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 The men who were to become 177 Squadron RAF assembled in India in early 1943, not knowing their destination - or their fates. Soon after, they were flying repeatedly by day and by night over Burma (known today as Myanmar) and Siam (Thailand), frequently in abominable weather, destroying Japanese transportation and infrastructure, playing an important role in the eventual Allied victory. Equipped with twin-engined, cannon and rocket firing Bristol Beaufighters, the pilots flew just above the jungle or the plains - too low to be detected by radar - and were often unseen and unheard until the moment of attack. No wonder the Japanese called them 'Whispering Death'.
Using the squadron's Operations Record Book, his own memories and those of his colleagues, Atholl Sutherland Brown has meticulously recreated the triumphs and disasters of a group of unknown heroes - the air and ground crews of the 177 Squadron.
To read excerpts like this, use the drop down menu at the left.
"We were steadily dropping down until the tree tops were a bare 200 feet below us. In front lay the silver ribbon of the Irrawaddy. I looked idly round and the bullet-proof doors between the two cabins, which had silently closed a second or two before reminded me sharply that we were not out for pleasure. Suddenly through the intercomm came Matt’s voice: 'This is it'.”
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REVIEWS
"The day-to-day squadron life is vividly portrayed... this well researched book is a most important addition to the literature of the Far East conflict."
Air Chief Marshall Sir Lewis Hodges, KCB, CBE, DSO, DFC
"Occasionally [a book] appears that stands out as a masterpiece destined to become an authority on particular operations... Atholl Sutherland Brown has produced such a book... The exploits of this squadron are quite remarkable and far too little is known of their great contribution to the ultimate victory in Burma."
Air Commodore Graham R. Pitchfork, MBE
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