RAF Liberators Over Burma: Flying With 159 Squadron

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British RAF wireless operatorair gunner Bill Enoch' Kirkness of Horsforth Yorkshire flew thirty-two B-24 Liberator bomber sorties twenty-eight of which were against Japanese targets in Burma He was credited with downing the night fighter that killed a crewmate & severely damaged his Liberator in April 1944; his aircraft's crash-landing abruptly ended his first tour of operations He was awarded a prestigious Distinguished Flying Medal for his heroism Bill's memoir of Wellington ferry flights Liberator training & operations with 159 Squadron typifies aspects of the human spirit-including fear & anxiety focused determination numbing boredom brotherly camaraderie heart-wrenching anguish & comic relief-which any young man immersed within such a conflict would have likely experienced Bill wore his heart not just his sergeant's stripes on his sleeve Bill's story is a compelling dignified account of an average man's war from 1942 to 1944 in the UK the Mediterranean Africa & onward through his first operational tour based in India Matt Poole an expert on 159 Squadron & RAF Liberator activities against the Japanese seamlessly enhances Bill's narrative with added historical detail Although Bill passed away in 1994 Matt vowed to help bring the memoir to a wider audience