My First Outpost – Thura Tin Maung Aye

On the 26th November 1949, Cadet Ko Gyi and myself were awarded wings upon the completion of our

service flying training school. We were awarded wings ahead of our fellow cadets Maung Maung Nyunt,

Aung Khin and Tin Gyi. Our courses had started with 12 cadets and only 5 of us completed the flying

training. Our wings parade was to be held on 8 December 1949 and the wings were presented by the

then president of Myanmar H.E. Sao Shwe Thaik, whereas the two of us were presented by Squadron

Leader Thura Tommy Clift, the commander of Mingalardon Air Force Base at the air force hangar.

Ko Gyi and myself left for England on 2 December 1949 by BOAC, to attend the Mosquito aircraft

conversion course with the Royal Air Force at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. Wing Commander Thura

Selwyn Khin and Pilot Officer Saw Pru joined us there 3 weeks later. Upon there arrival we heard the sad

news that Pilot Officer Tin Gyi had been killed together with Gunner Thein Saw while on a strike mission

to Sabudaung a few miles north of Helgu, while the army was trying to re-occupy it. Upon completion of

the conversion course we returned to Myanmar in the middle of March with our air force Oxford aircraft

and got home on the last week. Upon arrival I was posted to No. 1 Operational Squadron with Flight

Lieutenant Aung Nyunt as squadron commander. The squadron was formed while we were away in

England. On 8 April I was checked by Flight Lieutenant Aung Nyunt on a strike mission and sent solo on

another strike next day. It was somewhere in the delta region.

On 23 April I was sent with Pilot Officer Thura Saw Pru as flight leader to Meikhtila. On arrival we

reported to Colonel Douglas Blake, the North Burma commander (at that time Burma was divided into 2

commands, north and south) and his general staff officer III Captain Maung Lwin (who became Director

of Defence Services and retired as Ambassador). We were billetered at the present house of the CO of

Ground Training Base. At that time the air force was to expand to Meikhtila and buildings had already

been built but insurgency interrupted. Colonel Blake and staff were there to supervise the reoccupation of

Pakoku from the hands of the People Volunteer Organisation (White) who had occupied that town.

On the 24 April we went on a strike in Natogyi area. During that time the area between

Mandalay, Myingyan and Meikhtila was known as the triangle area and it was full of insurgents. On 25
April I was sent to Pauk ferrying ammunition there as they had repulsed an attack by the PVOs the

previous day. There was nobody at the airfield when I landed but a few minutes later a 15 hundred

weight vehicle with full of people came along headed by a captain. They went straight towards the

aircraft and saw leading aircraftman Freddie Melandez and asked where the pilot was and was told that I

was in the building by the airfield. We must have been the first air force plane to land there because they

all shouted in unison "Burmalay hey, nge nge lay, Doe Burma". At that time I was just 20 years old. I was

greeted by Angelo Bama officer who introduced himself as Captain Harbour of the recruiting officer. He

and his section of riflemen and with the local militia had defended the town from the attack and due to

their strong defence the town never fell to the insurgents.

I had to proceed to Pauk the next day with more ammunition. On the return I was asked by the

authorities there to bomb a village between Pauk and Pakoku. There was a full in operational activities

and the next 3 days was spent ferrying North Burma Command's staff officers between Meikhtila and

Anisakhan.

On the morning of 29 April, Pilot Officer Thura Saw Pru with Colonel Blake in one aircraft and me

with Lieutenant Colonel Tun Sein (who died as Defence Attache in Tokyo and one time Mayor of Yangon)

in another aircraft took off from Meikhtila and proceeded towards Pakoku. We could see fom the air two

double decker steam boats on the shore just north of Pakoku with troops disembarking. Two of the

building inside the Pakoku jail were burning and the insurgents were about to set fire the wooden bridge

spanning the dried river bed dividing north and south of the town. They must have heared the drone of

the aircraft and left after partly igniting a fire. Just west of the town on the knoll beside the cemetery on

the road towards Myaing we found a convoy of three 15 hundredweights and 2 jeeps with a 6 pounder

artillery gun being towed. We immediately attacked them with our twin Browning 0.303 machine guns. I

saw an insurgent fire at Ko Saw Pru's aircraft from the side of the road. I told Ko Saw Pru to cover me

and went down to attack the enemy. I held fire while he was firing at me from 600 feet I let go my

machine guns and just like in the movies I could see him falling backwards upon being hit. Lieutenant
Colonel Tun Sein shouted "Yauk kya bar thar". We continued strafing until our ammunition was

exhausted.

We replenished our ammunition at Meikhtila and then went again to that particular road and

found the enemy halfway from Myaing. This time being afraid of being killed, they took off their white

shirts and hid the hedges by the roads. As our 0.303 machine guns cannot do much damage to the

vehicles we set about to kill the personel. We would fly low and looked for them hiding in the hedges and

upon finding them fly over the hedge and fire the Very pistol which an Oxford aircraft fired directly

downwards and upon the hedges and set it alight, they would run out and the other aircraft would mow

them down. We continued untill all our ammunition was exhausted. We returned to Meikhtila very

pleased with the successful strikes even through I had 2 bullets hold on my wings after first strike.

Thus ended the reoccupation of Pakoku and my first outpost. Pilot Officer Saw Pru who had been

awarded the Thura medal in the Independence honours list in 1950 had "Thu Ye Gaung Hmat Tan Win"

added in the 1951 Independence honours list of 1951 together with me. The battle of Pakoku was cited.