19 Feb 1942: Returning from a bombing mission over Pyinmana Station [N19°45 E96°12], about 300 km north of Rangoon, a flight of Ki-30s from the 31st Sentai were unable to find their home base, Lampang Airfield, because of heavy haze / mist. They crash landed apparently in the flats of the Wang River valley with three badly damaged and one destroyed; there were no injuries or deaths amongst the crews.
. . .
Map:1
- Senshi Sosho:2
2月19日 . . . この日、第十飛行団は飛行第七十七及び第三+一 戦隊
をもって、一三ニ〇ラングーン北方三〇〇籽のピンマナ 駅を攻撃し、全弾を停車場に命中させ、貨車八〇両の炎 上爆砕、駅諸施設等の破壊を報じた。
第三十一戦隊は帰路、煙霧のため地点標定ができず、 強い南西風に流されて一機消息不明となり、主力はラン パン近くで不時着し三機が大破した。
Translation:
February 19 . . . On this day at 1300, the 10th Wing flew the 77th and 31 squadrons to attack Pyinmana Station to the north of Rangoon, hitting all the targets, and reporting the burning and explosion of 80 freight cars plus destroying station facilities. During its return, the 31st Squadron was unable to locate [its home base, Lampang] due to the haze, and was swept away by a strong southwesterly wind, leaving one aircraft uncertain. The main force crash landed near Lampang and three aircraft were wrecked. . . .
- Umemoto:3
p 455, line 8:4
| Item | Japanese | English [Google translation] |
| Date | 2月19日 | 19 Feb 1942 |
| Unit | 2/31 | 31st Sentai, 2 Chutai |
| Aircraft lost | 九七軽 | Ki-30 Light Bomber |
| Pilot | 不明 | Unknown |
| Location | ランパン付近河原 | Near the river beach of Lampang |
| Shooter | 帰途・煙霧、黄砂のため地点標定ができず | During return to base, unable to identify location because ground features obscured by haze and yellow dust |
| Details | 不時着大破・人員無事 | Wrecked in emergency landing ・ no casualties |
If this aircraft was subsequently salvaged is not clear. Five additional Ki-30s5 following the first also made emergency landings, but Umemoto indicated that they were apparently undamaged and able to fly out when weather cleared. There were no casualties.
- Shores, et al:6
. . . on this date [19 Feb 1942], 31st Sentai bombers, escorted by 77 Sentai Ki-27s attacked Pyinmana station, 50 miles north of Toungoo. On the return flight heavy mist was encountered and one bomber was lost; three more were seriously damaged in force-landings.
- Ford:7
On February 19, Ki-027 fighters of the 77th Sentai and Ki-30 light bombers of the 31st Sentai attacked Pyinmana on the railroad line north of Toungoo. Returning, the light bombers went off course as a result of fog (perhaps smoke from forest fires and bomb damage) and strong winds, with one Ki-30 lost and three more damaged in crash landings near Lampang.
- From “JAAF deployments”, Dec 1941-Mar 1942: middle of Feb 1942 (offsite link), as copied from 防衛庁防衛研修所戦史室 [National Institute for Defense Studies War History Room],戦史叢書 進南 攻方 陸軍航空作戦 [Senshi Sosho Vol 034 Southern Army Air Operations] (Tokyo: Asagumo Shinbunsha, 1970) [hereafter Senshi Sosho 034], p 597, and as annotated by Kameta Junichi and Jeffrey Stickley (offsite link) ). Enlargement annotated by author using Microsoft Publisher; my ref: \02500 Tango\_Crash sites N TH for Tango\DETAIL SHEETS\J411225 Omkoi [J01] ok\Dan Ford info\23 Dec 1941 attack.jpg[↩]
- Senshi Sosho 034, p 599[↩]
- 梅本弘,ビルマ航空戦・上 (東京:大日本印刷株, 2002)
[Umemoto, Hiroshi, Air War in Burma, vol 1
(Tokyo: Dai Nippon, 2002)], p 455[↩] - translation by Shinpachi, 04 Nov 2020 (offsite link), “Old Thailand Aircrash” thread, ww2aircraft.net[↩]
- Umemoto, p 455, lines 9-13[↩]
- Christopher Shores & Brian Cull with Yasuho Izawa, Bloody Shambles, Volume 2 (London: Grub Street, 1993), p 270[↩]
- Ford, Daniel, Rising Sun over Burma (Warbird Books, 2014), online (no pagination) [↩]