Ben Lovario shared the following photograph on the RAF in India/SEAC Facebook Group with the group with the caption : Mingaladon, Rangoon Burma-January 1942- Brewster Buffalo, 67 Squadron R.A.F.
The aircraft is clearly damaged beyond repair while it was parked on the ground – and likely by bomb blasts . Looking at the losses of Brewster Buffalos in SEAC, We can see several days where a number of aircraft were lost on the ground. The 23rd December 1941 bombing of Mingaladon accounted for seven aircraft and another day in February accounted for three more.
There is a clue to the identity of this aircraft – the fuselage code “F” can be seen in both the images. Fortunately Chris Shores, et all in their book “Bloody Shambles : Volume 1” , provide a listing of Buffalos in Rangoon, and one of them is shown with the code “F” – W8190. Fittingly the entry for this aircraft in Air Britain’s W serial register is sparse. There is just a blank entry against this aircraft.
However the Buffalo Database by Jos Herman mentions that W8190 was written off in Selatar prior to operations. ” Hit obstruction landing at Seletar Sgt E E Pedersen RNZAF Unhurt 8 Sep 1941 “
This confusion apart, not much is given on W8190, or any other Buffalo that carried the code RD-F
Photos Courtesy: Ben Lovario – RAF in India/SEAC Facebook Group