Burma Warrior

The China-Burma-India theater of war in World War II was a treacherous jungle, filled with venomous snakes, malaria-carrying mosquitoes, monsoons and the fierce Japanese soldier. Eighteen-year-old Pete Avrea joined the U.S. Army Air Force in hopes of helping the Allies defeat the enemy. His contribution took him to the brink of death, having survived being shot down three times including two crash landings. Starting as a member of the 315th Troop Carrier Squadron in the spring of 1944, Pete participated in the very dangerous mission of gaining the first Allied toehold in northern Burma at the Battle of Myitkyina. As the ground forces fought all around, and under constant threat of enemy attack, Pete and his air transport crews towed gliders, landed hundreds of troops, and dropped thousands of tons of equipment, ammo, and supplies flying the C-47 Skytrain. Burma Warrior describes in great detail the strategic, coordinated effort between the Allied ground forces and the Air Forces.

Pete volunteered as a dorsal turret gunner engineer for a second tour of duty with the 490th Bombardment Squadron, famously known as the Burma Bridge Busters. Their mission was to destroy the Japanese lines of communication, including bridges, rail lines and enemy storage facilities. Climb into the B-25 Mitchell bomber with Pete, as the pilot pushes it into a level dive at 300 feet doing 275 mph and drop 4000 pounds of high explosives on a bridge. Feel the explosive concussion as you pull out and away. In thirteen months at war in two tours of duty, Pete flew 117 combat missions totaling 452 hours of combat flying time. This is the story of Pete and the brave men he flew with.

"Look out! That zero's coming right over, Pete, shoot him! Shoot him! Oh my God, we're on fire! On fire! We're burning! Going down! Going down!"

Eighteen year old Pete Avrea was like millions of other young men who enlisted in the military following the attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II. Join Pete as the Burma Warrior, and his fellow U.S. Army Air Force aviators, as they flew harrowing combat missions in the most god-awful theater of war: China-Burma-India. In the spring of 1944, he arrived at the most critical point in the campaign, just as the Allies mustered the ground and air forces to push the Japanese out of Burma.

Starting as a member of the 315th Troop Carrier Squadron, Pete participated in the very dangerous mission of gaining the first Allied toehold in northern Burma at the Battle of Myitkyina. As the ground forces fought all around, and under constant threat of enemy attack, Pete and his air transport crews towed gliders, landed hundreds of troops, and dropped thousands of tons of equipment, ammo, and supplies flying the C-47 Skytrain. Burma Warrior describes in great detail the strategic, coordinated effort between the Allied ground forces and the Air Forces.

Pete volunteered as a dorsal turret gunner engineer for a second tour of duty with the 490th Bombardment Squadron, famously known as the Burma Bridge Busters. Their mission was to destroy the Japanese lines of communication, including bridges, rail lines and enemy storage facilities. Climb into the B-25 Mitchell bomber with Pete, as the pilot pushes it into a level dive at 300 feet doing 275 mph and drop 4000 pounds of high explosives on a bridge. Feel the explosive concussion as you pull out and away.

The jungle of Burma was as much an enemy as the Japanese were. Impenetrable terrain, venomous snakes, 100+ degree heat, malaria-carrying mosquitoes, and 200 plus inches of rain during the monsoons plagued the aviators. In spite of all this, they were ordered to fly. In thirteen months at war in two tours of duty, Pete flew 117 combat missions totaling 452 hours of combat flying time, and was shot down three times including two crash landings. This is the story of Pete and the brave men he flew with.