Indian Pattern bodies

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Note the wooden Indian Pattern body, indicating this C15 was assembled in India.

"Chevrolet C15 4x2 truck towing fuel bowsers at an airfield in Burma, 27th March 1945. It belongs to a formation using 33 Indian Corps' sign. Probably an AOP Flight/Squadron, combined Army/RAF."

Someone commented "These are Stinson L-5 must be US Airforce", to which Nick Balmer replied:

There was a US Army Air Corps force called the 1st USAAF Air Commando Group, that was led by Colonel Philip Cochrane that was specifically attached to the Indian Army in Burma and which worked very closely with the Indian Army. It operated several types of aircraft including Mustangs, Mitchell bombers, C47 and also Stinsons.
The Stinson pilots were very highly regarded in the latter part of 1944 and into 1945 as they developed Casevac services, coming into land just behind the forward troops, often landing on river sandbanks, dry rice fields, and picking up stretcher borne casualties for evacuation to forward clearing stations.
I expect that this photo shows one of these temporary airstrips at a casualty clearing station, not far behind the frontlines.
These pilots saved an awful lot of Commonwealth troops lives, reducing the time from the sepoy or soldier being hit, until they were in an operating theatre greatly.
"The commanders' hopes and the soldiers' morale rose sky-high. Now, if we got hit in the middle of Burma, we would not be left under a bush to die."