Thunder in the East

In Europe the tide of war was changing. The Allied invasion of Normandy had thrown the Germans back and the push to Berlin had begun, but in the Far East another invasion had taken place – this time by the Japanese.

The fighter pilots of the RAF had become masters of the sky over Burma and after weeks of bitter fighting air superiority was complete. The Japanese invasion had run out of steam and slowly, but inexorably, the Allies drove them back, fighting through the rains and floods in arduous conditions, strafing supply dumps and airfields, and dive-bombing enemy concentrations in unequaled precision strikes.

One such strike was the operation to secure the Japanese-held Mingaladon Aerodrome near Rangoon on 20 October 1944, when a composite air force, made up of P-47 Thunderbolts from 261 and 146 Squadrons, carried out a low level attack on the vital Japanese stronghold.

Richard Taylor’s fabulous new painting, Thunder in the East, expertly captures all the fury of this bitter engagement. After completing his bombing attack Warrant Officer Thomas ‘Lucky’ Carter flying his distinctive P-47 'Pistol Packin’ Mamma', engages Nakajima Ki-43 Oscars and Ki-44 Tojo's along with other Thunderbolts of the unit.

In commemoration of the men who flew and fought in Burma, the prints are signed by three RAF veterans that fought in the campaign, two that flew Thunderbolts in Burma and one of the vital ground crew that prepared the P-47’s for this actual mission. A fitting tribute to all those that fought in the ‘Forgotten War’.

Signatures:

• Flight Lieutenant Freddie BALL MC RAFVR
• Flight Lieutenant Ray JACKSON MC
• LAC1 Ben EVANS RAF