Constant Vigilance: The RAF Regiment in Burma 1942-1946

davidbfpo · Mar 6, 2025

An online free webinar from the Kohima Educational Trust on Thursday 20th March at 8pm. The advert explains:

..our guest speaker Dr Nigel Warwick. Dr Warwick is an Australian academic and author who is also the Corps Historian of the RAF Regiment. In this webinar, he will discuss the role of the RAF Regiment in Burma between 1942 and 1946.

Never before had a major land force ever depended so completely upon air power and effective air/land cooperation. Viscount Slim said that without the Air Force, XIVth Army could never have defeated the Japanese in Burma. The RAF commanders considered that air power might not have remained viable without its own force protection, provided mainly by the RAF Regiment.

A dedicated and specialist ground force for active defence of airfields, the Regiment played a vital part in the success of the Burma campaign. Formed in February 1942, as dispersed flights, they were drawn together during 1943 at the RAF Regiment Depot, Secunderabad, and established as field squadrons and anti-aircraft flights (later light AA squadrons): deploying to forward airfields in Bengal, the Arakan, Assam, and most importantly Imphal.

In March 1945, the Regiment participated in the masterstroke of the campaign; the thrust for, and capture of Meiktila. The new Corps earned acclaim in the defence of Meiktila airfield which is considered to be the most important battle it has ever fought to this day.

By the fall of Rangoon in May 1945, the Regiment numbered thirty-one squadrons, more than 3000 gunners. By September, it was deployed across South-East Asia, taking the surrender of Japanese forces and providing force protection against developing nationalist insurgencies.

That the Regiment was able to carry out its tasks so effectively despite outdated equipment, often with significant proportions of its units debilitated with tropical ailments, is a tribute to the diligence, tenacity and professionalism of its officers and airmen.
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From: Constant Vigilance: The RAF Regiment in Burma 1942-1946 - Kohima Educational Trust

Note:

If you're not able to join us at the time, please do register anyway, as the talk will be recorded and we'll be able to let you know when it's available to view on our website.
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There are a good number of threads - none looked at - id'd with an online search: "RAF regiment" + "burma" site:ww2talk.com

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