Article on the air war over Burma

[Christer Bergström]

Here's a very interesting and well-researched article on the air war over Burma Dec 1941 - April 1942:


http://www.warbirdforum.com/jaafhist.htm

Here's some more:

http://www.warbirdforum.com/jaafloss.htm

Combine that with this article by Håkan Gustavsson:

http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/japan_eto.htm

If there is one thing we learn from the history of the air war between the Japanese and the Allies, it is that you should never ever trust the claims made by either side in that war. Like on 23 Dec 1941 when the Japanese claimed 41 Allied fighters shot down while they in reality only shot down three; or on 25 Feb 1942, when the AVG ("Flying Tigers") claimed 22 Japanese planes shot down while in reality they only managed to shoot down a single Japanese aircraft.

(Which reminds me of a wondeful way of putting it which I read in Eric Hammel's "Carrier Clash": "U.S. TAsk Force 16 claimed seventy of the twenty-seven Vals as confirmed kills." - In reality, the Americans shot down 17, not 70, Aichi Val dive-bombers in that combat on 24 Aug 1942, but that was Guadalcanal.)

Enyoy the linked articles and buy Eric Hammel's book now!