –
The CBI version of being sold the Brooklyn Bridge.
“Corporal Gee Eye” always getting into trouble!!
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Farewell Salutes –
Eddie Agurkis – Newburgh, NY; USMC, WWII & Korea
The Salute
Simon Bromley – AUS; RA Air Force
Ethel Gay Carmichael – Leader, CAN; RC Air Force (WD), WWII
Edward Ebanks – Hollywood, FL; Merchant Marine (Ret. 45 years)
Paul Kelly Sr. – Brighton, MA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, B-17 pilot “Millie K”
John McCambridge – Broad Channel, NY; US Army, WWII
Samuel Prather – Seattle, WA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 1st Lt.
Andrew Repasky – Library, PA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 11th Airborne, artillery
Robert Segil – Salt Lake City, UT; US Army, WWII, PTO, Lt., tank destroyer unit
Ruth Turner – Knoxville, TN; US Cadet Nursing Corps, WWII
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March 1944 (1)
Marauder Sgt. Gerald Silvey watches Sgt. Robert Passanisi repair the 60 ib. SCR 300 FM Transceiver
5 March – in the CBI, the Chinese 22nd and 38th divisions captured Maingkwan in the Hukawng Valley in Burma. On their left flank, the US troops of Merrill’s Marauders crossed the Tanai River and took Walaboum. Despite a serious lack of food and enduring combat, including suicidal bayonet charges of the Japanese 18th Division, under Gen. Tanaka, the Allied casualties were light.
Chindit forces in north Burma launched Operation Thursday. The 77th and 111th LRP (Long Range Patrol) Brigades, (~ 9000 men), along with their 1,300 mules were deployed by glider and transports by the recently formed American Air Commando, under Col. Phillip Cochrane. Their mission was to establish landing strips for air supply and to cut the flow of enemy supplies and communication in the Mitkyina area. More of the brigades would be flown in over the next 3 months.
Gen. Renya Matguchi’s plan of U-Go began in Central Burma with the 33rd, 15th and 31st divisions, with 7,000 of Bose’s Indian National Army in support. Their goal was to halt any Allied offensive in that sector, enter India and cut off the Tiddim-Imphal Road; a major supply route.
Chindit operations map
On the 12th of March, the enemy reached Witok on the approach to Shenan Saddle. The 17th Indian Div., under Lt.Gen. A.P. Scoones, became trapped by the Japanese 33rd Div. and the 28th Indian Div. was encircled by Matguchi’s 15th Div. Mountbatten called in the American Hump and the RAF for assistance. Other units of the 15th attacked “Broadway”, an Allied airfield in the Chindit area the following day.
As those Allied units fell back from the Japanese offensive, the troops in the Arakan made progress. They recaptured Buthidawng and the enemy fortress at Razabil.
Chindits, 77th Division
15-16 March – the second phase of U-Go started with the Japanese troops, east of Imphal, heading west to meet up with the other units coming up from the south. Meanwhile, the enemy 33rd Div. began a 3-prong assault toward Kohima. Chindit troops cut the Japanese supply railways on the 16th.
23-30 March – the 14th LRP Brigade landed at “Aberdeen” landing zone in support of the Chindits near Manhton. On the 25th, MGen. Orde Wingate, leader of the Chindits and pioneers of Tactical innovations, was killed in an air crash over Burma. MGen. W. Letaigne would succeed him. By the 30th, the Chidit operations began to falter. The 16th Brigade retreated from the Japanese 53 rd. defense at Indaw.
Click on images to enlarge.
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C.B.I. Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Charles Anderson – Grand Rapids, MI; US Army, WWII, ETO, Corps of Engineers
Roy Anderson – Cloquet, MN; US Army Air Corps, WWII, CBI, 330th Troop Carrier Sq. (The Hump), C-47 pilot
John Burke – Shelley, ID; US Army, WWII, CBI
Brett Burney – Hamilton, NZ; RNZ Air Force # 403939, WWII, Africa & Burma
Llyod Diedrichsen – Scribner, NE; US Navy, WWII, CBI, Scouts & Raiders
Bruce Evans – Cold Lake, CAN; Vintage Wings of Canada pilot
Steven Harris – Huntsville, AL; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 127th Engineers, 11th Airborne Division
Magdalena Leones – Lubuagan, PI; Philippine-American Army (USAFIP), WWII, PTO, Silver Star
Richard Reinhardt – Rochester, NY; US Army, WWII, ETO, 172nd Combat Engineers
Charles Smith – Winfield, KS; US Army Air Corps, WWII
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April 1942 (2)
USS Tenedos
1-6 April – off the coast of Ceylon ( now known as Sri Lanka), the Japanese sank the USS Tenedos in Columbo Harbour during an air attack. As the Japanese Blitz raged on, enemy troops made amphibious landings on Bougainville in the Solomons and in the Admiralty Islands. On the coast of India, the enemy attacked Vizagapatam and Cocanada.
5-9 April – as Bataan fell, the Royal Navy in the Indian Ocean, also was facing humiliation. Five WWI battleships led by HMS Warspite and 3 carriers had been sent to protect the shipping to Burma. As church bells rang out over the bay for Easter in Ceylon, Japanese aircraft bombed the installations at Columbo Harbour. Six Zeros were shot down at the cost of 20 RAF planes
Thirty-one hits on HMS Dorsetshire lifted her out of the water and she sank. HMS Cornwall received 8 hits, rolled over and sank as well. About 1,100 men were rescued by destroyers, but the first objective of the enemy’s Operation C was a success, stage 2 would follow 3 days later.
HMS Hermes & HMAS Vampire
The second phase began as a raid on Trincomalee, Ceylon. Adm. Nagumo’s aircraft destroyed cranes, workshops, ammunition dumps and fuel tanks. Eight Allied planes and 15 enemy aircraft were downed during aerial combat. HMS Hernes and HMAS Vampire were discovered trying to escape. The Hermes and the Vampire were both sunk, but remarkably, most of the crew-members were rescued by the hospital ship, Vita.
Across the Bay of Bengal, Admiral Ozawa’s cruisers sank 23 merchant ships. Shipping between Burma and India came to a screeching halt and the Allies had lost 100,000 tons of matérial.
10 April – the US Pacific Fleet started being organized according to type: battleships, cruisers, destroyers, carriers, Service Force, Amphibious Force, Submarine Force and Patrol Wings. / On Burma, the “BurCorps” were continually pushed north by the enemy, but they destroyed the oil facilities as they retreated.
Britain/India negotiations
11 April – Britain denied India’s independence demands from President Nehru, but the Indian leader pledged continual support for the Allies despite their political differences.
18 April – the Doolittle Raid off the USS Hornet was launched 150 miles further from Japan than originally planned to avoid detection from the Japanese.
Taking off from the USS Hornet
Once the shock of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor subsided, US military planners turned to retaliation. Lt.Colonel James H. Doolittle presented his daring and unorthodox plan: B-25 bombers, normally land-based, to be transported by carrier. The top-secret training program began immediately and B-25 aircraft were modified for the operation. The naval fleet used were nicknamed, Task Force Mike, for the operation and the bombers chalked messages on their cargo such as: “I don’t want to set the world on fire, just Tokyo.”
one of the bombers that crashed in China
Further information and Eye Witness Story to follow……….
Click on images to enlarge.
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Military Humor – [ what the Sarge didn’t tell you ]
What the manual doesn’t tell you is……..
CPR exhibited by one who knows…..
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Farewell Salutes –
Donald Barnes – Arlington, VA; US Army, WWII
Elmo Copeland – Greenville, FL; US Army, Vietnam
Dominick D’Anna – Tucson, AZ; US Air Force, Lt. Col. (Ret.), Vietnam, Cuban Missile Crisis, Bronze Star
Lewis Giers – Holly, MI; US Army, WWII
John Joplin – Ft. Smith, AR; US Army, Korea, 3rd Infantry Division
Walter Malec – LaPorte, IN; US Army, WWII, Sgt. PTO
Philip Pelkey – Hampden, ME; US Navy, SeaBee
Ian Seaman – Henderson, NZ; RNZ Air Force # F77538
Malcolm Youker Jr. – Eugene, OR; US Army, WWII, Capt., Counter Intelligence Corps, PTO, Bronze Star
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Eyewitness to Malaya
This 2-part story is condensed from an article that ran in The West Australian newspaper on Saturday, 7 March 1942. It is the report of Major General Henry Gordon Bennett:
General Bennet
The first defensive position in country near Gemas was covered by young rubber trees 4′ or 5′ high and the ground was fairly open and hilly. The Australian line was covered by the guns of a very efficient artillery regiment from Queensland and New South Wales. It was some miles in advance of this position at Gemas that the 30th New South Wales Battalion decided to ambush the enemy.
Far East/Malaya map
Click image to enlarge.
The 30th inflicted heavy casualties. It was our first clash with the Japanese… LtCol. Galleghan was awarded the D.S.O. (Distinguished Service Order), for his conduct in this battle… He led his men personally. On one occasion, Brigadier Duncan Maxwell sat beside him while a captain sent back ball-to-ball description of the fight, “They are coming at us now. They are attacking from the left. They are holding their hats in their hands. They are shouting not to shoot because they are Indians.” Maxwell replied, “Tell them to shoot – there are NO Indians in that front sector.”
There was dog-fighting for 2 days. We had strong patrols on each flank preventing infiltrating parties of the Japanese. It had just been decided to replace the tired 30th with the 29th when the situation at Muar on the west coast became critical. The 45th Indian Brigade could not stop the Japanese who crossed the Muar River. As a consequence, the 29th was hustled into lorries and driven to that front. They arrived just in time to stop the advance.
The Argylls in Malaya
Realizing that the position was vital and its loss would threaten our line of communications well to the rear, we withdrew the 19th Battalion from Mersing to help the 29th. This left me with 2 battalions at Mersing, 2 at Gemas in the centre of the peninsula and 2 at Muar. Soon after the 19th arrived near Muar, the Japanese attacked with tanks. Our gunners realized they had to make sure they were completely destroyed. Some of the disabled tanks were finished off with Molotov cocktails.
To be continued….With many thanks to Trove.com
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POLITICAL CARTOONS of 1942 – 
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Farewell Salutes –
Anthony Bonvetti Sr. – Wilmington, DE; US Army WWII
Malcolm Dewar – Vancouver, CAN; Royal Air Force, WWII
Jesse Dyess – Jacksonville, TX; US Army, WWII, ETO, 270th Field Artillery Battalion
Marlene Graham – Colorado Springs, CO; FBI, WWII
Geoffrey Hardwick – Mitchell, AUS; RA Navy, WWII
Eric Larsen Sr. – Kiln, MS; US Army, WWII, ETO
Christ Rink – South Bend, IN; US Army Air Corps, WWII
Herbert Stanley – Anchorage, AK; US Army Air Corps, WWII
Thomas Tyson – Taumarunui, NZ; RNZ Air Force, WWII, #EC15591, Captain
Lionel Violette – Palm Beaches, FL; US Air Force, LtColonel (Ret. 25 years), pilot
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10-12 December 1941
Indian troops
Basically the Japanese Blitzkrieg continued on for approximately another six months, but from here on out the Pacific War data will be titled by month and year. I hope my efforts help to make the sequence of events for this historic era more clear. Please remember the comment section is always looking for the stories you know. No one should ever be forgotten!
FDR’s fireside chats
10 December – Roosevelt gave his ‘fireside chat’ on the radio to unite the citizens of the US against the Japanese, (despite the fact that every military enlistment post being full of volunteers). But, even though the majority appeared to hold a favorable acceptance of avenging Pearl Harbor, there were sounds of discontent in Congress as to the reason America was caught by surprise. The unity, instantly brought on by the attack in Hawaii, was at this point halted by the question – WHY?
No.2 Company, Bombay Sappers (Engineers)
One Representative quoted the news correspondent, Leland Stowe in Chungking, “…it seems incomprehensible here how the Japs were able to get to the Army’s big airfields in Oahu and without large numbers of American fighters getting into the air promptly… On Sunday evening [Chungking time], at least one hour before the Japanese blitz on Hawaii, an official of the US gunboat “Tulitz” [Tutuila], warned your correspondent: It is going to happen tonight.'”
11 December – Adolph Hitler solved a major problem for President Roosevelt by declaring war on the United States. If the president had been forced to act first, he would have risked losing support of a large portion of the country.
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh’s entry into his diary for 11 December read: “Now all that I feared would happen has happened. We are at war all over the world and we are unprepared for it from either a spiritual or a material standpoint. And then what? We haven’t even a clear idea of what we are fighting to attain.”
12 December – the British 18th Division and four squadrons of fighters were diverted to Bombay to strengthen the Indian divisions. No matter how serious the setbacks became in the Far East, Churchill will remain steadfast in his belief that it did not deserve a fleet. It was Britain’s third matter of priority at the onset and would remain so.
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
A quote from Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet of Japan told a friend, “…after more than 4 exhausting years of operations in China, we are now considering simultaneous operations against the US, Britain and China, and then operations against Russia as well. It is the height of folly.”
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Humor – courtesy of our fellow blogger Chris, found HERE!
“Alright sailor! Let’s get that hat squared away!”
Navy training…
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Farewell Salutes –
Jewell Coffindaffer – Charleston, WV; US Navy, WWII, SeaBees (grandson, MSgt. Vance is currently in Afghanistan)
Andrew Cunningham – W. Australia; RA Navy, HMAS Perth, Karangi, Nizam, Napier, Nepal & 4th WSLS Category (14 years)
Charles Dyer – Jupiter, FL; US Air Force, Korea
Billy Gourley – Shreveport, LA; US Army, Korea, Signal Corps
Michael Heitzman – Louisville, KY; US Air Force (Ret. 20 years)
Kenneth Raines – New Zealand; RNZ Navy # 1459, WWII
Jadwiga Szyrynski – Ottawa, CAN; Polish Army, nurse, WWII
Frank Torre – Brooklyn, NY & Jupiter FL; US Army, Korea, (MLB player)
Charles Weber – Bridgeville, PA; US Army, Korea & Vietnam, (Ret. 21 years)
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Pacific Paratrooper 