30 Nov 1944: RTAF Martin bomber destroyed on runway at Lampang; Kritsanarat, pilot, & 1 passenger killed (T14)

30 Nov 1944: an RTAF Martin 139WS bomber with a crew of five, ferrying eight passengers from Don Muang, landed in Lampang and was almost immediately strafed by USAAF 51st Fighter Group P-38s and P-51s, possibly out of Yannanyi, China. The plane caught fire and exploded, with the pilot and one passenger killed and nine of the eleven others wounded.1

References:

  • ประว้ติกองท้พอากาส ในสงครามมหาเอเชียบูรพา ระหว่าง พ.ศ.-๒๔๘๔-๒๔๘๘ (นครราชสีมา: สมบูรณ์การพิมพ์, พ.ศ.๒๕๖๔) [History of the Royal Thai Air Force during the Great East Asia War, 1941-1945 (Nakhon Ratchasima: Somboon Printing, 2021)], pp 267-268 (translated):

30 November 1944

Time 1030 hrs. Lt Charoon Kritsanarat and Sub Lt Sangkhakorn Phonchiwin took RTAF 63rd Squadron Martin 139WS bomber, number 7/86, from Ban Phae Airfield2 (Google Maps link) to Don Muang Airfield to receive a group headed by Lt Col Aht Na Bang Chang, Chief of Staff of the 3rd Division, Payap Army, which was traveling to Lampang. At 1205 hrs, Lt Charoon took off from Don Muang to arrive in Lampang Airfield at 1415 hrs. While taxiing into the parking apron, the Martin 139WS bomber was strafed by a USAAF 51st Fighter Group of five P-38s and four P-51s. The Martin exploded and caught fire. There were two deaths and numerous injuries that resulted:3

    • Pilot and Crew
      1. Lt Charoon Kritsanarat, Pilot, killed.
      2. Sub Lt Sangkhakorn Poncheewin, Co-pilot, uninjured.
      3. Cpl Pisit Tangprasert, Front Gunner, seriously wounded in right elbow.
      4. Cpl Thamnu Pratumsaeng, Mechanic, seriously wounded by a shot in the back of his right hand.
    • Royal Thai Army Passengers
      1. Lt Col Aht Na Bang Chang, slight injury to right thumb.
      2. Lt Col Aram Thepanon, slightly injury on back of right hand.
      3. Mr Chamlong Cheunchum, was wounded on the left side of neck.
      4. Pvt Iang Gong-git, uninjured.
      5. Pvt Moon Sukkee, killed.
      6. Pvt Wandee Theparak, wounded in left shoulder.
    • Passengers
      1. Flt Lt Chot Chinasiri, uninjured.
      2. Mrs Arun Chinasiri, seriously wounded in three places in left leg.

Nakajima Ki-27, number 11/85, hidden in a wooded area, was strafed and slightly damaged.

  • Young, Edward, Aerial Nationalism (Washington: Smithsonian, 1995), p 205:

The American fighters flew ten more missions over northern Thailand during the month [November 1944], and on five of these they strafed the airfields at Chiang Mai, Lampang, and Chiang Rai. On only one occasion were they successful in locating enemy aircraft, when on the last day of the month five P-38s and four P-51s strafed the airfield at Lampang, destroying one twin-engine bomber.

  • The event is not covered in:
    • K Carter and R Mueller, US Army Air Forces in World War II Combat Chronology 1941 – 1945 (Washington: Center for Air Force History, 1991), pp 556-557
    • Eric Hammel, Air War Pacific (Pacifica Military History, 1998), Kindle edition
    • Christopher Shores, Air War for Burma (London: Grub Street, 2005), pp 289-290.

 

Major Revisions List
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2026 Aug 14
 First published on Internet

 

Last Updated on 1 September 2026

  1. Map: extract from Google Maps, annotated by author using LibreOffice Draw.[↩]
  2. possibly N14°30.78 E100°55.05; per Young, p 209, “near Saraburi”: if same, possibly at coordinates quoted, which are in Saraburi town.[↩]
  3. Martin photo: File:Martin-B-10B.jpg (offsite link) [↩]
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