Air Force the Official Service Journal - Air Force Historical Studies ...

sengcr and courier service in areas behind the front lines of
cncmv troops. Act uullv. liaison xqu.rdrons arc performing
functions in com hat theaters which will never be found on
anv activa tion chart.
'!'hrcc tvpcs of pLl11cs~thc 1.- I. L.-4 and 1.- )~\\"(Te used.
The L-I, no longcr in production, has a cruising speed of
.rpproximutclv 100 mph a 2S0-horscpO\\"cr I ,\coming enginc
and a LInc1ing speec1 of about :;(i mph, Tl«: I,--t. now used
pr im.uilv bv ':icld .Yrtillcrv. has ;1 LTuising specd of -;-) mph,
a (»).horsepo\ITr Continental cngine and a landing speed of
approxiruntclv :;S mph. The I,,), nO\I' the pl.mc o{fiCialh.
assigned to :\:\F li.nsou squac1rollS. cruises nt about 110
mph. lands at apprmimateh' )0 mph and has a ] S )-llOrSCpo\\'er
1,\"('Ollling cngine.
luch li.rivon squadron h;ls i officcr pilots and :;2 nonconuuiv.ioncd
pilots, of whom -t arc muxtcr scrgcants, 12
tech sergcants and 16 st.rff 'LTgcants, 'l'hc: 1\.\1.' light
pl.mc OjK'L1tiom ;UT not to hc confused with thc usc of
liaison sq u.rcl TOllS hy the .rrt illrrv. :\:\ F liaison sq u.id rons
arc att.rchccl to the variou : air forces where tht-v mal' bc
assigned to thc ground forcc units for over-all li;!;,on fuuc.
t ious. Their pl.mcx arc piloted In' air force pcrsonnel. Artillery
liaison pl.uicx arc flown bv .\rtiller\" personnel .md arc
used ollly in connection wirh the operations of the .Yrtillcrv,
To dcuioustr.rtc the potential pcrfonuuncc of tlic light
BIG PUNCH
and there \\;IS no \\'ay to hring them out of the jungles.
SCITn light pl.mcs and nine scrgc;mt pilots were scnt down
and in I) c1a\'s thcv succcssfullv evacuated iOO casualties,
'] 'hc missiollS' were 'so important that tlu: British provided
Spitfirc co. cr for the light pl.rnc». In all of their Liter opcrations,
however, the li.uson pLIncs never hac! any fighter
protection.
"lhc usc to which the "little" pbnes were put in the
conuuando strike IILI\" he consick-rcd ;1 hpicJ1 cx.un plc of
their gcner;I1 cnpahilit ic«. Cencral \\ing;lte, speaking of
thc,c uct ivitic«. s;licl. "Vvit liout \OU men .md vour aircraft,
this camp;ligu could not h;11e hoped to be a ~ucccss."
That a hpe of pl.mc \\"hich herctofore 1l:1c1been consiclcrcd
nothing more th.m a mess;lge carrier .md a "tov
airplane" should ITCCIIT such high pr.u-«: is a trihutc to all
concerned. who found IICI\"II;IYS to solve old problems. One
irupor t.m t ditTicult\" bceel I\,;IS the prohlem of keeping supplies
Rlmillg mt o the grouud forc'es, who \\'eIT completely
isol.md in the jllllgles, Li.u-on planes formec1 ;1 team with
C--t-;-s, and h.mcllcd a prohlem which neither tlPC of plane
could have done alone. The trau-ports c.uuc in to the largc
buck b;lses with a full IO;Ic1of supplics and the light planes
c1ispcrscd this materiel to the small advauccd outposts spread
throughout the jungle.
'Ihe light planes Hc-v into p;1c1ch fielcl, lontccl right in
'",
v '~
the heart of the 1;1]);l11e,e tcrrit
orv. Thc-v took off .md
l.rudcd mer 'thc' hl';lc1> of the
• clefenclini.; ene11l1 One pilot
•.-::::!n.:~or21 holes in his plane when
t urucd left on ;1 tl ke-off
r.u lur th.m leering to the
'~. ri~ht. ;111';11' f rom the Jap,. It
,. \ 11;1' IIOt nnuvu.rl for the op-
....: pmin~ force, to oeenpl' both
. ,,- cnd-, of the S;11I1e l.mcliiu;
pl.mcs. two j.+th Air Force officers actuall, flc«: thc
"'"
(J-
IIlllllP" " h:
~_~
I11III" . -
fillcl.
pos,e'Sion
Li.iivou pilot'; actu.illv
of tlnir aircr.rf]. On
in li.uvon pl.uic-. a procedure wh ich origin;dh' h.rd hCCIL""l.o~n~c!i!. Japs ;lch;11Iccd and captured SOI11Cof the
rccouu ncudcd agaillSt wlu-u the question cau«: up a, to thc'-s. ., pii:lts turned thelllsehes into ground
best rnctliod of 1Il0\ing these planes from l ncli.t into China, troops, (1l1l'C the Brlti,h forces .md rcc.rpt urcd their pl.mcs.
ILl\ing heard of the difficulties of hopping the II um p, :t\fost mu intcu.mcc 11;IS lWldled In' the li.iivou pilots. A
\!aj. I.'red \\'e1>h and Capt. ]':dl\";lrcl \ l.rhcr decided to do it rol'lllg crc« of 111cch.m ic- went from ontpost to out povt
111 a p.rir of ] ,-)s. Tluv took off from a hhe in \";1111 and doing the hC'1 I' work .md re'cLJilning jnnknl p.ut«. hnt
landed at ;111advanced ficld in Ch iua. :t\lajor \\ clsh rcports, u-uullv a light pl.nu: pii:Jt flell I:i, plane. fought to protect
"\\'e flell' bv the scat of om p.mt s jmt as the old b.un- it aur] took c.rrt. of It h i.u.clf .
stornllT, n-ed to do. Of eomse. wc: 11I;ICle;1 thorongh check Colonel Corhr.ru s;lid. "Our lii.;ht plane, did elTnthing.
wit l: the China :"ation;d airll11es .md the Air TL111Sport "llu.v CI;IULlted Ilonnded ;In;1 die! one of the finest joh, I
Conun.rud, so lIT kucw the 10\\" spot'; .md the passcs to hit. li.rvc cvcr scen. TIley IIl'le cnr.::J c.uiicr-. tLlmportl11g eITI"\'-
"\\e got as high ;IS II'e could~().r)()() fect~;111d negoti- thing from b.nlxd wir« and hee!ding rolls to iuort.u: and
atccl mo-t of the passes. \\'e had to drop to :;00 feet SOlUC mortar shells. \\'c usee! thcin to help direct our gronlld
of the t imc. jmt 'Knnming the trl'e tops. Coming throngh act ivi.i.«, to O:,\lTIC cnl'1ll\ nlO\ enlcnts. .mcl a couple of
the iu.uu P;\'S, Ill' hacl to fly single file, hut lIT got through tinles we m.rd.: hO;I,hu, on! of tlu-m .n«] i.;0!' cxcclk-ut
without ;Inl trouble." rcsultx. If IIC needed to roun-l np thc Linking onicer, from
In Burnl:\, t lurc IITrc two scp;lr;ltc ligl,t pLlIlc opcr.rtiouv. v.rr iou-, p:liut'; in the jnngle for inrport.mt cOllfercncc" the
One 'CJll;\dron ;Ittachcd to t lu: l Uth .\ir I'mcc, original1\' k;llt pLl11c, die! the joh."
hc.rdqu.utcrcd at Lcclo. India. vupportcd the Chinese- I':\;lct figurcs arc not ;1\;liLlhk. hu t \Llj, Cc-n. Ccori.;e
Am crira n forces in 111C!i;1which included \lerrill's \[acme!- ~tLltelne\cr. couuu.mdim; i.;eneLJ! of tIle ji;lstern i\ir Comcrs.
Thc other light pLinc forcc \\";1, p;nt of thc .\ir C011l- nl;lI1d. c,timates the ligllt pLllles flell ::;,(1)(1 to S.()O() sorties
nl;ll1c1os. unc1er the e()]nhlned dircction of Co!s. Philip e;llIin~ thc comm;llle!() O[JCLlticllI. Thel' el;lcu;ltcd in e'\eTS\
COChLll1 ;lllCl John ,\hson \\ho cO()jc1Jnated thcir actilities of 2,O()() CISIl:I1ties. In hi, otTiCl~d repo'rt to CencLI1 Arnolc1,
\\"ith thc Lite \hj. Ccn. O. C. \\'ingate of thc British Cener;I1 Stratcme'.Tr ,;lic1. "\lost spectlcuLIr pcrh;lps of ;111
.\rmed Scnices. the air C(lmn1;111C1oairer;lft has hecn thc pLTforIn;,nce of IO()
1';ITn beforc thc conln1;llldo o[JeratiollS hcg;ln. the Ii;lison light pLInc\ ;ltLiehed to tIll' i.;roup."
pL/ncs \\Tnt into ;Iction in IT'ponsc to ;1 clespeLlte cdl for Dilling thc comm;l11e!o opcLltion, the lii.;ht pLlllCS pcrhelp
from the Briti,h grouud troops in southern Burma. A formee! m:11I\' e!ifferl'nt funcho!lS, tIll' most illlJ)()rtant of
largc British forcc had hecn surroullelec1 ;llld tr;lppcd in the \':hieh incluc1c:
.\rakan section and \\';1' iu thc inllul'Cli;ltc eLmger of being Evacuating wounded. Thc 1,-1 and thl' 1,-) lIorJ!1;dh' ClIT\,
\\"ipcd O\lt. \LlllY l\lmc!ree1> of the BritIsh had bcen \\'oullClec1 cmh' t\\"() men each. But UI rl"jJollse 1