Col. Phil Cochran, 1ACG

Discussion in 'War Against Japan' started by adrian roberts, Feb 4, 2007.

  1. adrian roberts

    adrian roberts Senior Member

    Last month's Aeroplane had an article on the early days of the 1st Air Commando Group, USAAF, and their operations in Burma.

    1ACG was a self-contained unit tasked with providing transport and air support to Wingate's Chindits, operating behind the enemy lines. It was led by Col Philip Cochran, a charismatic and innovative career USAAF officer who had previously led the highly successful 58th FS of P40s in North Africa, in the Close Air Support role. He and second-in-command John Alison were handpicked by Hap Arnold, to build 1ACG from scratch, recruiting personnel and acquiring equipment (in about three months).

    It was this Group that inserted the Chindits into Northern Burma via the Broadway Airstrip on the night of 5th March 1944, providing all the necessary transport planes and gliders, as well as light observation types. For Air Support they had their own cannon-armed B25H Mitchells, and rocket-firing P51A Allison-engined Mustangs (which at low-level was faster than a D). The unit also clocked up the first combat use of a helicopter, when a pre-production Sikorsky YR4 was used to evacuate casualties (one at a time).

    My question is: what happened to Phil Cochran? The article does not seem to be continued in this month's magazine. John Alison was interviewed for the article and speaks of him in glowing terms, but always in the past tense. Was he killed in the war or has he died since? (He would be 97 by now if alive)

    Planes of Fame Museum's P51A is painted as Miss Virginia of 1st Air Commando Group, which was flown on some operations by Cochran
     

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  2. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

  3. Kyt

    Kyt Very Senior Member

  4. adrian roberts

    adrian roberts Senior Member

    Thanks.
    Shame his health let him down at the peak of his career - I wonder if it was related to service in Burma; conditions there were quite horrendous.
    But he seems to have made the best of the rest of his life.

    Adrian
     
  5. Quarterfinal

    Quarterfinal Well-Known Member

    It has been a while since this thread was added to and some of the links seem to have faded. Quite a few years ago, a rather large rendition of David Rowlands’ painting of the Chindits landing at Broadway adorned the wall of one of the buildings at Hurlburt Field, clearly associated with the successors of 1 ACG being based there. Col Philip G Cochran is evidently still very much respected and remembered, as exemplified here:
    Remembering Colonel Philip G. Cochran > Hurlburt Field > Display
    and with an historical interview transcribed at:
    Historical interview: Phil Cochran > Air Force Special Operations Command > Display
    which may be of interest.
     
    bamboo43 likes this.
  6. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Thanks for the resurrection of this thread Quarterfinal. Today's Chindit Society has a renewed connection with the spirit of Cochran, Alison and 1st Air Commando, through our association with 352nd Special Operations Wing, USAF who are based at RAF Mildenhall.
     

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