Atholl Sutherland Brown

Brown does a masterful job of combing a history of an obscure RAF squadron in a forgotten part of WW II (Burma) and the exciting tales told by the men who flew in that squadron. His real love in the story is the Bristol Beaufighter whose virtues he extols and whose few flaws he describes. He flew one in the Burma campaign so he knows the plane and the men who flew them, repaired them and commanded the squadron.

He gives us the background on the battle against the Japanese in the India/Burma scene and how 177 Squadron was developed and why the Beaufighter was the plane chosen for the role. He breaks up the history of the squadron and the war with frequent anecdotes that are full of exciting battles, scary moments, heroic flights in damaged planes, incredible landings and crashes. There is even an evasion story which were rare in theatre of the jungle clogged mountainous terrain of Burma. Walking back to Allied lines through a Japanese controlled jungle infested with all sorts of dangerous wildlife not to mention some very dangerous tribesmen was a rare feat. There were also mountain ranges to cross.

A real page turner.… (mehr)