Wings of Duty

Wings of Duty — Page 15

15 the Air Force as and when needed. The planes’ only defence was the height at which they flew, as in those days none of the Japanese fighter planes could fly at a similar altitude. Because space was limited at Mingaladon, and the front line had moved far south of Rangoon, this squadron received orders to change to a more southerly base. The day they were to fly out, all 16 planes were full of gear and topped up with petrol. They were parked in close proximity only 200 feet away from the right side of the runway, wing tip to wing tip. The pilots were drinking tea in a tent behind the aircraft. All of a sudden a Dakota airplane lost control and rapidly spun 45 degrees to the right, ran off the runway and before its pilot could bring it under control, it crashed into the first of these planes which burst into flames. Since the tanks were filled with petrol, all of them caught on fire. We watched this spectacle from the opposite end of the air base and all we could see was a terrible blaze. Within two hours, each of the 16 planes had been burnt to ashes. Thankfully the pilots were safe, but they did not even have a change of clothes because all their personal belongings had been on the aircraft. It was a chilling sight and one which shook us all.