Aerial photographs of Allied bombing raids on Japanese occupied Burma.

The second, SUK 14059: The communication centre the day after the air attack by RAF Mosquito aircraft. Part of the roof of one building has been blown away while both buildings have suffered extensive damage.

 

Another fascinating piece of research and sleuthing. As I'm sure you know, a quick look at Google satellite reveals that the sheds were repaired and exist today, and in the original pattern and layout.

Steve

 

Would have to echo Steve's sentiment here. I was intrigued by some of the images, epsecially as they mention various locations of special interest to my little research sphere. Maymyo for certain, but also places such as Waw, on the Pegu Road.

 

Back to Mandalay again. This is IWM photograph C.4879. The caption reads, Sticks of bombs from Consolidated Liberators explode on the marshalling yards at Mandalay, Burma, during a daylight raid by aircraft of 231 Group.



An earlier photograph, dating from 12th September 1942, showing a raid on the same location. Christopher Shores' Air War for Burma describes the earlier raid thus, "On the 12th six Blenheims drawn equally from 60 and 113 Squadrons took off to attack Mandalay Station". Note the gun pits and slit trenches out-lined in red.

 

Again, easy to locate thanks to Mandalay's grid system. Note the curve in the railway line at the bottom of the photograph.

 

This undated photograph is part of a numbered sequence in my collection, It shows an air-raid over Rangoon and is almost certainly part of a sequence taken on the 11th February 1945 as were the photographs earlier in this thread. At the top left of the photograph, Mingaladon Airfield is clearly visible.

 

Map of the same area.

 

Mingaladon Airfield, Rangoon.

 

A photograph dated 20th November 1943 showing the bombing of Akyab by 492 Squadron of the 7th Bomb Group (Heavy) U.S.A.A.F. In the close up photograph note the craters from a previous bombing raid.

 

Despite the oblique angle of the photograph it is relatively easy to compare obvious land marks on the map. The Prison complex has been circled on the map. The map used is the One Inch 84D 6.

 

Last night I dreamt I went to Mandalay again. This photograph, taken by an American Squadron on the 20th March 1943 is captioned. Mandalay Railroad Yard. It appears to have been taken whilst overflying Mandalay rather than bombing it. Portions of the moat around the eastern and southern sides of Mandalay Palace are clearly visible in the top right hand corner of the photograph.

This particular mission is not mentioned in Christopher Shore's Air War for Burma.

 

Section of the One Inch map 93C 1. The approximate area seen in the photograph is marked by a yellow square.

 

Myitnge road and railway bridges, south of Mandalay, 24th March 1943.

 

From the one inch map 93C 1. As nearly all road, rail and river communications in Burma run north/south due to the geography of the country, any road or rail bridge across a major river is a vital choke point. The river Myitnge, which flows into the Irrawaddy, south of Mandalay, is a formidable barrier for a road or railway line and therefore a perfect point at which to sever those communications; replacing a bombed bridge over it is a major engineering undertaking. There were many Allied raids on the Myitnge bridge during the Japanese occupation of Burma.

 

A second photograph of a raid on the Myitnge bridge taken from a different angle and possibly, during the same bombing raid.

 

Again from one inch map 93C 1. The pencil marks on the map were left by its original owner, 3534239 Pte. Lawrence Fulton, of the 2nd battalion, Manchester Regiment.

 

The RAF Museum has the attached photograph PC71/19/628 entitled, A bridge over the Myitnge River after attack by RAF Thunderbolts. March 1945. I would respectfully suggest that much of the damage that you can see was done by earlier heavier raids.

 

This section of the March 1943 photograph shown in post 53 shows the railway workshops at Myitnge circled in red. The workshops appear relatively unscathed, but as an important target, this would change.

 

The RAF Museum has the attached photograph, (PC71/19/1708), dated 5th September 1944 and captioned, Myitnge Airfield. No airfield is shown on the 1" 93 C1 map






But an airfield is marked on the 1:25,000 map Mandalay sheet 4.

 

They also have this photograph, (PC71/19/1733), which has the caption, Myitnge railway workshops under attack by Liberators.