Posted on 06/08/2011 8:54:31 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON – John R. Alison, a World War II fighter pilot who helped lead a daring and unprecedented Allied air invasion of Burma, has died, a son said Wednesday.
The retired Air Force major general and former Northrop Corp. executive died of natural causes Monday at his home in Washington, John R. Alison III said.
Alison's wartime achievements included seven victories, six in the air, qualifying him as an ace, ..
Alison was chosen in 1943 by Army Air Forces commander Gen. Henry "Hap" Arnold for a top-secret mission that flew more than 9,000 troops, nearly 1,300 mules and 250 tons of supplies behind enemy lines in Burma over six days, ..
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
RIP General
I’ll have to read-up on this operation. I know that Gen. Orde Wingate’s Chindit forces made heavy use of British-built gliders during operations in the CBI theater. I had assumed that most men & supplies for the US troops were parachuted. But I guess it’s easier to load pack mules into a glider...
He’s just flying for a different squadron.
Thanks Ace.
wish the story would have include what type of fighter plane he flew
I'll bet there were some stories that came out of that operation.
God bless the men that fly and fight. High Flight, general, reach out and touch the face of God.
/johnny
Not sure, but this may be related to Operation Matterhorn, flying troops, supplies and planes “over the hump” from India to China. The sheer amount of cargo cited would tend to support it.
FWIW, I got to peruse the original documents for Matterhorn at Air University while doing my Air War College paper - pretty intense to be handling the original records of such a historic undertaking.
Colonel, USAFR
Reminds me of a little song I learned long ago.... "There are no fighter pilots down in Hell, the place is full of queers, navigators, bombadiers, but there are no fighter pilots down in Hell!"
/johnny
It occurs to me that towing loaded gliders over the Hump might not have been possible using C-46 & C-47’s. I’m thinking that this was realted to the fighting in Northern Burma in 1945. IIRC, the Japanese made an offensive move into India around Imphal/Kohima. Rather than fall back the Brits & Americans actually pushed their forces across Northern Burma to cut their supplies.
This was an early example of airmobile warfare — just without helicopters.
RIP.
John "Johnny" R. Alison (November 21, 1912 – June 6, 2011), was a highly decorated American combat ace of World War II and veteran of the Korean War, and is often cited as the father of Air Force Special Operations.
More information about the gentlemen HERE. He had an incredible military record!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_R._Alison
John R. Alison was in the middle of a lot of innovations. He was in Britain with Hub Zemke training pilots on the P-40. He made the first night intercept by the 23rd FG (Flying Tigers), earning a DFC. Then supported “Chindit” ground operations with via aerial re-supply. “Wrote the book” on Airforce Special Ops.
Also served in Korea.
Bad-@ss fighter pilot, too.
One of the more amazing stories from this theater of war is how they developed the unique anility to take very large peices of equipment..tanks, trucks, bulldozers..whatever..cut them up into small pieces using torches, fly them over the Hump, then weld them back together on the other side..
One of the more amazing stories from this theater of war is how they developed the unique ability to take very large peices of equipment..tanks, trucks, bulldozers..whatever..cut them up into small pieces using torches, fly them over the Hump, then weld them back together on the other side..
One of the more amazing stories from this theater of war is how they developed the unique ability to take very large peices of equipment..tanks, trucks, bulldozers..whatever..cut them up into small pieces using torches, fly them over the Hump, then weld them back together on the other side..
Jackie Coogan (the actor) was a glider pilot in Burma during World War II.
I'm guessing P40's or whatever they switched to after disbanding the Flying Tigers.
ping
Thanks for the ping. May he rest in peace.
Over 50 years ago, I landed in Taipei as an 18-year old Airman Second, right out of tech school. As the Civil Air Trnasport plane was taxiing toward the terminal, we passed a couple of squadrons of C-47s lined up, wing-tip to wing-tip. Each of these aircraft had a camel painted on its tail, which indicated that it had flown over The Hump
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