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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250118
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250119
DTSTAMP:20260518T015102
CREATED:20250106T212502Z
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UID:25742-1737158400-1737244799@www.worldwariiaviation.org
SUMMARY:Air Support for Special Forces Operations in Burma  The Chindits\, the 1st Air Commando Group and Operation Thursday
DESCRIPTION:Doors Open at 9am         Presentation Begins at 10am \n  \nThe China-Burma-India Theater (CBI) was “the forgotten war” of WWII\, but Burma was the linchpin of the war in the Far East.  The invasion of Burma gave Japan a launching point for its operations in the CBI and access to millions of tons of rice production in the region.  It also allowed Japan to blockade the Burma Road\, a critical supply route in the Allied effort to support Nationalist Chinese forces fighting against Japan. \n  \nAllied resources in the CBI were stretched thin\, but British General Orde Wingate proposed a special forces campaign behind Japanese lines in Burma that caught the imagination of Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt.  The campaign was to be carried out by British and Indian long range penetration groups known collectively as the Chindits.  Roosevelt instructed Army Air Forces General “Hap” Arnold to provide air support for Wingate’s plan.  Arnold saw it as an opportunity to demonstrate that air power could support sizeable units for an extended time behind enemy lines. \n  \nArnold selected two experienced officers to lead a new unconventional warfare unit—Phil Cochran and John Alison.  Their mission was to airlift Wingate’s troops 200 miles behind enemy lines\, supply them by air\, conduct medical evacuation\, and provide air cover and air strikes in support of ground forces.  The story of this special unit\, the 1st Air Commando Group\, and its initial combat campaign\, Operation Thursday\, became a legend in the story of the air war in the Far East.  It also served as the prototype for future air support operations for special forces.  The 1st Air Commando Group’s motto\, “Any Place. Any Time. Anywhere.” is still used by the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command today. \n  \nOn January 18th at 10:00 am\, museum Curator and Historian Gene Pfeffer will tell the story of the British Army Chindits\, the U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Air Commando Group\, and Operation Thursday\, the first special operation conducted entirely by air. \n  \nThis presentation is open to all museum guests at no additional cost.  Doors open at 9:00am.  The presentation begins at 10:00am. \n \nhttps://thechinditsociety.org.uk/ \nControversial and enigmatic British General Orde Wingate and U.S. Army Air Forces Phil Cochran\, key figures in
URL:https://www.worldwariiaviation.org/event/air-support-for-special-forces-operations-in-burma-the-chindits-the-1st-air-commando-group-and-operation-thursday
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